Franchise Guide: - Franchising.com

RSS Subscribe

Australian companies looking to expand beyond their borders are casting a hungry eye on the U.S. market. Physically Australia is over ¾ the size of the United States but there are only 19.9 million people in the country compared to a population of over 293 million in the U.S. What's more, high household and disposable incomes and the almost competitive desire to be the first on their block to try something new give American consumers both the means and the propensity to buy Australian products and services.
  • Kay Ainsley
  • 3,565 Reads
John F. Kennedy made a famous speech at the Berlin Wall, when he said, "Ich bin ein Berliner." Literally, this translates to "I am a jelly donut" because a "Berliner" is a type of jelly donut. To be correct, he should have said "Ich bin Berliner." So now a famous phrase echoes around the world, with millions of people declaring that they want to be a jelly donut. But several million of those would probably rephrase it, "Ich bin ein Krispy Kreme"-fanatical followings are not unusual for that brand.
  • 4,038 Reads 43 Shares
Domino's Pizza and Checker's Drive-In Restaurants are off to the races following the waving of the green flag. Both fast-food companies are capitalizing on NASCAR and other professional racing tie-ins that build awareness and increase sales.
  • 3,139 Reads 1 Shares
At February's Franchise UPDATE Multi-Unit Conference in Dallas, attendees dug into their pockets to help Rocco Fiorentino's Little Rock Foundation. Multi-unit operators are known for generosity to charities, but the record for amounts may well go to Batteries Plus. Batteries Plus Multi-Unit Franchisee Leonard Cyphers, who owns three Atlanta-area Batteries Plus stores, was diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson's disease in 1997 at age 48. He is managing his disease with diet, medication, and exercise, and the help of a pioneer in Parkinson's research, Dr. Ray Watts.
  • 2,824 Reads 7 Shares
An Italian proverb says, "One attains fortune through knowledge. One attains knowledge through mentors." Many real estate franchise companies are taking that proverb to heart. Training and retention of the very best sales associates and staff is crucial to the success of any real estate brokerage. Subsequently, real estate franchising companies such as Century 21, RE/MAX, Coldwell Banker, and ERA have begun implementing coaching and mentoring initiatives for their franchisees. Typically, these programs involve coaches or mentors who have extensive experience and successful track records as top producers. The programs arm franchisees with proven scripts and dialogues that help them deal with obstacles. Franchisees can also gain access to marketing and advertising materials that have been successful.
  • 2,190 Reads 3 Shares
Nikki Sells has just been recognized as the 2005 recipient of the IFA's distinguished Bonnie Levine Award. The annual award honors individuals who further the cause of women in franchising. Sells, who is vice president of franchising for Express Personnel Services, in Oklahoma City, was presented the award during the recent IFA 45th annual franchise convention. "It's all about the journey," said Sells, a former school teacher, who has been vice president of franchising since January 2004 after being a longtime franchisee in the Express system. "To me, there's no such thing as a destination and this is where my journey has fortunately taken me. I've had a lot of wonderful opportunities and mentors along the way."
  • 2,816 Reads 3 Shares
Guess who the biggest rival to Starbucks is? Would you think Dunkin Donuts? You should, says Jett Mehta, a Dunkin Donuts multi-unit franchisee in New York. "Starbucks may own their experience, but Dunkin is nipping at their heels," he says. "Starbucks can't touch Dunkin in new England." In fact, Mehta says, it's not about the donuts: "Dunkin Donuts is a beverage business-it's all about coffee. In western New York, 50% of our sales are beverage-based, or premium things like bulk beans. Donuts are only about 25%."
  • 5,842 Reads 490 Shares
Do franchisors create more value and perform better financially than their non-franchise competitors? A resounding yes, according to a new study by The William Rosenberg International Center of Franchising at the University of New Hampshire.
  • 6,067 Reads 432 Shares
Area Developer, the only magazine dedicated exclusively to multi-unit franchising, will take an indepth look at the expanding multi-unit franchise landscape. This industry first drill-down will identify those franchise systems that have substantial numbers of multi unit franchisees and meet specific baseline standards.
  • 4,341 Reads 2 Shares
Ron Berger knows the advantage of buying an existing franchise concept and improving on it. That is what he has done with Figaro's Pizza, a Salem, Oregon-based chain that is growing at a rapid pace.
  • Joan Szabo
  • 4,011 Reads 7 Shares
Jim Hagan was a successful salesman selling battery backups for communications systems when he got the idea to get into the restaurant business. It changed his life-though not quite in the way he expected.
  • Ripley Hotch
  • 4,357 Reads 132 Shares
Indevia Accounting
SPONSORED CONTENT
Indevia Accounting
SPONSORED CONTENT
Indevia Accounting
SPONSORED CONTENT
It's one thing to have a dream and a want; it's another thing to have an organization to support that dream and want. I've always said that growing the organization is a full-time job for those who want to grow multi-units.
  • Thomas J. Winninger
  • 3,116 Reads 5 Shares
Despite attempts by the FTC to encourage franchisors to use earnings claims-most notably in the 1995 change to the Rule, which made claims easier to make and defend-most franchisors avoid them. According to a 2003 FRANdata study, only18-20% of all franchisors make earnings claims and that percentage has not increased substantially in the last five years.
  • Lane Fisher
  • 3,560 Reads 1 Shares
Mary Carol McDaniel and her husband Frank own three (soon to be four) Pump It Up franchises in Alabama and Tennessee. But unlike most multiple unit franchisees, they didn't do a lot of research or planning or interviewing of franchisors to decide on a concept. It walked up to them.
  • 4,705 Reads 177 Shares
Capital fuels growth, and multi-unit operators know how important growth is to their success. One finance company making growth happen for many area developers is GE Commercial Finance, Franchise Finance (GEFF). With more than $12 billion in served assets, GEFF has more than 6,000 customers and 21,000 property locations, mainly in the restaurant, hospitality, branded beverage, storage, and automotive industries.
  • Joan Szabo
  • 3,884 Reads 1 Shares
After 10 years in Atlanta, Phil Greifeld hasn't lost much of his New York accent. But after a stint as chief executive officer of the Huddle House chain, he has developed an appreciation for shirt-sleeve weather in winter, and for some of life's simpler pleasures -and smaller places.
  • Tom Steadman
  • 6,560 Reads
Sometimes you get a notice from your franchisor that a potential franchisee wants to open a unit close to one of your own units. You're concerned about what might happen to sales. What can you do?
  • Ripley Hotch
  • 3,871 Reads 7 Shares
But with a father who was a barber-turned-businessman and franchise owner, and a mother who was a stylist herself, they knew something about the hair business.
  • Tom Steadman
  • 14,213 Reads 5 Shares
After years-five to be exact-of waiting, it is here: the FTC staff's report regarding proposed changes to its Rule governing the sales of franchises.
  • Rupert M. Barkoff
  • 3,514 Reads
Who ever forgets those early embarrassments? The careless and overheard remark in high school that gets repeated for months, the ticket for running a stoplight the day after you got your license-everyone knows those.
  • Ripley Hotch
  • 11,139 Reads 1 Shares
Brad Bruckman owned 15 Krispy Kreme franchises in the Northern California/Sacramento area when he felt a desire to reexamine his career direction. "I didn't necessarily foresee any of the problems that were soon to begin affecting that franchise, but I did begin to wonder about other opportunities, and, ultimately, I feel like I got out at just the right time," says the 42-year-old entrepreneur.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 3,631 Reads 3 Shares
Jersey Mike's Subs
SPONSORED CONTENT
Jersey Mike's Subs
SPONSORED CONTENT
Jersey Mike's Subs
SPONSORED CONTENT
Franchising is driven by expansion and growth. Creating leads and identifying prospects is an essential part of any corporate franchise operation. Franchise executives understand the importance of effective marketing and recruiting. They spend significant amounts of time, human resources, and financial resources to develop systems that help them optimize their recruiting.
  • 5,089 Reads 1,014 Shares
Frustration levels are bound to grow higher when back-office woes increase. As a result, you may end up spending valuable time and energy on making things right. Outsourcing accounting and other functions may be the way to go. If you are in the restaurant industry, one firm to consider is Wichita-based Savista-FSC.
  • Joan Szabo
  • 4,187 Reads 1,014 Shares
Area Developer asked Darrell Johnson, president and CEO of FRANdata, what a multi-unit developer should look for when evaluating franchise opportunities. In a wide-ranging interview, Johnson sorts out the massive amount of available information into four basic categories and provides a tutorial-and dozens of relevant questions-on how to think things through when searching for the best brand to suit your business (and personal) needs.
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 4,385 Reads 1 Shares
Finding the right type and mix of financing can mean the difference between success and failure for many franchisors. While your main choices are debt, equity, self-funding, and external funding, experts say the best-managed companies often mix their financing sources and choices, at different stages of development, to achieve the best business results.
  • Joan Szabo
  • 4,032 Reads 9 Shares
Mary Carol McDaniel and her husband Frank own three (soon to be four) Pump It Up franchises in Alabama and Tennessee. But unlike most multiple unit franchisees, they didn't do a lot of research or planning or interviewing of franchisors to decide on a concept. It walked up to them.
  • 6,021 Reads 215 Shares
Providing employment advice through franchisees can be a tricky business-and very expensive if not done correctly. Amounts awarded in damages for employment cases brought against employers are on the rise. Damages recovered against employers in litigation brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) rose from $52.8 million in 2002 to $148.7 million in 2003. Damages received per case also increased from an average recovery of approximately $140,000 in 2002 to almost triple that amount-$390,000-in 2003.
  • Nell Matthews
  • 3,050 Reads 6 Shares
I call it the 10-10-10 rule. You spend $10,000 on your building, FFE and advertising to attract a customer. In 10 seconds, you drive her away with a bad service experience. And you wait 10 years for another chance to win her back. Service success, or failure, is predictive of your future sales and profitability. A terrific Harvard Business Review article explains the business economics in detail and I'll tell how you can get that article at the end of this column.
  • Jack Mackey
  • 4,829 Reads
When Nikki Gahr Sells decided to forgo her school teaching job of eight years in 1983, a job in which her mother had spent a lifetime, she didn't know a lot about career paths for anyone, much less women, outside of teaching. She went to a staffing agency for help in finding a new job. In an unexpected twist, the staffing agency hired Sells. The agency, Express Personnel Services, was the first franchisee of Express Services Inc.
  • Karen Fritscher-Porter
  • 4,289 Reads 17 Shares
Franchisors are always looking for ways to boost cash flow and build greater trust with franchisees. One way to help accomplish those goals is to offer an effective purchasing program.
  • Joan Szabo
  • 3,466 Reads 11 Shares
Share This Page

Subscribe to our Newsletters