# Vice Dean Joel Steckel on the famous Times Square "Naked Cowboy" franchise

1 Faculty News December 23, 2013 ![](/sites/default/files/styles/246w/public/assets/images/con_046018.jpg?itok=dkTQCdwd)>

Excerpt from The Aggregate -- "Today this brand extends to Naked Cowboy Oysters and approximately eight other Naked Cowboys and Cowgirls, or franchisees who, according to NPR, pay $500 a month or $5,000 a year for the privilege. As a franchiser, the Naked Cowboy is collecting money in exchange for other performers to adopt components of his likeness — the Stetson, the guitar, and the near-nudity. [Joel Steckel](http://www.stern.nyu.edu/faculty/bio/joel-steckel), a professor of marketing from NYU’s Stern School of Business, explains that a 'franchise is essentially a head start in running a business.'”

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