Stay up on the latest news and more. Here are the latest December franchise news and small business news updates.
December Franchise News
Liberty Tax, a well-known franchise business in the tax sector of franchising, just told analysts that it lost $9.3 million during the off season in the quarter ending Oct. 31. In addition, the company only sold 50 franchise territories compared to the 142 it sold this time last year. This may be the major reason for the decline in business and franchise territories sold.
Good news: Andy Puzder, President-Elect Trump’s pick for Labor Secretary, is from the franchise industry. Pudzer is the chief executive of CKE Restaurants Inc. CKE owns the Carl’s Jr.®, Hardee’s®, Green Burrito® and Red Burrito® restaurant brands.
The not-so-good news: Pudzer is totally opposed to raising the minimum wage, and has written an op-ed or two voicing his opposition to raising the salary threshold regarding overtime pay. Fantastic.
U.S. Lawns recently held their annual conference in Orlando, Florida. In addition to the usual conference stuff, headquarters brought in 50+ participants to volunteer at The Center for Drug Free Living (William R. Just Center) in downtown Orlando. (A center that provides substance abuse services) The volunteers cleaned, painted, trimmed trees and shrubs around the property, and assembled new furniture for the dining room. In addition, the franchisees’ children pitched in by painting artwork as gifts for the residents.
Coffee Planet, a UAE franchisor, just revealed its new franchise concept. The franchise opportunity is offering four formats under the new franchise model: café, kiosk, cart and vending. Here’s a picture of the classy-looking coffee operation.
December Small Business News
Small businesses that target Gen Z consumers need to realize a few things. One of them; their super-short attention spans. Read this to see just how short their attention spans are predicted to get.
Good news: Small Business owners are very confident about how things will go for them during this holiday season. Read why at Forbes.com
There are lots of new startup businesses in New Orleans all of a sudden. That’s good news for this city. If you remember, New Orleans was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.
The growth in the services sector could help small business owners around the country feel more optimistic about 2017. This article from the National Federation Of Independent Businesses (NFIB) explains why.
Once major city has decided to get serious about cutting red tape for small businesses. Small business owners in Minneapolis no longer need to cut through the red tape to get city approvals or licenses. This week the city approved a one-stop-shop that finally makes it easier to navigate the various rules and regulations. Maybe other cities will take notice. I hope so!