Susan Schopp recalled an experience in her early days as a journalist when her editor at the Hill Country Recorder in Boerne, Texas told her to cover a city council meeting they knew would be contentious. “My editor said to write it exactly as it happens, bad words and all. So I did,” Schopp said.
“Unfortunately, when it came time to go to press, my editor was home sick. It was published exactly as written. It was hard going back into that council meeting,” she quipped.
In addition to freelancing for the Hill Country Recorder, Schopp wrote for two other publications in the San Antonio area—the Helotes Echo and a parenting publication called Baby Times—when her kids were 2 and 5 years old and she was a stay-at-home mom from about 1991 to 1995. She also started getting involved in special sections such as gardening guides, graphic design and advertising.
Susan Schopp, founder of Neighborhood News and CEO of Neighbors Choice.
“Being out in the community, small businesses really wanted to reach some of these specific neighborhoods, but there was no way to do that,” Schopp said. “I started researching and realized these neighborhoods wanted a newsletter, or had one but was struggling to put it out with no manpower or budget, so between businesses being interested and the need for the service, my idea was born from that.”
Schopp founded Neighborhood News in October 1996, a newsletter printing and mailing distribution company that provides micro-local publications to homeowners’ associations, subdivisions and small municipalities. She grew the business and now serves nearly 100 communities throughout Dallas, Austin and her home town of San Antonio.
The newsletters are paid for entirely by advertising, and Schopp works with communities, homeowners’ associations and freelance writers to gather news and information to provide content, ranging from board meetings to architecture and swimming groups. The average newsletter ranges from 8 to 28 pages, depending on the size of the neighborhood and amount of local news. The goal, she said, is always to become the official publication of a designated neighborhood.
“I think right now, community involvement is maybe higher than it’s been in a while,” Schopp added. “People have spent so much time in their homes the past year or so and just want to be more willing to get out and meet their neighbors…and we’ve found most residents enjoy reaching a print newsletter that’s not so huge they can’t get through it with a cup of coffee in the morning.”
Franchising the concept has always been a part of Schopp’s plan, but was continually put on the back-burner—for 25 years. “The goal behind that is to find actual neighborhood people in their own communities who know their neighbors” to be franchisees, Schopp said.
She started the process of franchising about 12 years ago and got some initial legwork done, then started up the process again two years ago and began working with a consultant, attorney and a PR agency to finally make it happen. The brand announced its expansion plans in early April as well as the concept’s new franchise entity, Neighbors Choice.
The Neighborhood News franchise fee is $35,000, and the initial investment ranges from $35,000 to around $85,000, depending on if franchisees prefer to work from home or have an office with a receptionist.
Franchisees will be responsible for working with local businesses to sell advertising and creating ad prices and schedules, plus helping create marketing campaigns. The corporate office will help work with neighborhoods to put news together.
“We’ve got this down to a science,” Schopp said. “The corporate office will start working with the community” and educate neighbors on how to submit information, and franchisees will be involved in proofing newsletters. “I hope they’ll take a big interest in that and stay involved in communities and be a part of that.”
Schopp is hoping to maximize her growing market in Texas with the goal of selling 10 to 12 new franchisees this year, but so far hasn’t sold any. “I honestly think this is a great opportunity and fun business to have,” she added. “It helps the community and you’ll be out and about and busy and talking to people, but the virtue of doing that is that you may become a leader in your own community.”
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Former Journalist Launches Neighborhood Newsletter Franchise, Neighbors Choice - Franchise Times
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