“Our new partnership with No Kid Hungry helps fulfill our mission to spread sunshine and inspire better within our communities,” said Charles Watson, CEO of Tropical Smoothie Café, LLC. “We believe in serving food and smoothies that truly nourish our guests and our communities, which is why partnering with a leading national nonprofit focused on connecting kids with healthy meals is the perfect alliance for us.”

Andy Popick, a Battalion Chief in the fire rescue service, has found a way to combine his passion for service and travel through a successful franchise with Cruise Planners. His journey from fire rescue to travel advisor is a testament to the flexibility and opportunities that Cruise Planners offers.

Express Employment Professionals (EEP), a globally franchised staffing company with more than 860 locations in five countries, helps good people find good jobs by connecting good companies with good people. The brand and its franchisees needed to increase the online presence of locations in order to achieve the company’s mission of putting a million people to work annually. It was crucial for the solution to be easily adopted by EEP franchisees to save them time, energy, and stress when it came to managing their own digital marketing efforts and getting people in the right jobs. Starting with a rollout to franchise locations in March 2022, SOCi helps EEP reach their local communities with a platform that provides franchise owners with easy-to-use tools and solutions that consolidate digital marketing efforts to save them time, effort, and money.

When Isaiah Banks, an active-duty officer in the U.S. Navy, first approached his wife Deborah about purchasing a Cruise Planners travel franchise, she was hesitant. With an active career in the tech field and Isaiah's military duties, she initially told her husband, “If you want to start a travel agency, you have to run it yourself."

Debra Kerper, a double amputee, has turned her personal challenges into a thriving home-based business with Cruise Planners, helping people of all abilities travel the world.

For many workers, 2022 has been a year defined by opportunity and anxiety. The Great Resignation saw many employees leave their current employer in search of better opportunities elsewhere. At the same time, rising costs of living, especially in healthcare, has workers struggling to balance their work and home responsibilities. As we’ve become settled into 2023, employers should familiarize themselves with employee benefits industry trends to guide their decision-making.