Asking “Can I franchise my business?” shows that you have the good sense to look first and know what you are getting into before starting out in franchising
June 12, 2011 by Fran
Filed under Franchise Articles
It seems that just about any business that can get some level of success in what they do may have that moment when they ask, “Can I franchise my business?” Franchising is the hot thing these days. This is not to say that is isn’t a fair question. Franchising a business can be a huge step toward much greater profitability and a way to make your business take off faster than you could otherwise.
That question, “Can I franchise my business?” starts with where your business is in its growth plan. Obviously, if you are still working on reaching a level of profitability and stability in running the operation you have, that is no time to take on the big challenges of franchising the business. So if you ask yourself, “Can I franchise my business?” because you have a dynamite business idea and a growing customer base, it might be best to wait until you have your “base” well established and the need to expand is pressing.
The very fact that you are nervous enough to ask “Can I franchise my business?” rather than just launching out shows that you have your head together. To ask the tough questions and bring some skepticism into the evaluation will pay you big time because before you spend a dime to franchise your operation, you will make sure you will be a winner in the franchising game and not one of the casualties.
Diving into franchising your business and succeeding may be a matter of who you know.
In reality that question, “Can I franchise my business?” could use with some review. Instead it might be smart to ask, “Should I franchise my business?” An even more on target question might be, “Do I know enough to franchise my business?” That doesn’t mean you are a dummy. It just means that those who go blindly charging into franchising and loose their shirts do so because they did not take the time to learn the ropes of the franchising adventure.
There are a few pitfalls, sand traps and a few cliffs you can fall off of and you need some help knowing where they are. That is why the question, “Can I franchise my business?” might also be revised to, “Do I know people who can help me franchise my business?” The last thing you should do is to launch out into the deep water of franchising without some skilled sailors on your boat, so to speak.
Fortunately, the skilled labor needed to make you a success in franchising are ready to help you out, for a fee. But paying for a well established and experienced franchise lawyer and a solid franchise consultant may be just what it takes to put you in a place where the answer to that question, “Can I franchise my business?” is yes.
Be smart and check out that the franchise experts that you bring onto your team are honest and qualified people. You are a savvy business person so you know how to check references. Once you have a team of smart franchising gurus, set out to become a franchising guru yourself. Look at every example franchise agreement and review knowledgeable literature on the “dos and don’ts” of the franchising game. When you do that, you will become one of the smart ones going into franchising your business and the outcome will be great success for you and your partners.
The franchise disclosure documents that you get from the franchisee will tell you all you need to know about your costs of this next big step in your life
June 11, 2011 by Fran
Filed under Franchise Articles
Franchise disclosure documents may seem boring but they can ease your mind tremendously. Getting ready to buy a franchise should bring with it a lot of butterflies in the stomach. Those butterflies are a mixture of excitement about the big money you can make owning your own franchise and sheer terror. That terror is actually a good thing because the last thing you want is to be committed to the costs and obligations of a franchise relationship and then begin to think, “What have I got myself into?”
This is where spending some quality time with the franchise disclosure documents can help with that sense of terror. Before pen goes to ink to make your franchise business spring to life, a number of financial disclosure documents will show up at your door that will give you everything you need to know about franchising a business.
Those franchise disclosure documents will lay out in detail the costs that you can expect to pay to get your own franchise small business up on its feet. There are a number of layers of costs to keep your eye on as you get into this big adventure in your life. The cost of buying the franchise springs to mind and that can vary widely from one franchise to another. Along with those costs, there will be expenses to get your new business on its feet and ongoing costs such as franchising royalties. Here is where your franchise disclosure documents can take much of the terror out of what you are getting yourself into.
Putting franchise disclosure documents to the test.
Before you even consider signing any franchise agreements, be sure you plow through those franchise disclosure documents and lay out in detail every dollar and cent this investment is going to hit you for. The up front costs may put some of that terror back into your system. This is where it pays to put those franchise disclosure documents to the test.
You can put those financial disclosure documents to the test by having a meeting of the minds with other franchise owners in your village. Don’t just happily buy into franchise costs. Check it out that those fees and royalties line up with what rational thinking people pay to be citizens in the elite club known as franchisees. If the costs are not in line with reality, you can contest and negotiate what those franchise disclosure documents tell you. If the franchisee won’t play ball, there are other games in town to play so take your good business elsewhere.
As you evaluate the costs of running your own small business, don’t just blindly accept that what is in the franchise disclosure documents represent all of the expenses you may have to face. Think about the other aspects of running a business such as employee’s salaries and benefits, hiring a clearing service and keeping plenty of coffee and toilet paper on hand. If you let no stone go unturned in your evaluation of what your costs will be, those hard numbers will put you on a path to big success. Then that feeling of sheer terror can yield to real excitement because you know what you are getting into and it is something very exciting indeed.
Every franchise document that must be signed is a step toward your success and happiness as a future franchise owner
June 11, 2011 by Fran
Filed under Franchise Articles
Each franchise document is just as much of the dream of owning your own franchise as the rewards you seek. The image you might have in your mind about owning a franchise may be a vision of opening the doors to your wildly successful business with customers forcing their way in with money clenched in hand to spend in your store. But the reality is that there are some details to cover along the way. Above all, to get from here to there, you need plenty of franchise information so you know what you are doing when you fork over your hard earned money to buy your own franchise business. Each franchise document that you must review will give you the clues to the puzzle to how to become a big winner in the game of owning your own franchise business.
There are a couple franchise documents that may seem dry and dull but understanding them can make you a happy camper in the franchising world. You can learn about franchise operations by sitting around a McDonalds and taking notes. But looking at each franchise document is a smarter way to go and a better use of your time to boot.
An important franchise document with a strange name is the Uniform Franchise Offering Circular because it makes it sound like junk mail you get from your grocery store. Instead, the UFOC represents one of the most detailed documents you will get that lays out in plain English not only what you and the franchising company must do to make your partnership fly like an eagle but exactly how much it is all going to cost. The number crunchers in the accounting department will like that.
The franchise agreement is a franchise document that means the day you open your doors of your own small business is right around the corner.
Next to the UFOC, the franchise document that can most change your life is the franchise agreement. Look at this document like the marriage license in terms of its importance. There is no romance here but when you and the franchisor sign the franchise agreement, your franchise relationship is set in stone and you are ready to make some serious money.
You can expect both the UFOC and the franchise agreement to be delivered to you in the two weeks before the franchise partnership is about to become a reality. Yes, you can believe it that each franchise document is important. It is important because they will change you from a casual observer into a full fledged franchisee. But they are also legal documents that you and the franchisor will sign that puts the relationship into motion.
So that is why they are like a marriage license without the cake or the “kiss the bride” part. But you can stage a big celebration and bring your own cake because once you have mastered and signed every franchise document, your new business will be ready to go for the gold. That is worth a cake and a kiss from somebody to be sure.
Review of the UFOC or the Uniform Franchise Offering Circular Is step one toward owning your own profitable franchise
June 10, 2011 by Fran
Filed under Franchise Articles
Every industry is loaded down with weird acronyms. To become a guru of franchising, be sure you know all about the the Uniform Franchise Offering Circular or the UFOC for short. It is one of the “must do” hoops to jump through before you can strike it rich franchising a business.
There is no dodging this step in your noble journey toward franchising. The franchise offering circular is a step on that journey worth dawdling on a bit. The franchise offering circular is a physical document that will show up on your doorstep from the company selling the franchise to you. This is not junk mail so jump all over the franchise offering circular. It is chock full of information that you need to know.
If you ever made a document your Bible, the franchise offering circular is one you should know inside and out. The law requires that every detail about what will happen when that franchise transaction hits the books has to be spelled out in the franchise offering circular. That means that who you have to salute is in there and how you can expect to be saluted is in there too.
The franchise offering circular must be written in language that people speak.
Don’t run into the closet and hide from the franchise offering circular. It is one of those franchise agreements that can clear up any deep dark mysteries that may be lingering in your head about buying that franchise. The franchise offering circular will spell out in precise language exactly what you can expect from the franchisor. It also lays out in no uncertain terms what is expected of you.
Probably the tidbits of information that can change your life the most in the franchise offering circular are the financial details about the transaction and the cost of running the franchise once the doors are open. This is “need to know” stuff because the franchise offering circular can be used to get financing and to lay out your budget so the bean counters in your company can make sure they have their ducks in a row.
You should be chomping at the bit to get your mitts on that franchise offering circular. If the franchisor stalls out on providing you with a very detailed franchise offering circular, it is time to look for a better franchisor. There are twenty one different kinds of disclosures in the franchise offering circular and every one of them is important.
The franchise offering circular is a legal document so don’t be afraid to get your own legal eagles to look at it. But the law requires that the franchise offering circular be written in language that regular human beings can read instead of a bunch of legal mumbo jumbo. So make sure you get it, know it and love it when the time comes to exchange the franchise offering circular. You will be glad you did.
The franchise meaning may be fundamental but that simple definition contains the secret to huge success.
June 10, 2011 by Fran
Filed under Franchise Articles
It pays to take some time and get a feel for the franchise meaning before launching into the exciting world of franchising, so you know what you are getting into. If you are walking around with a misunderstanding of the franchise meaning, that could seriously harm your ability to hammer out the best deal possible with the other partners in the process.
For a business launching into franchising, the franchise meaning implies a way to rapidly expand using the sweat equity of franchisors. For the small business looking at franchising as your golden ticket to success, the franchise meaning represents a way to cash in on the success of a larger business and let their strong market presence go to work for you.
Simply stated, the franchise meaning represents a partnership that strategically advances the business goals of franchisee and franchisor. A less boring way of saying it is that it is way for everybody to make the big bucks.
For the franchisor the heart of the franchise meaning brings with it the chance to take advantage of a very large and well developed competitor. You turn that competitor into a partner and then you put their marketing, their distribution systems and their brand identification to work immediately rather than having to build all of that from the ground up.
A simple concept with deep franchise meaning.
On the surface, the franchise relationship that is implied in the franchise meaning is not rocket science. The franchisor purchases a franchise from the company offering the partnership. With that license, the franchisor gets the right to open an office or retail location that is the brand of the parent company. The franchise meaning represents benefits to the small business person who with the exchange of franchise information and plenty of cash, transforms a small business that is limping along into a niche in large and very profitable business.
The franchise meaning is an elegantly and deceptively simple little idea. There is a lot of detail to be learned if you expect to cash in big time on the franchising idea. There is big money to be earned so it be smart and find out those details quickly and to get an education in the finer points of franchise meaning.
Those finer points are often buried in the various franchise agreements that will go back and forth between the parties as the partnership is formed. Those documents will detail the nuts and bolts of the financial side of who pays for what when. They will lay out the project plan to transform two separate businesses into one powerful partnership. They will also lay out the terms and conditions both franchisee and franchisor must be prepared to live up to. As such taking some time with those franchise documents long before pen goes to ink to launch the new franchising business arrangement is one of the smartest moves you can make.
Understanding the franchise definition is the start of an explosively profitable business partnership.
June 9, 2011 by Fran
Filed under Franchise Articles
A franchising definition is the beginning of your magnificent quest for huge profits and for launching into another exciting business adventure. With any big idea, getting to the heart of what makes that idea sizzle and pop with excitement is the best starting place. For a business that is eager to franchise their existing success, that franchise definition sums up how you can go from a small success to a monster success. For the small business, the meaning that is hidden that franchising definition may mean a way to get past the struggles of a start-up business and get a jump start to knock-your-socks-off profits.
A franchise definition on the surface is deceptively simple but that definition is just the beginning of a business idea that can turn into a volcanic eruption of potential success. The franchise definition begins with a company that is enjoying success. It is easy to think that the franchise definition is limited to the big examples of franchises like McDonalds or Starbucks. But it has been put to use in a shockingly wide variety of business environments. It has been tapped to cause some huge success stories in accounting firms, health clubs, carpet cleaning or termite control businesses, financial services and banking operations and pet care businesses to name just a few. Each of these types of businesses have seen the found their own pot of gold result from franchising.
By franchising definition, the company seeking to franchise will offer licensees to small business to be bought. That the new partner can start a “branch” of the original company name using the company name, logo, branding, and products. The franchisor can tap the large markets that success has brought to the company doing the franchising. Franchising definition assigns names to the two partners. The parent company is the franchisee and the small business buying the franchise is the franchisor.
The franchise definition is one you never stop learning about.
While the concepts underneath the franchise definition are quite basic, things get interesting as you begin to build a franchising relationship. The details of the who does what and who is responsible for what has to be spelled out so nothing drops through the cracks when the franchise gets rolling. For franchisee and franchisor, the more franchise information you have, the better the relationship will go.
Even before the formal franchise relationship gets underway, it pays to learn all you can about every aspect of the franchising definition. It is a concept that has a lot of depth to it because it will literally transform both parties in the relationship into very different and much more profitable business entities. You will learn about franchise agreements and the legalities and financial constraints that both parties must be prepared to work within.
It takes a lot of discipline to be able to take the simple franchise definition and turn it into an explosively profitable business relationship that really takes off. But that discipline is worth it when you laugh all the way to the bank because you put in the effort to understand the franchising definition and all its implications.
A franchise agreement example can give you everything you need to jump start your franchising plans
June 9, 2011 by Fran
Filed under Franchise Articles
A franchise agreement example can help both sides of the franchising puzzle. For a business that is growing like wild fire, the idea of franchising a very successful idea makes good sense. It is a way to make the big bucks and grow an already successful business idea rapidly.
But franchising savvy doesn’t grow on trees. You need some guidance on the basics of how to go about putting together a franchising plan that will win the hearts of franchisors who want to sink their money into your business. That is where a well written franchise agreement example can help give you the basic franchise information of what is needed to put your growth plans on a solid footing.
For the business person who wants to look at buying a franchise, a franchise agreement example can also be a huge leap forward in making those plans. Compared to slugging it out in a tough and competitive marketplace, investing in a franchise of an already successful player in that marketplace puts you on top of the competition instead of behind the eight ball. Taking some time to study a solid franchise agreement gives you the advantage of years of expertise that is built right into that document.
You can find great franchise agreement examples on the internet.
Entering into a franchising relationship is not child’s play. Even before the franchisor opens the doors of that new franchise business, there is some serious money that changes hands as you invest in your new business. The relationship between franchisee and franchisor is a partnership and like any good collaboration, that relationship starts with good franchise agreements.
The good news is there are plenty of great franchise agreement examples online from respected leaders in the franchising industry. These documents can be downloaded and modified to fit your business. Meanwhile, this is a great way to learn how a franchising relationship is structured, how a franchising relationship gets off the ground and even how that franchising agreement will evolve and grow up with your business. All of that is just the stuff to jump start your new adventure in franchising.
Franchising a small business is one way to get your own business in operation and make a lot of money in short order.
June 7, 2011 by Fran
Filed under Franchise Articles
For those who study things, there have been plenty of studies to show that franchising a small business is one of the most profitable ways to make some serious money running your own business. It is a win-win situation. You get all of the benefits of running your own business but you also cash in on the serious money making potential of having a well known and popular business name on the sign on the door that will bring in customers in droves.
The whole idea of owning your own business is you get to be the boss. You do that when you decide to make it big franchising a business. You buy that franchise so in every way, it is your baby. You call the shots, decide on who works for you and take the big bags of money home at the end of the day. You do not work for the franchisee. The parent company is your partner in success. You do have some responsibilities to the company who is helping you in franchising a business. But they stay out of your hair and let you run the show as long as you live up to the franchising agreements.
Franchising a business is serious business however so go into it with your eyes open. Take your time and sit down with a cup of coffee and review the franchising agreements so you know what you are getting into. These are serious contracts that could scare the socks off of you if you are not ready to enter into a grown up business partnership. But those franchising agreements are there to establish a very profitable business relationship between you and the company who is franchising the business. You are a savvy operator if you digest them fully and even get some help from a franchise lawyer or consultant so you understand every paragraph, line and comma of those documents.
Serious business means serious money.
One of the biggest struggles of starting a business of your own is building a market and becoming well known to your customers. When you go the route of franchising a business, those worries go out the window. The whole idea of franchising a business is you cash in on the success of a very profitable brand. Instead of going up against the big boys, you become a big boy and others have to go up against you. That is a good feeling which gets better when the money starts rolling in.
There is nothing “pie in the sky” about the potential profits that are waiting to be had by franchising a business. But do your homework. Make sure the franchise you are getting yourself into is the kind of business you would start anyway. You are going to work long hours and have to invest both money and sweat equity into franchising a business. This is not the stuff of lazy people. So make sure it is the kind of business you love so you will enjoy every minute of building a hugely successful business that you can call your own. If you do that, franchising a business will be a huge adventure. There will be a few dragons to fight but in the end, you will win and win big.
Franchise law is there to protect you, but getting some help to understand it is a smart move
June 6, 2011 by Fran
Filed under Franchise Articles
Franchise law is an area of regulation that is not the evil enemy of anyone who wants to buy a franchise. The fact is that franchise law is there to keep both franchisee and franchisor from losing their shirt in a bad business deal. For that reason, it pays to understand the role of franchise law as part of the hoops you must jump through to buy a franchise and to know how to jump through those hoops correctly.
One reason it is smart to get some help in the tricky area of franchise law is that the specifics of how to enter into a franchise agreement can change depending on where you live and where the franchisee is located. Too often, the scale is slanted toward the franchisee that may be a large organization. As you start to sort out the weird rules and regulations just to buy a franchise, you may get a bulky package of franchise agreements and small print rules and regulations that represent the franchise law you are expected to understand.
Don’t be too hasty to rush through that huge stack of forms and franchise laws. For one thing, the more you can wrap your head around franchise law, the better off you will be. Don’t let the franchisee bully you into thinking you have to sign every form exactly as it is written. You are a smart one if you have those forms looked over by a franchise lawyer who has your back.
Pick some brains and tap the value of some great franchise legal forms templates and you get the best of both worlds.
Getting a franchise lawyer and a franchise consultant on your side will give you some leverage when sorting out all of the details of franchise law before you begin your partnership with the franchisee. Don’t get the wrong idea that just because the franchisee buries you in paperwork that they are out to get you. Much of the franchise law is there for your benefit too. But franchise law is like all laws that are written by politicians and lawyers. It is tough for normal human beings to figure them out.
Along the way, you can and should pick the brains of those franchise experts that become your dream team. That is because franchise law does not end when you win your franchise and start setting up shop. There are aspects of franchise law that will kick in every day you are in business. You cannot keep your high priced franchise experts around the store everyday. So let them teach you the real nuts and bolts of how to operate a profitable franchise and stay kosher with the franchise laws you singed up for. If you do that, everybody will be better off.
Franchising a business offers big wins for customers, small business owners and franchisees alike
June 5, 2011 by Fran
Filed under Franchise Articles
No matter what the mythology is, the business technique of franchising a business is good for everyone. Sure, comedians love to make fun of a Starbucks on every corner or malls that look alike in California as much as in Maine. That is fun comedy but it doesn’t change how much the idea of franchising a business is a slam-dunk answer for big and small business alike.
Even customers who gripe end up benefiting when a chain goes about franchising the business. People make jokes about how McDonalds or Starbucks are all the same but they don’t stop flocking there day after day. So franchise owners will take the jokes because the facts remain that franchising a business means profits.
Customers benefit more than then know when a big company gets bigger by franchising the business. They benefit because franchisee companies have the clout to provide products at lower costs because they are huge and they can buy in bulk and produce their products more competitively.
Customers also benefit because even though a franchisor is a small business person, the customers have a sense of value and trust that goes with the franchise name and reputation. That means the customer gets what they expect and want every time and the franchise owner inherits a built in large customer base with money.
Franchising a business by purchasing a franchise is a win if you know what you are doing.
For the franchisee, franchising the business means rapid growth at a reduced overhead. Much of the investment and hard work of running a franchise is taken over by the franchise owner. But the company franchising the business still makes a lot of money and continues to be a player in their market.
For the small business person, franchising a business is a huge jump start into a hugely profitable business venture. It would be a real chore to build a market presence like a Starbucks or McDonalds has and you would be competing with those monster franchises as well. By franchising that business, the small business owner can literally go with the idea of, “if you can’t beat them, join them.”
It pays to do your homework and know what you are doing when franchising a business. While the regulations and franchise laws are tricky, there are plenty of excellent online services that can take the bite out of that obstacle. Go into the partnership with your eyes wide open and ready to roll up your sleeves and make franchising a business a success for you and for your franchisee and you will enjoy a long and profitable career.