(A view from The Crown) 2012 was quite an interesting year. It was dominated by a lot of loud political discourse on blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and the like. And, in-person political discussions were frequently of the “heated” variety. In business, small business owners-including franchisors and some rather loud franchisees, jumped into the political fray…a lot. Moving away from politics, the franchise industry had a pretty flat year as a whole, as the US economy
2012 Franchise Trends
This Franchise Doesn’t Cause Bleeding
That looks enjoyable. Ladies, (and men) hair waxing may be dead. And with it, the pain and bleeding that's sometimes included at no extra charge. Here's why... You Can Now Get Threaded I know. Getting threaded sounds like some type of bizarre Beta Theta Pi ritual that takes place on college campuses every fall. But, it's not a sorority thing. Not at all. It's a hair-removal thing. And, it's done very differently from the way shown in the video below. Ouch! From a
Things to Know When Considering Green Franchising
The Green Franchise sector has amazing potential for growth. It's been on the radar screen for a few years now, and more and more green business concepts are being introduced every year. The infographic below illustrates the growth of green franchising, and with it, several statistics that are important to know about. Thanks go out to The Gap Partnership for sponsoring this great franchise infographic. Several Things To Know When Considering Green
Are Credit Cards Keeping Franchisees Afloat?
(Flickr credit card photo, Philip Taylor PT) Have you heard the news? Small business lending is still squalid in most areas of the US. In other words, nothing has really changed all that much. The big banks are sitting on a ton of cash, and unless you're a "perfect" (or near-perfect) candidate for a small business start-up franchise loan, you're probably not going to be able to touch the green. That's right; it's still a bit challenging to get a loan. But, it's not impossible. Try
Franchise News Alert! Obamacare Will Definitely Stop Franchise Owners From Growing Their Businesses
I've decided to purchase 500 made in America stop signs. Here's what I'm going to do with them; I'm going to place them in front of every franchise company's headquarters...every multi-unit franchisee's stores or restaurants that have publicly said that they can't grow their businesses because of the Affordable Care Act. That way, their customers and even their prospective franchisees will know ahead of time that they're dealing with an anti-growth small business. A Load Of
Can You Be a Part-Time Franchisee?
Do you know that it's entirely possible to be an owner of a franchise and keep your day job? Most of the people that call on me for advice and franchise consulting requests, aren't aware of the plethora of franchises out there that offer some very flexible arrangements. Does having a bit of flexibility sound nice? Your Day Job Now, before you pick a day or two on the calendar to blow off work, so you can start investigating a few different franchises to buy, read the next
Frozen Yogurt Franchise Fantasies
Admit it; whenever you bring the gang up to the nearest frozen yogurt franchise, you find yourself wondering what it would be like to own one or two of them. Right? C'mon...can't you picture yourself spending an hour or two at your hot franchise location setting things up for the day, and then leaving when your college-age employees start showing up at around 1 or 2 in the afternoon? And, doesn't that picture, (that you have in your head) include lots of free time between the time you get
Could You Make it As A Franchise Owner In Australia?
First off, why would you even want to become a franchise owner in Australia? Why not just do it here in the US? We could use the business. Just think of all the people in your local community that you would impact? C'mon; please? (Courtesy of Arianne's photostream-Flickr.) Just think; you could be in business fast. Other Advantages If you have what it takes to become a franchisee in the US, you have a real shot at achieving your dreams. (Or, at least some of them.) There are
How Food Franchises Can Make More Money
If you're the CEO of a food franchise, and you'd like to increase unit revenue, read on... I know that you want your franchisees to be fat and happy. (With profits) I also know that your cost of doing business keeps increasing, which is really frustrating. But, you're the leader, and you're in charge of solutions. Use Geofencing What is Geofencing? It may be the answer you've been looking for. It's tied to a huge trend; the increasing use of mobile devices for
The Top 100
Around this time every year, Franchise Direct publishes its very own Top 100 Global Franchise rankings. It's a huge undertaking, so please show your appreciation to the team at Franchise Direct-both here in the US, and across the pond in the UK, by checking out their comprehensive report. I've pointed out their franchise reports in the past, and it's once again my pleasure do so now. But first, I want to make sure you know about the eligibility requirements for these 100
