Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Franchising Your Business

Every business operation has the dream of expanding his or her business. If you have this goal but seem to lack the finances to expand rapidly, you may want to consider being a franchiser. This means allowing people with the same interest in business to operate your business on their own. You are not selling your business to them but in a way they will be paying you to use your business and everything that goes with it.
If your company has become an established brand and some people want to be able to open a store under your brand, you can offer them to franchise. There are certain terms to this such as they would need to carry only your business name and products. You will be supplying them with the materials and products and pay a franchise fee. The terms and conditions of a franchise may vary depending on what is agreed upon but what ever the case is it's a great way for you to be able to expand your business and at the same time get paid for it. Franchising is not new. It is being done all over the world and even through the internet there is some franchising that is going on.
The internet being a global information hub and market has allowed people to get to know more about different companies and has allowed franchising of these companies to grow. You too can be a part of this and allow people to know about your company and the benefits of being in business with you by way of franchising.
Are you a Network marketer? Learn Network Marketing the simplest way. Visit Us and build your team right now.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ray_C_Blee

Franchising Business

If you intend to be a franchisee there are a couple of things you may want to find out. You would want to know how profitable the business is and what your target market is. It would be ideal to get the business that would best suit the demographic that you are more comfortable with.
Being a franchisee would often entail that you would shell out an initial franchise fee to start your business and continue to operate. Now this need not be a big worry for you since you are most likely to be able to get back the initial cost of acquiring the franchise in a few months depending on how well you handle the business. You must be creative enough and be resourceful in getting those clients through your doors or to start doing business with you as soon as possible. One fast way to get customers is through the internet. There is a large population of individuals who go through the internet just to surf and look at different things. Now it would be wise to take advantage of this and advertise about your business. Your franchiser may be a well known company and have many branches available; you would want to be known as well as one of those branches offering the products. You can target your local community through the internet by providing them information that you are operating a franchise.
As a franchisee it is your responsibility to make the business flourish. You would need to make use of all your network and contacts to do this and the internet is a great place for you to spread the word fast.
Are you a Network marketer? Learn Network Marketing the simplest way. Visit Us and build your team right now.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ray_C_Blee

Monday, February 16, 2009

Franchising Your Business

Every business operation has the dream of expanding his or her business. If you have this goal but seem to lack the finances to expand rapidly, you may want to consider being a franchiser. This means allowing people with the same interest in business to operate your business on their own. You are not selling your business to them but in a way they will be paying you to use your business and everything that goes with it.
If your company has become an established brand and some people want to be able to open a store under your brand, you can offer them to franchise. There are certain terms to this such as they would need to carry only your business name and products. You will be supplying them with the materials and products and pay a franchise fee. The terms and conditions of a franchise may vary depending on what is agreed upon but what ever the case is it's a great way for you to be able to expand your business and at the same time get paid for it. Franchising is not new. It is being done all over the world and even through the internet there is some franchising that is going on.
The internet being a global information hub and market has allowed people to get to know more about different companies and has allowed franchising of these companies to grow. You too can be a part of this and allow people to know about your company and the benefits of being in business with you by way of franchising.
Are you a Network marketer? Learn Network Marketing the simplest way. Visit Us and build your team right now.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ray_C_Blee

Franchising Business

If you intend to be a franchisee there are a couple of things you may want to find out. You would want to know how profitable the business is and what your target market is. It would be ideal to get the business that would best suit the demographic that you are more comfortable with.
Being a franchisee would often entail that you would shell out an initial franchise fee to start your business and continue to operate. Now this need not be a big worry for you since you are most likely to be able to get back the initial cost of acquiring the franchise in a few months depending on how well you handle the business. You must be creative enough and be resourceful in getting those clients through your doors or to start doing business with you as soon as possible. One fast way to get customers is through the internet. There is a large population of individuals who go through the internet just to surf and look at different things. Now it would be wise to take advantage of this and advertise about your business. Your franchiser may be a well known company and have many branches available; you would want to be known as well as one of those branches offering the products. You can target your local community through the internet by providing them information that you are operating a franchise.
As a franchisee it is your responsibility to make the business flourish. You would need to make use of all your network and contacts to do this and the internet is a great place for you to spread the word fast.
Are you a Network marketer? Learn Network Marketing the simplest way. Visit Us and build your team right now.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ray_C_Blee

Franchise Your Business - Is Now a Good Time?

Every time you turn on the news, log in on the computer or open the newspaper, a major company is laying off 5,000 plus employees. Franchising has always soared when jobs are lost and no new ones are created. The current economic situation surrounding us is the worst in the history of the United States. It is now impacting the "global economy". When we are having tough economic times no one is spared in the global market.
So why are franchise companies stuck in neutral, during what should be a good market for new franchisees? One of the major reasons is the lack of lenders (funding). First of all, I believe the consolidation of the banking industry is nearing an end. This was and is a huge problem, and the primary reason our government is now getting into the act and looking at taking over some of this bad debt. If you are the US government can you afford to let the banking system collapse? The answer is "no". They can and will regulate and create better guidelines. For those in the banking system that have weathered the storm, how long can you stay out of your primary business which is lending? If you are one of the few that is lending you have free choice over the risk factor.
We are already starting to see the private sector push some funds into the lending market. Where else can you find a safe haven for your money? If your funds are with a lender that has no financial issues and has solid lending practices it is a better bet than the stock market. I have personally seen two lending sources throw in towel and recently receive "new sources" for funding and come back to life. This is a good sign!
If you have an existing business that you feel can become a good franchise concept, get the ball rolling now. Put all your information together and position yourself during the present times so you can pull the trigger six to nine months out. Someone once said, it's not always the idea, but the timing that matters the most.
Need help with your concept?
http://www.linkedin.com/in/bobmoglia
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bob_Moglia

How to Franchise

1. Vision. This is no big surprise for most business leaders, if there is any misdirection or haziness about a company's vision the boat will not be sailing straight. It is up to the Franchisor, the leader of the company to define that vision. What are the goals for the company overall, what are the basic principles that will guide this franchise company into the next year, five years and decade? A good franchisor has a GREAT vision with honorable intentions. The franchisee cannot be laid to waste in the wake of a franchisor working to achieve a goal, it is accomplished in unison.
2. Relationship Management. I have worked with many great franchise companies. Many amazing and dynamic leaders have passed through the halls of my office and gone on to achieve fantastic results. Some of these leaders have been extremely intelligent, able to compute extensive algorithms in their heads to the likes of a Bill Gates. Others have been uncanny sales people with the deal-making abilities of a Donald Trump. Other successful franchisors have found solace in their ability to manage with the prowess of a Jack Welch, always delivering results. The one common factor in all of the hundreds of top echelon franchisors is their ability to manage a simple relationship. It is very easy to like a good franchisor. They make a franchisee feel comfortable, they are honest, accountable and straightforward. The franchisee knows what they are getting from the relationship up front and the promises made are delivered throughout the relationship of the franchise. Good Franchisors are great at managing relationships.
3. Ability to Delegate. I have worked with a lot of different franchise companies, all shapes and sizes, there is rarely a case or instance where a type of business owner comes to me to build a franchise system that Francorp has not encountered at some point in time. Many entrepreneurs are what I affectionately refers to as "White Knuckle Operators". The terms describes some business owners inability to let go of the day to day tasks. A franchisor will never get any bigger than they allow themselves to be, the franchisor has to trust the fact that after training the franchisees and instituting the systems in the franchise operation that the franchisee can run the business successfully. Without this ability, the franchisor perpetually handicaps its own expansion. I work with these types of business owners, and the biggest obstacle in achieving substantial growth is teaching the franchisor how to overcome themselves!
4. Ability to Teach. Great franchisors are always the best teachers. They have a way about them, it effuses a combined sense of "cool as the other side of the pillow" and "it's okay, you're doing a great job". The exceptional franchisors that I have taken to market have a somewhat professorial air about them. They come across as great parental figures, you feel a sense of comfort when in their company. A franchisor has to teach, the value in a great franchise system comes from the franchisors ability to transmit their knowledge and experience to the franchisees. Great franchise systems are built by fantastic educators. I focus on this education function through a series of training classes and modules focused on franchise sales, franchise marketing, franchise management and franchise support. Perpetual education is a good thing that holds true in franchising as well.
5. Adaptability. It is imperative that new franchise companies have this essential structure when entering the franchise market. What has made many franchise companies reach the upper echelon of success is the franchisor and franchise system's ability to adapt. The one constant in business is CHANGE! Every day we have new market factors and trends that as business owners we need to accommodate in order to keep growing. The same is true in franchising! What works in Illinois, may have to be altered to some extent in California. Again, the key is that you start with an exceptionally sound baseline service delivery system, then provide for the fact that every business must "shimmy" a little. A good franchise model is designed somewhat like a sky scraper, it is structurally defined and very solid, but it sways with the wind to accommodate for its environment.
6. Communication. I never will condone an "Ivory Tower" style of franchise management. What this refers to is that as a franchisor, the role shifts from a "doer" to an "educator". Part of a good educator is to communicate effectively. The great franchise systems that Francorp has put together thrive on the fact that the franchisee has open lines of communication with the franchisor. Ideas, strategies and feelings are exchanged openly between all parties. Ultimately the franchisor makes the final decision on all business directives, but a franchisor will not succeed if they operate like a dictator. Alternately, a good franchise system for clients that is more similar to a Democracy with control and veto power lying in the hands of the franchisor. Franchisees should feel like they are involved, and many times they will contribute the success and well-being of the franchise system overall. It's worth listening to the people who are the lifeblood of your franchise business.
Christopher James Conner
Vice President
Francorp, Inc.
http://www.francorp.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christopher_Conner

How to Find the Best Franchise Opportunity Right For You

Online cookbooks are one of my favorite ancillary benefits of today's current technology. I've never been great in the kitchen, but once I found that I could find step-by-step instructions for making all kinds of food, I no longer had to worry about my own pitiful culinary sense, because someone had already done the hard work for me, and all I had to do was follow their lead. If everything in life were like that, this would be such an easier place to live, unfortunately, not everything in life is so easy. And though I'm sorry to say it, one of the most dauntingly non-recipe things in life is career: no one can tell you exactly what career is right for you and what steps you'll have to go through to get there. And franchise opportunities aren't any different; there are so many variables to every individual person that no one is capable of detailing the best experience for everyone beforehand. What I can offer, however, are some tips for helping you figure it out for yourself.
One of the most important things to take into consideration when piecing together your personal franchise plan is who you are. And because a full analysis of that will take us each a lifetime, let's start broad. Aside from gender, one of the broadest personality classifications is the difference between introvert and extrovert, the first being people who are fueled by being with others, and the second being those of us who are energized by being alone. What you naturally are will help determine exactly what kind of business opportunity you should be looking for.
For example, knowing where you get your energy will help determine whether a home-based business or a franchise with a public storefront and a host of other employees will be a better environment for you. The difference, in this way, between a HomeVestors work-at-home operation and a Maui Wowi Hawaiian Coffees & Smoothies shop is huge. At the one, you will spend hours upon hours by yourself, in your home, making phone calls, studying housing market trends, shopping for real-estate, posting advertisements, and potentially not seeing another human being for days on end, which, for some of us, sounds like the ultimate vacation. At the other business, every day will be out of the house, dealing with a handful of employees in close proximity and line after line of guests looking for a tasty treat and personal service. If you're like most people, one of these prospects will be very appealing and the other may sound like a nightmare.
Let's try another angle: the difference between hands-on work with the public and the administration of people who do that frontline work. A franchisee with 1-800-905-GEEK has a completely different business role than an owner of a One Hour Parties small business, mainly because the 1-800-905-GEEK owner is primarily responsible for maintaining operations and receiving calls from clients, whom his employees then go out to help. In contrast, the One Hour Parties owner is actually the person at the client's office, arranging the event and schmoozing with partygoers. Both are serving the public and corporate world, but their positions in doing so are utterly different, requiring two separate kinds of people for optimum success.
There's one more way to look at this to help pick out whether you're suited for a more introvert- or extrovert-ready business opportunity. Are you a bigger fan of people or projects? A Snap-On Tools franchisee is responsible for one thing: selling tools, which requires a high degree of interpersonal contact and an outgoing spirit, generally traits of an extrovert. Not that introverts are naturally mean or unlikable, quite the contrary, but after hours and days of sales, some get worn down. In contrast to this business model, whose success is built on personal interaction, the model of a franchise like Sure Step involves communication with the client, but the majority of the actual work revolves around physical labor. Some franchisees would much rather work on getting a task done than working directly with clients all day. What about you?
In the end, most of us are neither wholly introvert nor wholly extrovert, and the franchise business right you, whether work-from-home, project-based, or otherwise, is going to reflect a very specific combination of human relations and independence natural to your personality. Sit and spend some time thinking all these options through and then investigate in detail the franchises that sound best for you.
Find more franchises including food franchises and low cost franchises at Franchise Gator
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Candice_Clem