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Browse our selection of franchise articles and features to help further your knowledge in opening and operating a franchise business. Our exclusive features cover the , , , , , , and site of the franchise business. Written by the editorial team that produces Franchise Update Magazine and Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine, the franchise industries premier magazines.

Many restaurant operators and dealmakers are hoping for a return to the pre-2008 environment, when multiples were robust, liquidity was flowing, equity was prolific, and debt capital was plentiful.
  • Dean Zuccarello
  • 6,713 Reads 115 Shares
Andy Lanz got started in franchising right out of the University of Wisconsin in Madison. With the help of his parents, the newly minted economics graduate purchased a Cousins Subs franchise in nearby Verona. Then he added a Figaro's Italian Pizza franchise as well as a Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream operation, and put them all together inside his first 2,500-square-foot store.
  • John Carroll
  • 7,410 Reads 1,014 Shares
Back in 1981, with the prime borrowing rate at an all-time high of 21 percent, most bank customers felt that those cameras they have in banks to photograph robbers should, in all fairness, be pointed at the "real" crooks: the lending officers. At such rates most companies found it difficult (if not impossible) to borrow money. Actually, it wasn't so hard to borrow money--it's just that no one could repay it.
  • Steve LeFever
  • 7,708 Reads 185 Shares
As the economy starts to turn around, franchisees often find themselves in need of funds to expand. As consumer demand increases and expansion makes more sense, the challenge of how to finance growth can create new dilemmas.
  • By: Stephen J. Sheinbaum
  • 12,035 Reads 6 Shares
The Great Recession has shifted the thinking and behavior of consumers, forcing franchise brands to respond with changes of their own as they try to keep up with the new normal. Indeed, no discussion of franchise trends in 2011 and multi-unit operators' favorite brands can begin without a nod to the recent economic turmoil and its residual short and long-term effects.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 6,790 Reads 4 Shares
Hot business opportunities come and go in franchising but one that's currently providing a sizzling opportunity is child services franchises, according to a new study by Franchise Business Review. The report examines a number of franchise models within the child services sector to assess the franchise investment opportunity. The businesses evaluated encompass many different offerings, including tutoring and education, sports and physical development, child care, retail/resale stores, and niche services like photography and event hosting.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 6,808 Reads 1,021 Shares
As a young man, Army veteran and athlete Randy Merrill followed his natural interests into training and coaching at some of the nation's top fitness chains. The Atlanta native became one of the top producers for American Fitness Centers (later bought out by Bally Total Fitness) and then helped expand Australian Body Works, now known as LA Fitness, from five to 12 locations in the Atlanta market.
  • Debbie Selinsky
  • 9,816 Reads 2 Shares
It would be fantastic to have a franchise that is so far and away superior to anything else on the market that there is simply no comparison. In the real world, most of us have competitors that have products and services (shiny objects) that perform reasonably well compared to ours.
  • David LaBonte
  • 6,709 Reads 353 Shares
If I were to ask 100 business operators to define customer service, I would guess that 97 of them would say this: Customer service is providing the customer with service that is fast, accurate, and courteous. While those are indeed elements of customer service, there is more to it, so much more.
  • John Tschohl
  • 7,201 Reads 475 Shares
As multi-unit franchisees with 24 Sizzler restaurants, Gary and Sally Myers spend a lot of time together at work, where he is president and CEO of their Temecula, Calif.-based company, and she is vice president of marketing.
  • Debbie Selinsky
  • 7,226 Reads 46 Shares
For most multi-unit franchisees, the need for dependable hard-working employees is paramount to creating a successful unit. Face it, without top-performing employees, there's really no chance of having a top-performing unit. This makes recruiting employees a top priority. Yet many multi-unit operators still struggle with finding, hiring, and retaining great employees. But there's hope - and at least 10 proven ideas you can try.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 5,711 Reads 278 Shares
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One of my greatest concerns is agents who are supposedly working for the tenant while accepting a commission from the landlord. I have hesitated writing this article for months lest it be considered an attack on real estate salespeople or agents. Nothing could be further from the truth. If it weren't for real estate agents and brokers, landlords would have half-empty buildings. My purpose here is to enlighten franchise tenants, open some eyes, and let you decide for yourself about this important issue.
  • Dale Willerton
  • 5,790 Reads 89 Shares
Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine, published by Franchise Update Media Group, today announced that John Metz, president of RREMC Restaurants, LLC has been named chairman for the 2012 Multi-Unit Franchising Conference. The conference will be held April 24-25 at The Mirage in Las Vegas.
  • PRESS RELEASE
  • 10,025 Reads 4 Shares
Family members working together in a franchise business is not that unusual. In fact, many families have created considerable multi-unit franchise operations - and fortunes - by keeping it all in the family. According to the Small Business Administration, an estimated 90 percent of businesses in the U.S. are family-owned or controlled. Furthermore, an American Family Business Survey from MassMutual found that almost one quarter of all family businesses are run by females. With an estimated 27.2 million small businesses in America, that's a lot of women and families working together. Women like Heather Petersen.
  • Multi-Unit Franchisee
  • 5,873 Reads 129 Shares
If you have a telephone at any of your franchise locations, you are most likely being overcharged. If you have trash service at any of your franchise locations, you are probably paying more than you have to. If you pay for worker's compensation at any of your franchise locations, there are almost assuredly errors in the way your coverage was categorized. To put it more simply, if you have walls, doors, workers, and customers, the monthly bills you're getting are probably too high.
  • Dan Schneider
  • 12,187 Reads 73 Shares
Nearly every business owner has, at one time or another, found themselves on the defensive, scrambling and looking for ways to cut costs and pump up the bottom line. But too often this scenario involves terminating employees. That's a move which does reduce payroll but can also have a devastating impact on morale and customer service. In other words, it's a short-term solution to a long-term problem.
  • Multi-Unit Franchisee
  • 9,707 Reads 835 Shares
Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine honored the 2011 MVP (Most Valuable Players) at a special session of the 10th annual Multi-Unit Franchising Conference on April 28, which highlighted the brand leadership, franchise innovation, commitment to quality, outstanding customer service, and community involvement of the award winners who were in attendance. The conference was held at The Venetian in Las Vegas, April 27-29.
  • PRESS RELEASE
  • 7,024 Reads 125 Shares
Americans' love affair with big, chewy cookies was just taking off 32 years ago when Lawrence "Doc" Cohen exited the retail pharmaceutical industry after 15 years to open his first Great American Cookies store in Lafayette, Louisiana, in the late '70s.
  • Debbie Selinsky
  • 4,419 Reads 55 Shares
Glenn Miller's first look at the franchising business came in the early 1990s, when the British Chartered Accountant's brother, an attorney, wound up with six Arby's in Central Illinois. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see some of the problems that needed fixing.
  • John Carroll
  • 6,504 Reads 133 Shares
Today Franchising.com sits down with Mark Davis, a franchisee for the past 18 months with LaVida Massage in Canton, Michigan. Davis discusses his transition from the grocery and supermarket business to his present life as a successful franchisee – now looking to open a second LaVida Massage center.
  • Franchising.com
  • 11,106 Reads 2 Shares
Jeff Kullman loves his new life in franchising. He's a part of the growing Mooyah Burgers, Fries, & Shakes franchise system and he's opened two restaurants in the past year in the Dallas, Texas area. But life hasn't always been burgers and fries and for Kullman
  • Multi-Unit Franchisee
  • 9,251 Reads 1,023 Shares
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In 1991, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) issued regulations which allowed the use of service animals in public, including restaurants, hotels, retail establishments, theaters, and concert halls. The ADA's mandate caused little stir early on because service animals at that time were primarily "seeing eye" dogs highly-trained to help persons with blindness, deafness and some other disabilities while ignoring such distractions as food, strangers, and the presence of other animals.
  • Grace Y. Horoupian
  • 46,313 Reads 138 Shares
It's no surprise that employees like benefits. Medical, dental insurance, and contribution plans rank high on the wish list of most workers, yet four out of 10 employees lack any knowledge of how much their medical insurance costs and of the 60 percent of employees who think they know the cost of their medical insurance, just 15 percent were able to provide a reasonable estimate, according to a new report by LIMRA, a worldwide research, consulting and professional development organization.
  • Multi-Unit Franchisee
  • 6,592 Reads
While franchisors typically supply name brand recognition, a proven business concept, and extensive franchisee training and ongoing support, most will not sufficiently help you with your site selection or commercial lease. Deciphering the lease agreement document (often 50 to 60 pages in length) and negotiating the best deal is often left up to you. And negotiating this against an experienced landlord or the landlord's broker can be a challenge. Knowledgeable real estate agents and brokers are specialized sales people.
  • Dale Willerton
  • 9,881 Reads 622 Shares
It's often the case that the weaknesses of a system are not obvious until that system is catastrophically overloaded. That's when most breakdowns or failures occur. Overloaded electrical systems start fires, overloaded computer systems crash, and overloaded human beings suffer nervous breakdowns.
  • Mel Kleiman
  • 4,243 Reads 9 Shares
For more than 20 years Rick Huffman and his two partners--Sam Catanese and Marc Williams--have been building things. They've developed shopping centers, hotels, apartment complexes, a large stock of affordable housing units, and Branson Landing, a $400 million mixed-use project in Branson, Mo.
  • John Carroll
  • 6,639 Reads 2 Shares
Transitioning corporate executives and other individuals that may be exploring franchising as a career alternative often ask me to help them outline questions to ask franchisees and franchisors as they're doing their due diligence. Here's how I advise them...
  • Paul Segreto
  • 11,419 Reads 1,023 Shares
Subodh Patel got his start in franchising during the great Texas downturn of the 1980s. By the late 1980s, the savings-and-loan debacle had spawned the federal Resolution Trust Corporation, which in turn became an overnight bazaar for cut-rate, distressed properties that had to be sold fast.
  • John Carroll
  • 11,720 Reads 2 Shares
Senior care is one of the hottest growth segments in franchising today. The demand for senior care services, both medical and non-medical, has been growing by leaps and bounds, in tandem with the growth of the country's aging population, who are living longer, staying healthier, and remaining more active than any seniors in history.
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 5,125 Reads
There is no denying the impact technology has had on business. It has allowed companies to market and sell their products and services to customers in every corner of the world, and to do so 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
  • John Tschohl
  • 11,473 Reads 995 Shares
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