As an owner of three Just Between Friends franchises, I stand in awe of just ONE of the many outstanding milestones JBF achieved in 2009—surpassing 100 JBF franchises! Currently, with 102 franchises, in 22 states, JBF is positively impacting more than 260,000 American families through their well-organized, fun and bargain-savvy children’s consignment sales events.

When I purchased my first two franchises in 2006, I was granted franchises #38 and #39. In 2008, I purchased franchise #60, for a total of three JBF territories. What began as a number and a dream has turned into a unique opportunity for me to serve thousands of families across Missouri…and join an amazing group of mompreneurs (and a dad or two) who are changing the bottom lines of countless family budgets.

In an economy with lost jobs, closing businesses and downsizing, Just Between Friends has seen record-breaking growth and participation throughout the US. This is not bragging on us, it’s praise for all of the moms who are learning new and “green” ways of recycling, reselling, recouping and rejoicing!

Recycling is not just the right thing to do; it’s a smart way of reducing your family’s footprint, de-cluttering your home and extending the lifespan of quality products through more than one child and/or family.

Reselling children’s items is a good way to manage the continual growth of a family, while also finding affordable clothing, toys and equipment for the next season.

Recouping a fair value for the investment you have made in your children just makes good sense. Why give your items away at a garage sale, accept a fraction of what your items are worth at a traditional consignment store or keep things until they are outdated and unusable? You can make up to 70% on your items with JBF, without the hassle of selling everything yourself.

Rejoicing is one of the best parts of JBF, to me. I rejoice when I see an expecting mom purchase a ton of affordable items for her nursery and future newborn. I rejoice when I see a single mom with multiple children who is able to purchase what she needs for each little one. I rejoice when I send out consignor checks and know I have helped so many families make some extra cash for just cleaning up around their home.

Just Between Friends is not magic, rocket science or some sort of get-rich-quick idea, but I have been a part of many magical times, witnessed blessings that cannot be attributed to what could only be seen, and I’m pleased to say that lots of moms take home some pretty nice chunks of change every sale.

Numbers are nice, but what means more to me is that, with every new franchise, Just Between Friends is able to reach out and serve even more families, make so many more new mommy-friends and be a part of even greater blessings in so many wonderful communities across the nation…I can’t wait to see what 2010 has in store for JBF!