(This is a guest post from Michelle Van Slyke, VP of Marketing and Small Business Solutions, The UPS Store) It’s likely not news to you that small business owners wear many hats. You’re not only the franchise owner, but...
Small Business
Joel LibavaHow To Be A Rock Star In All Things Finance
Nicole Fende must of had a blast writing her finance book. She manages to make what lots of people consider to be a super-boring topic-fun. And, that is quite a feat. She did have some help, though. Meet Fluffy…...
A Twitter Chat On The Power Of Networking
Bank of America and Steve Strauss are co-hosting a “Power of Networking” Twitter chat on Thursday, September 20 at 2 PM Eastern time to discuss with small businesses and small business influencers how networking amongst...
Franchise Power
(My little cousin-Matthew) The franchise model is very powerful. One franchise business-owned by one person, can bring about a lot of change. For The Franchisee For someone that’s had some success in the...
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...
Doing Business In A Small Town
When I think of small towns, many different visuals pop into my crown head. Such as; Railroad crossings Town squares with diagonal parking spaces Small cafes Country roads (with lots of roadkill) Hardware stores Local...
Franchise Industry Professionals: Participate In The 2012 Small Business Influencer Awards
Do you know any franchisors, franchisees, or industry executives that should be nominated for the 2nd annual Small Business Influencer Awards? If so, now’s your chance to recognize some of the franchise industry...
Speed to Market As A Franchise Advantage
When you think of some of the advantages that franchises have over independent small businesses, what are some of the things that come to mind? Most of the people that I’ve met over the years as an advisor, or...
Why Do You Want To Be The Boss?
I’d like you to take out a piece of paper, and write down your reason (s) for wanting to become the owner of your own business. Doing this exercise on your word processor is not an option. It’s just not the...
The Startup America Partnership: Anita Campbell vs. Tim Berry
Startup America is a White House initiative that was launched in 2011 that’s meant to celebrate, inspire, and accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship throughout the nation. To further this initiative, an...
The US Small Business Administration Has Several 50+ Entrepreneur Resources
If you’re 50+, and you’re not quite sure how your retirement years are going to play out, the SBA has an information page set-up just for you. From SBA.Gov; “According to a USA Today/Gallup...
2011 Franchise TrendsFranchise BrokersFranchise Business Q and Afranchise consultantsFranchise PurchasingSmall Business
All About Franchising Fees, Franchise Brokers, And Names That Kind of Stick
What? You’re probably wondering why I’ve gathered you here today…. Actually, you’re probably wondering what this short post is going to be about; I would be too, if I was an avid and super...
Franchise Ownership Q and A on Twitter #smallbizchat
If you have any questions concerning the top things you should do before you Become A Franchise Owner! ………… Join Melinda Emerson, The @SmallBizLady , and me, on a live Tweetchat...
Attention Franchisees; Don’t Worry About Payroll
(Disclosure; this is a sponsored post.) One of the first questions that I’m asked by prospective franchise owners that I’m working with has to do with two things; employees and payroll. “Joel, I’ve managed...
My 3-Way With Chris Brogan and Joe Sorge on The Kitchen Table
It was great. I mean it. You know me; I never kid around, and I’m never sarcastic. (Right.) In May, my friends, Chris Brogan and Joe Sorge invited me to participate in a Kitchen Table Talk. And it was a 3...
Rudderless
(An old, nasty rudder) That’s what we are, you know; we’re rudderless. We’re all wandering around in some type of post-traumatic daze from what the last President did to our economy. And we’ve...
The 10 Greatest Things About Franchise Ownership
I’m part of a great industry. It’s pretty cool to be involved with the greatest business model ever developed. For the right person, at the right time in their life, who has the financial capability...
This Guest-Post About Franchise Resources Includes Some Serious Sucking Up
(This is a guest post from Fred Leo, a business coach whose home on the Internet is SoloBizCoach.com) One of the fastest ways to become your own boss is to buy a franchise, but finding the franchise that is right...
Thinking Small Can Be Big
(Tiny puppy!) Sometimes changing the little things can mean a lot, especially in business. Today’s entrepreneurs seem to be hyper-focused on the home run; creating the next big thing. It may not have to be a big...
Be in My Franchise Book
(Are they talking about us?) Do you have a 1st Class website or blog that’s focused on franchising, entrepreneurship, finance-lending, small business issues, marketing/pr, or copywriting? If so...
How Do You Get Access to a Franchise System?
There’s really only one way (legally) to get access to the super-secret system that a typical franchisor has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars and numerous hours into. One way; Pay The Franchise Fee...
Who Are The Top Small Business Influencers?
First, the definition of a Small Business Influencer; A small business influencer is a person, company or other organization that has made a meaningful and lasting impact on the North American small business market. Do...
Are You Building Your Franchise to Sell Someday?
Tweet If you’re a current franchise owner, why are you working so hard? What’s your reason? Is it a short-term reason, or a long-term one? Do you have any idea what I’m really asking? I’ll...
3 Products That Will Turn Your Overworked Email Inbox Into a Magical Place
I love opening my email inbox. It seduces me with it’s mystery and intrigue; I never know what treasures I’ll find waiting for me as I open that first well-crafted subject line. C’mon;...
Franchises; Getting Small Business Loans Approved from The US Small Business Administration (SBA)
What does it mean if a franchise concept has been approved by the SBA? If you’re looking to buy a franchise, it’s really important to find out what a lot of my industry’s jargon actually means...
What Your Credit Score Means for Your Franchise
The last two years have been challenging ones for people looking to get small business loans. It would be great if future entrepreneurs could have a bit more leverage when it comes to asking the banks for some of their...
A VIP Franchise/Small Business Newsletter
I want to give you an example of what my weekly VIP Newsletter looks like. I want you to see for yourself what it’s not. It’s not long. It’s not very wordy. It’s short and sweet. It’s to...
Small Business Administration to Launch 2 New Business Loan Programs
franchise social media marketing Two brand new small business loan programs in one week? This is good, right? Here they are; The Small Loan Advantage is structured to encourage larger, existing SBA lenders to make lower...
Friday Franchise News; It’s Doctor’s Associates by 2 1/2 Lengths!
WOW! That's right; Doctor's Associates has finally beaten Mac & Don's Rainbow Room by 1,012 franchise units! Really, Joel?Thanks a lot for being absolutely clear on which two franchises you're...
Amazing Small Business Resources That Can Turbocharge Your Business in 2011
I’ve been compiling a list of small business websites, and small business blogs for a few years. This list includes the usual suspects, like Brian, Chris, Rieva, and Anita. Liz was recently added, and a totally...
Are You Using Women-Owned Business Coaching Services For Your Small Business?
I have a reason for asking you if you’re using a business coach, and if so, is your coach a woman? If your answer was yes, is she providing business leadership coaching? I was reading a press release from The...
Free eBook Downloads On Franchising Are Readily Available On The Kindle or The iPad
Unless you're already the owner of a shiny new Amazon Kindle or Apple iPad, you may not know just how easy it is to grab downloads of business and franchise-related eBooks. My brother-in-law was nice enough to let...
Is The Franchise Business Model Starting To Suck Some Serious Wind?
The franchise business model has been called one of the most brilliant business models ever invented. It is. But, the last couple of years have been brutal to franchising as a whole, and in true American fashion, smart...
Business.Gov’s Ultimate Guide to Franchises
It’s “The Official Business Link to The US Government.” But, it’s a lot more than that. Did you know that Business.gov is the only US Government service to provide access to Federal, state and...
This Franchise Business Fights MRSA
I had never heard of MRSA until I read a press release concerning a commercial cleaning franchise that actually has a product and a service that helps combat this nasty disease. MRSA is actually a staph infection. Most...
GrowSmartBiz Conference To Feature Entrepreneur Boot Camp
The 2nd Annual GrowSmartBiz Conference is being held at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington DC, November 5th, and I'm honored to have been asked to speak about the realities of franchise ownership this year. Network...
Political Campaign Contributions: Which Candidate is Your Franchisor Donating To?
Well, if you’re franchisee of 4 Gold’s Gym’s in the San Francisco area, it seems to matter where some political donations are going… If you’re a card-carrying member of the International...
Popular Reasons For Buying a Franchise (Part 7)
In this franchise business article series, I've explored several popular reasons that people buy franchises. Most folks that buy franchises want to make a pretty big change in their lives, bring in a nice income...
Popular Reasons For Buying a Franchise (Part 6)
In Part 5 of this series on popular reasons for buying a franchise, I brought up something that’s invisible at first, but starts to appear, as your franchise business starts to grow; equity. Read Part 5. While a...
Popular Reasons For Buying a Franchise (Part 5)
In Part 4 of this series on "Popular Reasons For Buying a Franchise," I discusssed the money part of the equation, and how money wasn't as important as some people thought. In case you are just joining in...
