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Franchising has flourished over the past two decades, adding tens of thousands of units and rising on a compound basis faster than most of the industries it operates in. Much of this growth was achieved by franchisee operators who began when they were in their thirties and forties. Today many of them are in their fifties and sixties and looking toward retirement.
  • Darrell Johnson
  • 4,395 Reads 4 Shares
Two people have figured prominently in Jerry Heath's career. The first is his father, who helped bankroll him when he started out in franchising. The second is Steve Jackson, the president of Hungry Howie's Pizza, who began mentoring Heath at an impressionable age (12).
  • John Carroll
  • 8,805 Reads 2 Shares
Two years of tight credit and reduced consumer spending not only have left many franchisees reeling, they've also put a serious crimp in their franchisors' royalty streams. We asked workout professionals and bankruptcy attorneys experienced in franchising what franchisors can do to help turn around their distressed franchisees--without spending precious funds or getting themselves into legal hot water.
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 20,803 Reads 7 Shares
It can be difficult enough to get a franchise up and running on your own, or with other operational and investing partners, but it can be downright arduous if family members are involved in the deal. But that's the route some franchisees take and when done properly this management model can provide years of personal and professional harmony. But there are some secrets to making it work. Go in unprepared and you could break up a business and a family.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 15,742 Reads 1 Shares
As savvy franchise companies continue to flourish in this challenging economy, FUSR will continue to bring you good news each month, highlighting brands that are adding units, increasing comp store sales, striking deals with investors, and continuing to grow despite the economy - maybe even because of it. And, as the U.S. struggles through its "jobless recovery," growth-oriented franchisors continue to look overseas for expansion opportunities.
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 10,725 Reads 93 Shares
Aggressive growth companies measure the performance of their sales personnel just as they do their advertising. With high recruitment expenses you can't afford mediocre selling performance, which costs dearly in lost franchise deals. A policyholder survey by Prudential Insurance revealed that the greatest influencing factor in the buying process is the sales person.
  • Steve Olson
  • 3,437 Reads 7 Shares
Two years of tight credit and reduced consumer spending have left many franchisees reeling and put a serious crimp in franchisors' royalty streams. Workout professionals and bankruptcy attorneys experienced in franchising discuss what franchisors can do to help turn around distressed units - without spending scarce funds or getting themselves into legal hot water.
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 7,289 Reads
Last year when President Obama signed the Credit Card Act of 2009 (the Act") into law, the nation's attention largely focused on those provisions of the law that aim to change the way credit card companies do business with consumers. However, since the Act imposes requirements on gift card issuers, it also changed the way many retailers and franchise companies will do business with consumers.
  • Jan Gilbert and Suzie Loonam Trigg
  • 4,700 Reads 25 Shares
Every franchise organization has a culture, the same way every person has a personality. If your franchise brand is serious about growth and development, ask yourself these two questions: 1) Does our franchise system have a strong, positive culture?; and 2) Is it a culture that promotes selling franchises?
  • Evan Hackel
  • 3,288 Reads 15 Shares
Opening franchise units in nontraditional locations has been the domain of specialists--but not anymore. With the economy still slumping, lending still tight, and suburban expansion at a standstill, many multi-unit franchisees are exploring the viability of sites such as airports, hotels, colleges, senior centers, highway rest stops, hospitals, and military bases.
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 6,557 Reads
The rules and methods for franchise sales are changing daily with the general public's increasing awareness of the economy, deficits, lending, the housing market, and more. As some of us "graybeards" can remember, this isn't the first time the rules have changed--and it won't be the last.
  • Marc Kiekenapp
  • 3,623 Reads 3 Shares
Potbelly Sandwich Works
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Just like any business, the franchising business is one that I have seen evolve tremendously over the past 30 years. While many of the cornerstones and crucial elements - product, simplicity, control, and support - remain the same, so much is changing.
  • Larry Feldman
  • 4,086 Reads 1 Shares
As we continue to mine Dave Melton's book, Hire the American Dream, I thought it would be interesting to highlight a case study that demonstrates just how successful smart hiring can be. Here Melton describes his experience hiring an immigrant.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 4,604 Reads
Whether you purchase or lease commercial space is one question. Whether you can find good commercial space to purchase is another matter unto itself. Although commercial property purchasing options exist across the country, they are less abundant than leasing opportunities. It is my opinion that, the better the location you need for your own business, the less likely you will be able to find a suitable space for purchase.
  • Dale Willerton
  • 47,095 Reads 4 Shares
Growth. It's everyone's goal, from the large publicly-traded franchise company whose value depends on its growth rate to the new single-unit franchisee excited about replicating his success. Growth is a universal desire. It creates a challenge, which in turn, keeps our lives interesting and vibrant.
  • Michael Pearce
  • 6,157 Reads 363 Shares
When Columbus, Ohio, native Jeff Rigsby was a 16-year-old frying chicken for KFC, he couldn't have foreseen that one day he'd own 21 Bojangles' restaurants.
  • Debbie Selinsky
  • 11,395 Reads 1 Shares
Most franchise concepts are built around the personality of the founder. Entrepreneurial lore is filled with stories of founders who open a business, incubate it for years, and after much trial and error, create a successful business.
  • Marvin Storm
  • 3,778 Reads 5 Shares
When 19-year-old Atour Eyvazian fled from his native Iran in the early 1980s to escape persecution for being a Christian, he embarked on an odyssey that led through Turkey all the way to Los Angeles.
  • John Carroll
  • 4,742 Reads 23 Shares
These days, social media is one of the key ways brands nurture relationships with their loyal customer bases. In a lot of ways, a brand's social media presence serves as an overall indicator of the health and strength of a brand. For a brand like Denny's, which has nearly 97 percent brand awareness and a 57-year history, most franchise candidates come to us with some experience with and affinity for the brand.
  • Franchise Update
  • 5,692 Reads 206 Shares
Last time we looked at how unit economics offers a progressive strategy for tracking and managing costs and revenue at franchise locations. It's a tool that has become a necessity to many savvy franchisees, and it's a tool that should be in place from day one.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 17,835 Reads 2 Shares
Cary Albert is sold on the value in unit economics. The Dallas, Texas-area multi-unit franchisee operates Schlotzsky's and Cinnabon locations and says there's no question his operation benefits from keeping an eye on unit performance numbers.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 9,435 Reads 1 Shares
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As a franchisee, you may have found it quite easy to secure a lease with a commercial landlord; however, you may face many roadblocks if, or when, you need to terminate your lease.
  • Dale Willerton
  • 39,544 Reads 3 Shares
Pizza franchising is a tough market. The competition is stiff and the recent economic recession really put the squeeze on many franchise operators. But despite pizza price wars and price-sensitive consumers, operators like Glenn Ajmo have discovered a few silver linings that are helping him sustain growth.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 7,292 Reads 1,023 Shares
Dave Melton has learned more than a few lessons during his 28 years as a multi-unit franchisee. The Domino's Pizza operator has ruled the New York DMA, and in 2009, his units took over the number one slot for sales in any Domino's market. All this while his stores generated annual revenue of $6 million.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 4,177 Reads 28 Shares
Bashir Shams spent 28 years with one of franchising's giants. He built a successful company and a prosperous career with his multi-unit Burger King operation in Mississippi. So why would he walk away from that to team up with a relative newcomer to franchising? That's just what we asked him about his latest plans to ultimately open two dozen locations of ZIPS Dry Cleaners on the East Coast.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 4,626 Reads 107 Shares
7-Eleven is going to the chickens--or at least whatever animals are on FarmVille, the popular Facebook game. It's all part of the company's new ad campaign designed to drive Facebookers to visit their convenience store franchisees. And it's working.
  • Lisa Wehr
  • 6,756 Reads 16 Shares
As I write this piece, it is a nostalgic moment for me: 37 years of practicing law, and all with the same firm. In today's environment, inertia in law firm employment is a rare thing. If I knew then what I know today, would I have gone into private practice?
  • Rupert M. Barkoff
  • 4,164 Reads 1 Shares
Restaurant work was just supposed to help Aziz Hashim pay his way as he pursued his life's dream of becoming an electrical engineer. But by the time he landed the "big job" at Rockwell, he discovered that he had been living the dream all along.
  • John Carroll
  • 6,826 Reads 162 Shares
Social media platforms are now emerging as franchise recruitment tools. Granted, it's still early in the adoption process and only time will tell how successful these new channels are in generating leads and franchise sales.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 13,782 Reads 1 Shares
Those pondering a future in franchising face many important decisions. Beyond nuts-and-bolts basics such as raising capital, identifying a brand that fits, and completing the paperwork, are other – just as important – factors to consider. One such topic is what's known as unit economics. Anyone who has ever cracked open a business school textbook understands that the bottom line of the monthly financial statement of any company should reflect profitability – if the company is to survive. When the numbers are in the black the business is generating more than it's spending. It's simplistic but effective. But there can and should be a more sophisticated approach to operating a franchise in a fiscally responsible way.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 18,076 Reads 1 Shares
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