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...
Small Business
Joel LibavaRudderless
(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...
Popular Reasons For Buying a Franchise (Part 3)
In Part 2 of this franchise series, I wrote that “freedom” was one of the popular reasons for buying a franchise. I received a couple of great comments, and they reminded me that freedom doesn’t come...
What’s YOUR Visual Of a Typical Small Business?
What do the words "small business" conjure up in the visual part of your brain? Do you picture a thriving specialty machine shop, with it's 2nd-generation owner walking through his shop, stopping...
Is This Military Veteran Rolling The Dice With This Well-Known Retail Franchise?
Iraq war veteran Stephen Young, certainly doesn't think he's rolling the franchise dice. He just invested in a 7-Eleven franchise. The location; Lakeland, Florida. Young saved 10% off the franchise fee because...
Should You Support Your Locally Owned BP Gas Station Franchise?
(BP Franchise, University Heights, Ohio 44118) Yes, you should! ******************************************************************************************************************* Question: What does your local BP...
Business Owners; Do You Know About OPEN Forum By American Express?
The award-winning OPEN Forum By American Express site is "A community designed to help you grow your business." If you're a business owner, an executive, or a middle manager, and want to network and...
Does John Jantsch’s New Book, "The Referral Engine," Get The Job Done?
Well, as that new celebrity from the great state of Alaska says, you betcha!
John sent me an advance uncorrected proof of his new book, The Referral Engine, a few weeks ago. I first met John…
The Top 100 Global Franchises
Franchise Direct, a strategic partner of mine, just released their Top Global Franchises for 2010. First, a little about Franchise Direct; Franchise Direct is one of the world’s leading portals for franchise and...
Warning; Is Your Business About To Get Fined?
/ CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Do you know what PCI Compliance is? If your business accepts credit cards, you have some serious responsibilities, the major one being that you must protect your customer’s data. It is the...
Attention Deficit Disorder; Even Kings Can Have A.D.D. (Part III)
In Part II of this post, I discussed how folks with Attention Deficit Disorder tend to get bored rather quickly, and tend to burn themselves out. I also named some very famous people who had A.D.D. like Bruce Jenner...
How Will Health Care Reform Will Affect Small Business? Drea Breaks It All Down
(Drea Knufken) ************************************************************************************************** Drea Knufken, the senior editor over at the Business Pundit blog, is one sharp lady. She has just put...
New Franchise And Business Opportunities Are On The Rise In India
Franchise Direct's Donald Cranford, recently had an opportunity to spend some time in India. Donald, (Franchise Direct's US lead blogger) focused on the growth of the franchise business model in India. Lots of...
If You Live In Florida, Don’t Read This
Snow days. Good memories. I remember waiting for my parents to wake me up after a night of heavy Cleveland snow with these ultimate two words; No school! It’s probably unrealistic that younger students these days...
Attention Deficit Disorder; Even Kings Can Have A.D.D. (Part II)
Part 1 of this post took you through the Franchise King's rather challenging school years, and how Attention Deficit Disorder affected him. I trust that you felt the King's frustrations. If the school systems...
Attention Deficit Disorder; Even Kings Can Have A.D.D. (Part 1)
ADDers Have A Need For Speed / CC BY 2.0 This King has A.D.D. I use it to my advantage. But I didn’t even know I had A.D.D. until about 15 years ago. My story; Once upon a time, in a faraway Kingdom, (Cleveland...
Bathroom Remodeling; A Refinished Shower That’s Fit For A Franchise King
(This is a paid review of work that was recently done at my own home) The people that lived in our house before us, put a large addition on it, including a full bath, with a fiberglass shower enclosure. The bathroom has...
Information Technology Franchise Launched In Cleveland
Let’s talk about the new Information Technology Franchise launched in Cleveland. It’s part of an industry that’s going to continue growing. This: Computer-related services for commercial and...
5 New Year’s Resolutions For Prospective New Small Business/Franchise Owners
January is usually a month filled with hope. For some, it's also filled with fantasies of unshackling themselves from their corporate desks, and becoming their own bosses. Although only a small percentage of people...
The Franchise King Blog; The Top Franchise Business Articles Of 2009
/ CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Here’s a recap of this year’s most read articles. This list should give you a better idea of what I write about, and what this blog’s readers like. (If you’ve recently...
Who ARE The Downsized Executives That Are Looking For Employment?
Unless you're living in a cave without WI-FI, you know that the US unemployment rate is at about 10% as of this writing. So, just who is it that's been getting downsized? Manufacturing has been hit especially...
Mr. Handyman Of Portland-Lake Oswego Can Help You Save Some Green This Winter (With These Free Green Tips)
Jim and Tim O'Neil of Lake Oswego, Oregon (Full Disclosure; 1. I help Service Brands-which owns Mr. Handyman, find great franchise owners. I receive a finder's fee for the successful placement of them. 2. I...
How My Franchise Consulting/Brokering Business Has Changed (Part 1)
( Me, in 2001 ) The small business world has evolved, and I’ve had to evolve with it. When I started out in 2001 (After becoming a victim of downsizing after being fired) my only role was matching prospective...
State Small Business Rankings; Do YOU Live In A Small Business-Friendly State?
The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council out of Oakton,Virginia has just released it's latest rankings report on your state-and how small business friendly it really is. From their website; The “Small...
Dunkin’ Donuts Offering Free Coffee (For USPS Letter-Carriers)
Nice PR move, folks; "The United States Postal Service letter carriers serve tirelessly throughout the holiday season, and we wanted to recognize their hard work during this very busy time of year," said John...
The Health Care Reform Bill; Here’s The International Franchise Association’s Stance
Let me start out by stating this; I am not a member of The International Franchise Association. (IFA) That’s full disclosure, folks. One thing that I feel they do a stellar job with is lobbying. Matthew Shay...
Franchise Success And Franchise Failure; Please Keep Head Out Of Sand
It may be too late for that guy I can personally relate to the trials and tribulations of owning franchise businesses as I have “been there and done that” and have experiences on both ends of the spectrum from achieving...
The Franchise King® Is Not Being Paranoid
Small Business Loans Drop By $10 Billion (From CNN.com, today) "Some banks are unapologetic about their cutbacks. Small business defaults are soaring, and banks are under pressure to shore up their balance sheets...
