Cookie Cutter Franchisee’s Work With Kids With Autism is Breaking the Mold

March 31, 2017

Don Avena is making his franchise accessible to kids with autism, and hopes his efforts are already making a difference beyond his haircut salon.

By Radim Dragomaca

When Don Avena opened his first Cookie Cutters Haircuts for Kids in Austin, Texas this year, he knew he didn’t want to just fit the mold — he wanted to expand and change it. When people think about franchising, the cookie cutter analogy often comes to mind; they think of a business model already set in place, ready to be activated and start producing identical cookies or haircuts or burgers. What they often miss, and what IFA’s @Our Franchise campaign is all about, is highlighting the transformative power of franchising in communities, and the transformative power of individual franchisees on their companies. Don Avena’s story is about just that.

Don and his wife Lisa spent decades in finance, trading stocks for hedge funds in New York City or working on high-tech marketing projects. Invaluable experience, but something was missing. A strong entrepreneurial spirit, a passion for family and kids and a desire to make a difference meant that it was time for a change. The family moved to Austin, Texas and earlier this year, they opened a Cookie Cutters Haircuts for Kids, with three more locations on the way. With four kids of their own (ages 14, 13, 11 and 5) and Don pursuing a master’s degree in elementary special needs education, their new life was miles away from the skyscrapers of New York City and flashing stock screens of Wall Street. In their new community, they’re all about making a difference for kids.

Don and his wife were drawn to the opportunities of franchising, but in this second chapter of their lives, they wanted a truly exciting, fun and feel-good business. They approached FranNet, which helped identify their likes and dislikes, which led to the discovery of a small, emerging franchise based in Utah that is looking to expand nationwide — Cookie Cutter Haircuts. The innovative idea of transforming haircuts from a stressful chore to a fun, kid-centric experience with video games, children’s shows on the big screens and candy galore was a perfect fit. “We flew out to Utah for Discovery Day and ended up spending five days there,” says Don, and between the concept, the culture and what the other franchisees were saying, they realized this was the business for them.

Now, here’s where the story leaves the cookie mold behind and where this franchisee’s personal passion for kids with special needs begins to transform the business and the community. Don explains that “haircuts can be particularly challenging for kids with special needs, so I reached out to the Autism Society of Central Texas and told them I wanted to partner up with them.” The staff there was thrilled to get the call and told Don “that he was basically the pioneer in this field and that no franchise had reached out to them before.” They came down to Don’s salon and spent the day training his staff about how to work with children with autism, recognizing their different sensory needs and stress triggers, while teaching them how to adapt their approach to make the fun haircut experience accessible. From picture books showing the haircut process step by step in advance to treasure chests with toys, heavy lap blankets, dimmer lights and soothing music, the advice was invaluable and transformative. Above all, the experts helped Don and his staff understand that at its core, it’s about having the information and the desire to be accessible, and then engaging in relationship-building with kids with special needs during their time in the salon.

If Don wasn’t a franchisee, his work with the Autism Society — which now also includes participating in its awareness raising campaign and fundraisers — would remain local. The power of franchising, however, means that good ideas at the grassroots level can flow up the chain and impact fellow franchisees around the country. After the success of the initial training process in adapting the haircut experience for kids with special needs, Don has become an advocate for taking this company-wide. Don sent the training materials to other franchisees, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. The Georgia location has already reached out to its local Autism Society chapter and new franchisees that sign on are getting these training materials as well.

Franchising is about so much more than just going into business for yourself with a proven model and a support network on your side. For people like Don and his family, it’s a transformative second chapter in life, where they can find the perfect business that puts their values and passions front and center. For a lot of people, it’s a gateway to making a positive impact on their community and building bridges to people who need that outreach most, like those with special needs. And for some, it’s a way to take a great idea like making the haircut experience enjoyable for kids with autism and let that idea spread nationwide, powered by their franchise network.

Radim Dragomaca is Associate Editor of Franchising World and Publishing and International Affairs Associate for the International Franchise Association.