Entrepreneurial Opportunities for Graduating Seniors

New Program Seeks Students for Franchise Opportunities

Within every graduating class there lies a group of individuals unlike most other students. While their peers are constantly refining habits and skills to be successful employees –they are constantly consumed with the idea of entrepreneurship. Fortunately, for those in the class of 2008, the budding entrepreneurs will find fertile ground in new programs and opportunities all due to a small blue envelope.

Valpak, considered among the most recognized of all direct mail companies in the United States has launched its Entrepreneurship Award Program. The program is open to individuals with a desire to become business owners and who have been enrolled in accredited entrepreneurship programs or completed one at a college or university in the past 12 months.

"We feel this program will bring in a different quality of sales representatives into the system because they will have gone through an entrepreneurship-centric program and possess the skills necessary to achieve that goal," said Mark Liston, Valpak’s director of sales recruiting. "The Entrepreneurship Award program will entice college seniors and recent grads with parallel ideals to explore what Valpak has to offer."

Valpak is looking to bring on about 700 new individuals this year to become what they are terming "Valpak MBAs." It’s not a MBA program, but one with real intentions of positioning those college graduates that do join them in the position of becoming entrepreneurs.

"While not to be confused with a real MBA from an educational institution, Valpak’s account executives receive ongoing training while working very closely with the owners of small- and medium-sized businesses to help them grow their businesses with directly measurable advertising programs. Successful Valpak account executives have the opportunity to learn a lot of what it takes to own and operate a business by working closely with those entrepreneurs at the same time as they build a successful selling career for themselves," said Valpak president Joe Bourdow.

"At Valpak, we believe that this ‘earn and learn’ three-year program gives a college grad the classroom and practical experience that can lead to increasing earnings in Valpak advertising sales and, if they wish, eventual Valpak franchise ownership opportunities of ownership of another franchised company," he added. 

The Entrepreneurship Award Program plans to place along with other Valpak recruiting measures about 700 individuals as sales representatives in franchise and company owned locations around the nation.

Three years and $1,170, 894 in sales later, the reps will be eligible for several things including:

  1. $10,000 toward the franchise fee of an International Franchise Association member company

  2. $50,000 toward the franchise fee of a dormant Valpak territory; or

 3. $10,000 to put towards an MBA or another advanced degree for those

     wishing to remain in sales

Valpak annually sends out nearly 21 billion ads via its noticeable blue envelope to 45 million unique addresses in the U.S. and Canada. Its franchise network has opportunities available in 24 states and more than 65 non-major metropolitan areas. They expect to award at least nine Valpak franchises to new owners in 2008. Those with the entrepreneurial bug in their blood and entrepreneurial skills can find out more about the program by calling Mark Liston or Linda Finn at 1-800-237-6266, ext. 3568 or ext. 3177 or visiting its website: www.valpak.com.