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Edible Arrangements had three stores in 2002. By August 2006, there were 527, with locations in Canada, Puerto Rico, the U.K., and the Middle East. Currently adding stores at the rate of eight or more a week, the company predicts 1,000 units in early 2007. Staffing up for growth this steep requires some serious hiring: HR, meet ASAP.
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 3,863 Reads 2 Shares
Area developers usually come to the party with experience in franchising and the industry they're in--or at least one of the two. In the case of new Precision Tune Auto Care area developers Dick Lippert and Al Unser, Jr. (yes, that Al Unser, Jr.), neither has franchise experience. But Lippert brings a strong track record of business success. And Unser? Well, he knows a little something about cars.
  • Debbie Selinsky
  • 3,104 Reads 10 Shares
When it comes to succession planning, the Northwest may be the country's most evolved region. Maybe it's all that Microsoft money looking for a home, or maybe it's the waters of the Columbia racing toward the Pacific.
  • 3,210 Reads 2 Shares
2006 is a good year to be in the franchise recruitment business. That's because it's a good year for franchising. As franchising heats up, the demand to fill positions also intensifies----and so does competition for GOOD people to fill them.
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 4,250 Reads 3 Shares
Many owners and operators have long realized that employees are one of the major assets in their multi-unit or multi-brand franchise business. Franchise operations usually have quite a bit invested in hiring and training its workers. A smart owner or operator knows that improving a business asset can reap rewards far exceeding the cost of any improvements made. Similarly, the value of people to your organization improves with investments in additional training and education.
  • Mark E. Battersby
  • 7,086 Reads 787 Shares
Are you looking for the biggest loser? You're not alone. Millions of Americans are searching for a gym or fitness center to help them drop that spare tire and get into shape.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 2,379 Reads 7 Shares
If you're looking to add women franchisees--and according to every statistic, you should be (more are looking, and more have the means and skills), then you should know what women want (our apologies to the movie).
  • Linda C. Ray
  • 4,481 Reads 25 Shares
At 17, Victor Chapron was just another boy in the 'hood facing one of three probable futures: drugs, jail, or death. Instead, he was rescued from his high-risk life in Los Angeles and sent to live with his aunt in Chicago. That's where he caught a break and turned his life around... maybe even saved it. Today, at 40 years old, he's come full circle. He's back in LA--this time at the top of his game.
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 8,503 Reads 105 Shares
The numbers vary, depending on who you ask, but the result is the same: The outlook for the continuity of family-owned businesses is bleak. So where's the disconnect? What goes wrong? With all the years of hard work and sacrifice that go into building a family-owned business, why don't more founders succeed in passing it on to the next generation--and the next? And what can a founder do to increase the odds the business will survive?
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 6,173 Reads
When Doug Castino decided it was time to get out of his hugely successful restaurant design and supply business, he'd never thought of franchising and didn't know what an area developer was.
  • Ripley Hotch
  • 4,407 Reads
What was happening in the franchisor community? The Italian legislature had proposed that no franchisor be allowed to offer franchises in Italy unless it had a history of operating at least two units in the country before it began franchising. Ultimately, Italy adopted a more flexible experience standard. Then China adopted a two-unit, one year of experience standard as a precondition for franchising there in its 2004 Franchise Measures.
  • Carl E. Zwisler
  • 10,672 Reads 3 Shares
Jersey Mike's Subs
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Out of the American West came a term that has changed meaning from its use by the vaqueros herding cattle 100 years ago, to that of today's slick marketers of products and services. That word (or buzzword) is branding. In a world of instant communication, in which images whirl by us daily through multiple media, branding is crucial to success for both individuals and corporations.
  • Carren Bersch
  • 3,163 Reads 5 Shares
Franchise companies can grow fast. But profitability is more elusive. Franchisors on a fast growth curve have long believed that it is a tradeoff against being profitable. They assume that once they hit that magic unit number certain economies of scale will kick in and guarantee profitability both corporately and within their franchise network.
  • 3,562 Reads 3 Shares
During the last few years, franchising has experienced an impressive growth in Spain, from 634 franchise systems in 2002 to almost 900 in January 2006, with over 54,000 franchised outlets now open. Accordingly, having access to accurate and relevant information regarding franchisors is very important for a growing number of prospective franchisees, consumers and future franchisors.
  • Laura Montoya Teran
  • 7,518 Reads 290 Shares
The Wall Street Journal has reported that 70 percent or more of the value of a brand is now based on intangibles. Shareholder value that used to be calculated on brick and mortar is increasingly driven by customer count, market share, prospects for growth, and reputation.
  • Jack Mackey
  • 2,773 Reads
Retail is huge. Franchising is huge. And, of course, holiday shopping is huge. Add all that up, and opportunities for retail franchises are tremendous--especially in the last four to six weeks of the year.
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 2,386 Reads 1,014 Shares
Satisfying your customers is a misguided effort. Creating loyal customers should be your only goal. Loyal customers spread positive word of mouth for you: they come back frequently and they spend more on each visit. Plus, they're more likely to resist offers from your competition and they're usually easier to serve.
  • Jack Mackey
  • 3,709 Reads 13 Shares
When communicating with Spaniards face-to-face or by telephone and e-mail, it is important to show a great deal of sensitivity to the other person's feelings. Tact, diplomacy, cordiality, and warm graciousness are basic elements of social and business interactions in Spain. In fact by U.S. standards, the distinction between social and business communications is often blurred. The priority is not merely "face-saving," but positive "face-building" that results in good personal relationships. Therefore, criticism or negative feedback, however true or justified, should be avoided until a strong bond of mutual trust and confidence has been formed.
  • Gary M. Wederspahn
  • 5,194 Reads 8 Shares
Computer technology seems to follow a fairly regular path: first, it automates operations, gaining some time and savings for large operations. Then it becomes cheaper, widespread, and more capable of handling routine tasks. Then it begins to change business functions themselves by enabling tasks that could never be performed before.
  • Ripley Hotch
  • 3,537 Reads 1,014 Shares
I have written often on the subject of the complexity of franchise agreements, and the clear trend over the past four decades to make them even longer and more complex. Why has this trend developed?
  • Rupert M. Barkoff
  • 4,546 Reads 24 Shares
Franchise companies and area developers can grow rapidly while still making a profit, but the importance of proper site selection is a key factor for success.
  • Jeremy Behar
  • 3,029 Reads
Sonny’s BBQ
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Sonny’s BBQ
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Sonny’s BBQ
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When Philip Nye came to the United States from Colombia 18 years ago, he carried a visa, spoke English, and had the necessary resources to buy his Sir Speedy franchise in Raleigh, N.C.
  • Linda C. Ray
  • 3,287 Reads 2 Shares
Care-giving for baby-boomers is a rapidly growing concern and quickly escalating need in this country. In the next two decades, there will be more than 70 million people over the age of 65. Furthermore, the average life expectancy has increased 15 years since the 1930's. Nearly one out of every four U.S. households provides care to a relative or friend aged 50 or older and about 15 percent of adults care for a seriously ill or disabled family member. In hard numbers, about 13 million people are spouses or adult children of disabled older people and have the potential responsibility for their care.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 5,849 Reads 535 Shares
Statistical information speaks volumes. Take the 2002 U.S. Census. It points out that the composition of the U.S. population will continue to change quickly, with minorities projected to become the majority by 2050. There is also rapid growth taking place in the number of minority-owned businesses. Their numbers exceed 4.1 million; they generate 4.8 million jobs and almost $700 billion in gross receipts.
  • Joan Szabo
  • 7,500 Reads 186 Shares
Franchise concepts continue to proliferate�"an important sign that the industry is healthy and poised for more growth.
  • Joan Szabo
  • 3,704 Reads
When Mike Willett was looking for creative ways to finance the growth of his franchise plans in the Houston area, he looked no further than his existing retirement plan. With a program known as a BORSA (Business Owner's Retirement Savings Account) Plan, he recently tapped his 401(k) holdings to launch the regional development of Synergy HomeCare. The BORSA program is structured so that retirement funds can be used for business development without distributions, taxes, penalties, or loans.
  • Joan Szabo
  • 4,703 Reads 82 Shares
According to most mavens (experts), bagels arrived in the U.S. in the 1880s, along with the wave of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe and Germany who settled in New York City. While bagels were swallowed up by most New Yorkers, they remained mostly a local phenomenon until the late 1920s. That's when Harry Lender, a Polish baker, set up his bagel factory in New Haven, Conn., putting bagels in supermarkets and introducing frozen bagels.
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 6,074 Reads 1 Shares
Most small businesses, including franchises, are usually so busy concentrating on running their businesses that they don't realize the toll it is taking on their technology and environment. With limited staff and hours in the day, these businesses tend to grow organically without a specific design or technology plan. Yet these play an important role in how productive a business can be.
  • Jack Hamlett
  • 3,248 Reads 1 Shares
National marketing efforts on behalf of franchisees have always been one of the benefits of operating within a franchise system. Generally, you sign on, open a store, and you get brand support and marketing from the franchise system. That’s a great advantage, but some multi-unit operators like to take matters a step further... or even several steps further by taking local marketing into their own hands. There are many unique and creative ways for multi-unit operators to approach local marketing. Done right, it’s much more creative and involved than direct mail or coupons, and the results can be taken to the bank. Here are a few twists and tips we uncovered.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 3,477 Reads 12 Shares
Contrary to what the financial media would have us believe, a financial fortune is not made—or retained—by exploiting hot stock tips or by jumping from fund to fund based on the latest "Top 10" list. In fact, selection of individual securities doesn't even make the short list of the top few most important portfolio decisions you will make.
  • Carol Clark
  • 3,443 Reads 6 Shares
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