Editorial

Unique Maps are a Treasure for Travelers and Businesses

There’s no shortage of laughter around the Anacortes, Washington, offices of Discovery Map International. Vicki Starr, founder and president, says it’s because their business is part of the travel and vacation industry where fun is a given. Also, how can you not have fun when you are creating such a valuable and creative product?

Starr came up with the idea of an illustrative travel map for visitors that would show them two important things – where to go and how to get there. But, to make it better, she decided to illustrate the maps with colorful and original artwork and to highlight those areas that would be most interesting to a traveler: shopping, restaurants, attractions, recreation, services and lodging.

Functional Beauty

Discovery Map Franchise Each area map is hand-drawn, often by a local artist who walks the locale and adds a distinctive, cultural flair. Local businesses are invited to advertise on the maps, adding additional value to the traveler. The maps are then distributed freely through hotels and motels, visitor centers, the local chamber of commerce, and displayed in racks at the advertisers’ businesses.

As a Franchise concept, this is perfect for the person who’s happiest when out in the community, making contacts and who has a great sales personality. A franchisee will be awarded a protected territory and sell advertising to local businesses. This is a wonderful opportunity for local merchants who have few avenues for attracting those big tourist dollars.

The maps, which Starr calls a “functional shortcut to the hot spots for vacationers,” are produced by the Discovery Map home office so the franchisee is responsible for mainly getting the advertisers and arranging distribution. Once the initial ads are sold, the job becomes even easier as renewal rates for subsequent issues (the maps are reprinted yearly) are very high.

Helps Visitors and Businesses Connect

As maps go, most are not very interesting. The one in your glove box probably has roads and rivers marked and a few triangles designating state parks. The Discovery Map is something else entirely.

From a bird’s-eye view, you see buildings, mountains, trees, bridges and trains. For example, the map of Flagstaff shows the Lowell Observatory framed by a starry sky and there’s a howling coyote near Grand Canyon Village. Wondering where to stay? The map shows that the Arizona Mountain Inn is nestled in the pines whereas the Weatherford Hotel is in the middle of the shopping district. To make planning your day easier, you can see that Bigfoot BBQ is across the street from Black Hound Gallerie. Trying to find the NAU Art Museum? No problem; it’s the tall building with the peaked roof on Knoles Drive.

Starr has good reason if she smiles with pride at what these maps have accomplished. They are being archived by the Library of Congress as an area’s interpretive snapshot of the time. Since the cultural aspects are emphasized, the maps have historical significance.

“We provide a fun map that is both functional and beautiful,” says Starr. “They have a real personality and warmth because an artist puts heart and soul into it.” In downtown and tourist areas, each building is drawn in. Many maps end up framed and hung in business and homes. “Our maps help clients grow their business,” adds Starr, “and also makes them a part of a time capsule of the area. We really do paint a picture of the community.”

Besides being useful to business people and vacationers while visiting an area, the maps are wonderful as souvenirs. You can even order maps from the Discovery Map website or take a virtual tour of an area you may be interested in visiting!

Training for new franchisees is provided over a week at the Washington office where the staff will help them prefect a busines/prs plan and teach the sales and marketing aspects of the new business. They also provide training in financial management and recordkeeping to, as Starr says, “give the franchisees the smoothest possible start at success.”

You’re in Business, Not in Jail

Franchisees love the system because they can work out of their homes, either full or part time. They can manage one area or become an Empire Builder and take on multiple territories.

“This is a lifestyle business because it is so flexible,” says Starr. “It’s not retail jail. If you want to work six months of the year, you can. There’s a lot of freedom. If someone wants to make a larger income, they can own a cluster of territories and even manage a team of sales people. It is really a very malleable concept – you can keep it as small or make it as large as you want.”

Current franchisees number 17, serving 21 markets, and Discovery Map is anticipating dynamic growth in the next 18 months. The business started in 1987 and began Franchising in 1999, so you will find a combination of an experienced staff and an open market. Current locations are concentrated west of the Rockies but Discovery Map is now doing a national rollout and is currently registered in most states.

“We’re at that sweet stage,” says Starr, “where the company has been around for a long time with a proven concept, but we’re still very much a close-knit family. We’re just plain fun people.”

Unlike most franchisors, Discovery Map does not collect royalties. Their profits come through the sale of maps and production services to franchisees. There is virtually no overhead, no design and production staff to manage, and you won’t need printing or publishing knowledge to be successful.