Big Whoop.

So, the new team at Quiznos, in a brilliant and never-used marketing ploy, has decided to go with a $10,000 franchise fee for anyone that buys a Quiznos Sub franchise. Talk about cutting-edge…

If you’re not hyper-focused on the franchisesphere like me, you may not be aware of all of the major dysfunction that’s been going on over at Quiznos Franchise Central in Denver. Not only does management have to keep the current crop of unhappy franchisees happy, but they have to add serious new revenue to the company, and one way to do that is by adding new franchise units.

Class action lawsuits have taken their toll on this embattled franchisor, as lots of franchisees have gone out of business.  Avenue Capital Group is certainly hoping for the best, as they have injected some serious cash into this food chain, which saved it from bankruptcy.

Should You Become a Quiznos Franchisee?

I hope that you won’t be mad at me, but I’m not going to tell you what to do here. Maybe the new management team at Quiznos, “Gets it.” Maybe they’re sharper than a pair of Justin Bieber’s Dangle Button earrings. I have no idea.

(Great-looking units.)

If you’ve been in the market for a franchise, and you’ve been waiting for a “Deal,” this is a deal. That’s because the last time I checked, the up-front franchise fee for a single Quiznos Sub franchise location was $25,000. So, a $15,000 discount is huge.

Is it big enough for you to take a risk on a food franchise that’s seen it’s share of problems?

That’s a question that you need to answer for yourself.

I’m not going to do it for you.

What do you think? Do you have a good feel for what the new management team is doing in Denver? Will things turnaround at Quiznos?

Whatever you do, don’t sign a franchise agreement, (that any franchisor lays on you) without consulting some trusted advisors. Like a franchise lawyer for instance.

Maybe you should do this too.

I commend you; you’ve made the decision to explore franchise ownership as a way to help you get where you want to go. While there are no guarantees that you’ll find a franchise that meets all of your criteria, you feel that your search for the right one is well worth your time and effort. That’s because you feel that the alternatives aren’t all that pretty.

So, you’ve taken this bold step, and you’re hoping to find a franchise that rocks. And, this is a bold step. If you’re anything like the potential franchise ownership candidates that I’ve worked with over the years, you’re vacillating back and forth between these two things;

• Being your own boss
• Working under one

Let’s Assume

I’m going to assume that you’re leaning heavily in the “I want to work for myself” direction, since you’re reading this post. Heck, you’ve probably signed up to have my franchise blog updates delivered right to your inbox for free, because you don’t want to miss one valuable tip.

 
The tip I’m about to dispense has to do with your franchise research. It’s one of many, (40 actually) that I’m providing to my blog readers as part of this special series.

On page 185 of  my book on franchise ownership, I suggest that this question be asked of all the current franchisees of the franchise opportunity that you’re interested in;

“Is your role as a franchisee what you expected it would be? If not, what’s different?

This is one of those franchise research questions that may end of being a game-changer, and I’ll show you why.

Don’t Assume

One of the most common mistakes that I see would-be franchise owners make has to do with the assumptions they sometimes make with no facts to back them up. (Which is why they’re assumptions.)

For example, let’s say that you’re interested in becoming a multi-unit franchise owner. You don’t know that much about multi-unit franchising, but you’re attracted to it because of the inherent growth opportunities. Your visual of a typical multi-unit franchisee revolves around the real estate acquisition end of things. In other words, when you become a multi-unit franchise owner, you’ll be playing the role of real estate mogul most of the time…adding on to your massive franchise portfolio year after year.

Or not.

While cruising around your protected franchise territory, (in your luxury vehicle) looking for new real estate acquisitions sounds kind of cool, it’s probably not what your role is going to be as The Owner.

But, maybe it is.

There’s only one way to find out, though. You have to ask this question, and the one I gave you up above. Go ahead.

That way, you won’t have to assume that you know what your role will be as a franchisee of the concept you’re exploring–and maybe even buying.

Okay?

If you’re a franchise owner, is the work your doing now what you thought it would be when you were exploring it-and researching it?

Tell us.

The at-home medical care,  (non-medical, too) sector in franchising has been exhibiting growth for the past few years. And unless you’ve been a hermit living somewhere in the High Plains, you’ve probably noticed that the US population is aging.

Businesses that can provide products and services that are needed by the 55 and over crowd have the potential to become winners over the next decade. If you’re thinking of becoming a franchise owner in a strong sector like senior care, and you want to be a winner-a successful franchisee, there’s one very important thing that you need to know about being the owner of a senior care services franchise. (There’s actually more than one, but this one is the mac-Daddy.)

Do you know what it is?

You need to be comfortable with sales.

That’s a gentle way of saying this;

You are going to have to make a ton of sales calls. If you want to become a successful owner, you’re going to be working your gluteus maximus off. You’ll be getting in and out of your car, calling on prospective referral partners Monday through Friday.  That’s how you get clients. If you think for one minute that boatloads of seniors are going to start appearing at the door to your office-with checks in hand to use your awesome services, you haven’t done your homework.

On a Positive Note

If you can sell, you have the potential to do very, very, well.  I just don’t want you to get into a senior care franchise without knowing what your role is going to be as The Owner. That’s just how I roll…

My friends at Franchise Direct have just put together one of their legendary Franchise Reports. And, if you’re as sharp as I think you are, you’re going to read their 2012 Senior and Home Care Franchise Industry Report in it’s entirety. That’s because you want to win. Right?

Click the report!

Remember; don’t sign a thing until you do this 

In case you don’t know, I’m a recovering franchise broker. And, while I wasn’t the most successful one among my peers and competitors, I was able to sleep soundly every night. Would you like to know why?

I stuck to my core values. I focused on doing the right things.

For example, if I didn’t feel that a potential franchise ownership candidate of mine had, “The right stuff” -personality-wise, to become an owner, I wouldn’t work with them. If their financials were a bit light, I would tell them, and then encourage them to seek another solution to their career woes. (In other words, I wouldn’t work with them, because it was too risky for them to invest in a business.) If one of my candidates was getting close to making a yes or no decision about investing in a specific franchise opportunity, I would strongly encourage them to seek legal guidance from a franchise attorney.

Correction: I would tell them to call one.

And, I would stress the importance of having a franchise business plan.

So, that’s my little story, and it serves as an introduction to the person that you’re about to meet-virtually; Sabrina Wall.

As you may know, I’m picky as hell. I won’t take just any company on as an advertiser or strategic partner. I get calls and emails all the time from people that want to do totally promotional guest posts, and the like. I also get offers from potential advertisers to place text link and banner ads on my websites.

I only accept guest posts and advertising money from companies that meet my standards. I have a no flake rule.

So, if you’re not a flake, let’s talk; I’m always on the lookout for mutually beneficial opportunities.

The following interview is a great example of someone that I’ve embraced because of their focus on quality. Sabrina works really, really hard, and from what others in her franchise brokerage group tell me, she’s absolutely focused on doing the right things. I like that

(Disclosure; the FBA is an advertiser of mine, and I’ve been asked to speak at their upcoming convention in sunny Orlando.)

Meet Sabrina Wall

(Sabrina Wall)

Joel:  What is the Franchise Brokers Association?

Sabrina:  We are a training and resource center for anyone who participates in the sale of a franchise.  We were formed because, before us, there was no one location for all franchise brokers to meet and collaborate.  There was no source to help the franchise sales industry professional fine tune their craft and receive advanced education.  There was no FLS system or professional standardized tools.  We have been successful since the day we opened our doors and we are happy to report that we are raising the bar in the franchise brokering industry.   We believe in franchising as the easiest way to create wealth and therefore we proudly promote franchising in all its different forms.

Joel:  In your vision statement, you say that the FBA is an association that’s dedicated to helping franchise brokers and consultants build thriving practices. Can you give my readers a couple of examples of how you’re going about it?

Sabrina:  If a franchise broker is trying to succeed, they need the proper tools to be able to function effectively.  Just like a real estate agent must have the MLS system to find houses that match the candidates needs, franchise brokers need a FLS system to find the right franchises.  We have a FLS system with 55 different search criteria, making it easy to find the right franchises quickly.   We also have powerful franchise presentations, franchise comparisons charts, videos, ongoing trainings for franchise candidates and much more the broker can use to engage and retain the candidate.

 We have a full fledged certification program called the Certified Franchise Broker or CFB certification.  This program includes community participation, industry participation, highly in depth training on franchising and at is fundamental core is how to ethically and professionally sell franchises.

We also hold an the Annual Franchise Brokers Conference and Expo for all brokers to collaborate, network, meet franchisors, receive quality trainings and develop their business.

Joel:  As you know, I’ve written many articles about the franchise brokerage industry. I’ve mentioned on more than one occasion that there are way too many franchise brokers around. (Compared to 11 years ago, when I started out as one) What is your take on the number of brokers that are currently in business?

Sabrina:  There are many franchise brokers in the industry that didn’t have the proper training or tools to support their business.  Many of them have failed, but still retain the title of franchise broker.   There are several strong broker networks that do a great job of supporting their brokers.  There are others that do the bare minimum they can get away with.  We call them broker mills.  Yes there are more brokers, but I don’t believe the amount of truly active brokers has changed significantly.  Prospective brokers should know, it takes time to develop this business just like anything else worth doing.

 A broker only needs to sell a handful of franchises per year to make a very good living, so I don’t believe the market is anywhere near saturation.  I think that the world needs to be made aware of the power of franchising and see what a good franchise system can do for a franchisees ability to create wealth.  Too many people think that franchising is only food.  They don’t even know what a franchise broker is.  That to me says we are at the beginning of a huge evolutionary shift and I like knowing that we are positioned to help it happen.

Joel:  Your association is really focused on training, and that’s one of the reasons that I’m proud to support you. What are one or two things that you teach new brokers that can help them set themselves apart from other ones?

Sabrina:  First, we teach brokers to control the process.  If a broker thinks that they can send a referral over to a franchisor and then just receive a check in the mail, they have been misinformed.  There are too many emotional factors involved in a decision like this and therefore candidates need help.  That’s where brokers come in.  We can become a valuable asset to the candidate or just an afterthought.  We choose to be unforgettable.

Second, it’s all about the candidate. How many ways can we help them?  What information can we give them so they feel comfortable with what they are learning and reading?  What can we do to blow their socks off with professional services that make the broker indispensible?  We have a huge list of services we offer to the CANDIDATE to do exactly that.  We create such a strong competitive edge between our broker and a non-FBA broker that the client would be losing a great deal if they chose the non-FBA broker.  We make it a no brainer so the candidate can spend their time thinking about which franchise to buy not which broker to use.

Joel:  What should prospective franchise brokers know before they start looking into brokerage as a career? Anything else you’d like to add?

Sabrina:  A career in franchise brokering can be incredible.  The income potential is there, the timing is right, and the opportunity is bountiful.  It is not an easy career choice though.  There is a learning curve and it takes commitment, planning and good old fashion hard work.  It takes someone with a certain finesse to help a candidate overcome their fears and take that next step.  Franchise brokers are dealing with people, personalities and a lot of money being exchanged so they need to know what they are doing.  They need to be properly trained.  This is a profession not a scheme so anyone getting into the business needs to understand what it really takes.  It’s a delightful business if you love and are good at business already.

Does Sabrina sound like a winner?

Is it just me, or does time seem to be speeding up? (I don’t mean to get you depressed)

I’ve been a very active (42,000+ Tweets) Twitter user for 5 years, now. Amazing. Twitter has been the most useful tool in my social media toolbox, and one of the reasons for it is that I’m afflicted (?) with this disease. Twitter’s rapid-fire pace and style is a perfect fit for me. It allows me to use one of my top skills; speed. I get to think on my feet, and respond to other Tweets, and even comments and questions, quickly.

Twitter has been an amazing networking tool for me.

It’s enabled me to get to know people all over the world. It’s also made it easier-and less awkward, to connect face to face.

(That’s me with Guy Kawasaki)

About a year after I created my @FranchiseKing account on Twitter, I connected with Guy. He had just started his Alltop.com site, and I had an idea for him that I felt he should hear.

I had been following him for a while, and we had shared a few Tweets back and forth. I sent him a DM, and told him that I wanted to talk to him about an idea that I had to help Alltop.com grow. Guy said okay, and we arranged a phone call. A week later, I called him, and we had a 20 minute conversation. He kind of liked my idea, but he wasn’t overly excited by it. He never ended up using it, but I was okay with his decision. The point is that without Twitter-and without my activity on it, our phone conversation would have never been possible.

Before Twitter, getting hold of an entrepreneur…a venture capitalist like Guy Kawasaki would have been next to impossible. Guy obviously felt that I was credible; otherwise he would not have given me his private phone number.  On Twitter, credibility consists of sharing quality content, and Re-Tweeting others high-quality content, too.

Even though Guy didn’t use my idea, he did allow me to help NEENZ create the Franchising Page on Alltop. That was really cool!

On Sharing

Now, I do tend to share my own stuff on Twitter too much. Another person I was able to meet because of Twitter seems to have the use of Twitter down to a science.

(Chris Brogan interviewing me about local franchise marketing) Watch The Interview

I met Chris, (after getting to know him a bit on Twitter) at BlogWorld in Vegas, and we’ve been friends ever since. He’s very helpful.

I don’t want you to feel that I’m bragging. I’m not. I’m just showing you how Twitter has enabled me to meet people…good people.

Too Many To Mention

Here are just a few of the people that I’ve been able to meet face-to-face because I’m so active on Twitter. (Not only am I active-I spend the time necessary to get to know people. Sharing their content doesn’t hurt, either!)

Rieva Lesonsky

Jason Falls

Jim Kukral

Anita Campbell

Lisa Barone

Shashi Bellamkonda

Brian Clark

Ann Handley

Melinda Emerson

NEENZ

Shonali Burke

Suzanne Vara

Anita Cohen-Williams

John Jantsch

Carol Roth

Carol Tice

Eve Lopez

Gini Dietrch

Ramon De Leon

Denise Wakeman

Thursday Bram

Tim Ferriss

Derek Halpern

Rohit Bhargava

Devin Cleary 

Jonathan Fields

If I didn’t list you here-I’m sorry; please leave your Twitter handle in the comment section, and tell me that I suck.

Twitter is my favorite social media tool, and it’s helped my business a lot!

Please follow me on Twitter. Just click the Crown on that cute little bird, below…

Thank you, Jack Dorsey and Biz Stone for having a vision and making it happen.

By now, there’s one thing that you should know about me;  I don’t spin things.  At all.
And, I don’t have to.

Here’s why;

I’m a WYSIWYG guy. (What You See Is What You Get) If I write something about a particular topic, it’s not by accident. I mean it. Same thing goes for things that I do verbally; I always say what’s on my mind. I rarely sugar-coat things. Oddly enough, my lack of sugar-coating is becoming more prevalent as I get older. (I heard somewhere that things mellow as they age. Obviously, I missed that bus.)

When it comes to helping would-be franchise owners, I really don’t spin. Watch…

Franchise Success Spin?

A couple months back, I responded via comment to a post on Palo Alto Online. In the post, a franchise broker from the outfit I used to be with was quoted. Here’s what Katie Fagan, a franchise broker in California said;

“Success rates appear to back them up: “The No. 1 reason businesses fail is lack of cash for working capital. After 10 years, only 16 percent of existing start-ups are still in business. With franchises, it’s 90 percent.”

I commented immediately because what she said was not based on current data. The statistics she quoted were old. Really old. They were so old, my friend, and a guy that I would never want to get into a debate over mathematical statistics with, even chimed in on my chiming in. Read what the founder of Palo Alto Software-the company that produces the best-selling business plan software on the planet wrote in his post titled, “The Franchise King Echoes Mark Twain.”

I must have hit one helluva note with my former franchisor, because they threatened to come up some of their own data on franchise success rates. Kind of like a, “We’ll show you, Joel Libava! Just wait and see what we’re going to spin come up with.” Well, as promised, they just came out with some,  (ahem) data.

But, before I dig into some of it with you, I need to share a couple of things about my experience as a franchisee with this outfit.

1. I learned an awful lot about the brokerage side of franchising. Between the training that my late father gave me, and the training that I received from a real franchise master, I was schooled well.

2. That franchise master, (as I later found out) was also a master of spin. He’s a real smart guy-probably genius level IQ. Too bad he turned out to be full of crap. He spun almost everything that had to do with our own franchise. It’s too bad; I kinda liked him for a bit.

The brokers that bought out the original owner of our franchise got schooled in spin, too. That’s why I’m having a huge problem with the data they just released into the franchisephere.

It Looks Good

The numbers that they released look great. According to this Press Release, in a detailed survey of 1,260 franchises it’s brokers sold from 2006 to 2010, 91.2 percent of the franchises were still in business after two years. That’s huge! And, if true, it’s a job well-done. Anything that can be done to move ready and willing people away from corporate America and into businesses of their own, I commend. Let’s see more of it! But, one thing troubles me about their, “survey.”

Stop. 

I still have several friends that are franchisees of this franchise. Marshall, who handles things in Florida is a serious hoot. Barney, the most talented franchise broker in all of Ohio, is good people. Keld is just the nicest guy. So, I’m not going to try to totally demolish their report. I just want to add some food for thought, as I wrap this post up.

1.  What data-compilation firm did the work?

2.  Did every franchisee, (broker) participate in this survey?

3.  How were the franchise owners contacted?

4.  The data was from 2006-2010. It’s 2012. How many of the 91.2% were still in business when they were contacted? In other words, were they in business for two years, but aren’t now?

5.  I was a franchisee (broker) for them from 2001-2008. The survey company never called me to ask how many people were still in business during those years that I helped.

Surveys, reports, polls…they all have a place. And to this brokerage franchise’s credit, they did come up with some data.

But how?

If you’re thinking of exploring the idea of becoming a franchise broker yourself, check out this organization.

And, make sure you read their mission statement.

(Disclosure; they’re an advertiser of mine.)

Nora Peterson, of Cedaredge, Colorado!

Congratulations! 

Now, in case you didn’t hear about this franchise contest, here’s the original announcement, including the hashtag that’s being used on Twitter, and information on what Nora just won.

Here’s Nora’s winning entry;

“I want to become a franchise owner in order to assist my family with financial security, while bettering the lives of others. In our area there is a need for good paying careers and the franchises that I am looking at are in the human services field and can provide for me, my employees, and our clients. Franchising makes sense to me because the systems for building a successful, and profitable, business are already in place.”

We Talked, Too

I had phone conversations with every contest entrant, in order to gauge things like their interest level, financial wherewithal, and to also get a realistic feel for their time frame as to when they were ready to move forward on a franchise opportunity, if they found one that made sense.

One more thing; they had to be comfortable being in the spotlight.

Nora was, for sure, and she has agreed to allow me to take her through the entire franchise due diligence process from A-Z, publically. (Nora is also aware that she may be contacted by members of the press, and even some influential bloggers in the small business space.)

That’s because I’ll be writing about the process that I use as a franchise ownership advisor on this blog, (which I kind of do already) but with one major difference; I’ll be doing it in almost real-time, and with a real-live franchise buyer.

I’ve never done anything like this before, and Nora certainly hasn’t either! But, it’s okay- I’m pretty transparent to begin with, and I’m very comfortable sharing my franchise business knowledge-and even my specific franchise advisory process, publically.

After all, I wrote a book on franchising. And, that’s what we’re going to use as our guide. You can too!

Check out some of the buzzzz  

If you own the book, (or are about to…hint…hint-just click the book cover to buy it)  please follow along as we journey through this process. It will be like having a coach right next to you as you go through the chapters. Just like Nora does now….

About Nora, In Her Words

Currently working as Registered Nurse in the geriatric field, I have always known that helping people was what I wanted to do.    I have also worked for myself for the majority of my life and know that I want to be my own boss; that sort of freedom is very precious.

As a young person, I worked in a variety of careers.  It wasn’t until I was in my 30’s that I found the healthcare industry.  After working the night shift at a local nursing home, I was determined to continue my education.  Of course, it was several more years before I could find the money to actually go back to school.  The logical step, for me, was to get a certification as a Licensed Practical Nurse.  After a few years as an LPN, I made a pact with two other friends: this was the year that we would all get our Registered Nurse License.  Unfortunately, ‘life’ got in their way and I was the only one of us to go back to school.  The education has served me well, but I have always yearned for something more.

My husband is a plumbing and heating contractor, and building another business, (in addition to his) seems like the next logical step for me.  I will afford us more time together, help provide for us, and help provide for our employees.

Thank you for sharing that, Nora.

I’d like to thank the following sponsors of the One Woman One Franchise Contest;

Anita Campbell- bizSugar

Rieva Lesonsky- Grow Biz Media

Tim Berry- Founder, Palo Alto Software

Nellie Akalp- CorpNet® Incorporation Services

Carol Roth, Author- The Entrepreneur Equation

Diana Thurman- Franchise Direct

Nicole Fende- Author, How To Be A Finance Rock Star

Rush Nigut- Franchise Attorney

Laura Petrolino- Ignite-VP

Matt Mansfield- Matt About Business

Dayna Harvey- Women’s Business Owner’s Network

So, will you be following along?

Subscribe

Twitter Hashtag is #OWOF 

The comment area under the posts that I’ll be writing -describing the franchise discovery process, is another place that you can follow along.

Do you remember when you could drive up to your nearest McDonald’s franchise, order your food, and get in and out in less than 5 minutes? I do; it was last century…

Something that used to be really important at McDonald’s all of a sudden isn’t; convenience.

A Warning 

If the suits at corporate headquarters don’t get it together, and soon, their customer base will start spending their money elsewhere. From what I’ve seen first-hand, elsewhere is Burger King.  I’ll explain…

From Fast Food To Slow Food

I consider the McDonald’s franchise system to be world-class. I’ve written plenty about this top franchise over the years, and I watch what they do like a hawk. They are the most important franchise in the industry. But, their corporate team isn’t paying attention, and that troubles me. And considering that they’ve experienced over 100 months of consecutive positive global same-store sales growth, maybe they don’t feel that they have to. Plus, there’s a major transition taking place internally, and the team could be focusing on their own futures.

That’s because a new CEO is jumping on board in July.

One of the first things he needs to do is become a secret shopper. He needs to travel around the US-by car, and pay a visit to at least a dozen McDonald’s franchises-preferably the newer ones. He needs to order his lunch or dinner from his car in those new, cutting-edge Double Drive-Thrus. Then, Don Thompson-the new CEO, will understand what I’m getting at.

The Double Drive-Thru Fails 

It’s frustratingly slow, customers are confused as to who should proceed to the cashier’s window, and the employees aren’t being trained correctly. Other than that, I’m a very happy McDonald’s customer.

One Simple Fix

Just shrink it down. Look;

I snapped that picture at the new McDonald’s restaurant that just opened less than a mile from The Castle. What do you see?

I’ll tell you what I see; too many choices! No wonder cars and trucks are backed up 8 deep x 2, (Double Drive-Thru) at lunch and dinner. (Breakfast, too?) I’m no mathematician, but looking at that menu board, I’d guess that there are around 250 possible variations in the way that customers can order. That slows things up a bit, especially with poorly-trained staffs. Now, I’m not saying that every McDonald’s franchise that’s been equipped with the Double Drive-Thru is a disorganized mess. I can only go with what I know from the two that are open and operating in my local area. It’s really disappointing. Especially for someone who’s constantly extolling the virtues of the McDonald’s franchise model.

Another Fix

McDonald’s stock price could rise if corporate uses this suggestion;

Add two more drive-thru windows!

If franchisees are going to the trouble, (and the expense) to build Double Drive-Thrus, why not just go for it, and have them build another set of drive-thru windows? (One with a cashier, and one with order fulfillment.)  The lines would certainly move a lot faster, revenue would go up, and the slimmed down menu board would give customers less choices. (Giving customers less choices isn’t necessarily bad.) You’re supposed to be a hamburger restaurant. Serve hamburgers! (And a few chicken selections, a salad or two, and some fancy profitable coffee.)

One More

Retool your training program. You’re employees are (in general) not making you look good! I’m not sure what’s missing, but it sure seems like they don’t know what they’re doing. Slow service and mistake-prone orders are a deadly combination. Eventually, some customers will go elsewhere. Like Burger King.

They’re Fast

I buy fast food at least once a week. And, I’m not always going to McDonald’s. Sometimes, I’m just not into waiting. And waiting…

So, I go to Burger King, instead. I go there because I can get my hot food in 2 minutes. Two. Not only that, the employees there are pumped. They are all smiles, and have tons of energy. It’s like they live to provide super-fast service. There is a team feel to the operation.

Now, they do make mistakes, and I have had orders come out wrong, once in awhile. But, somehow I don’t mind as much there. Interesting.

Is it Enough?

I don’t think that Burger King will surpass McDonald’s, franchise unit-wise, anytime soon. And, I’m not sure if most Burger King franchises are managed the same way as the one that’s by The Castle. (Maybe you can let me know how you feel about the Burger King near you, service-wise.)

But, they’re onto something.

Now, if only the french fries at Burger King were as good as the ones at McDonald’s….

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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 several great things about franchise business ownership, and if you’ve been following along here for the past 5 years or so, you undoubtedly know what some of them are.

If you’re new to The Franchise King Blog, first of all, welcome…I appreciate you spending some of your day with me. I post articles on all aspects of franchising several times a week, and I promise that you won’t fall asleep reading them. I’m not into word-stuffing-but, I am into always keeping my readers on their toes, and I’d like you to be one of them. A great way to become a regular reader here is to Subscribe. (It’s free.) That way you’ll receive information on all the latest trends in franchising, franchise news updates, my self-produced franchise videos, and of course my always gentle and never sarcastic, (right) opinions on the world of franchising. Hang out for a couple of weeks and see why I’m The King. I’m loved by all.

There really are several great things that you get as a franchisee. Like these 5. And, as much as I’d like to see you open a new business down the street from me, I know that you do have choices. It’s part of being an American. You’re free.

Thanks to these men and women.

Move To Australia

Let’s say that my powers of persuasion didn’t work on you, and you’re still hell-bent on moving to Australia to become the owner of a franchise. Fine. I have some tips…

Actually, David Wilson does. But first, he lays the franchise model out nicely;

“On paper, because its structure has been road-tested, a franchise is a money-making machine. In theory, any dropkick can run one successfully – all anyone has to do is get on with it – execute, exploiting the turnkey convenience.”

I like this guy already. He continues…

“Almost a quarter of Australian franchise owners squabble with their parent company, often taking legal action, according to a Franchising Australia 2010 report. Find out what mindset you need to avoid bust-ups and make franchise ownership work for you. Above all, experts agree, stick with the programme – there’s a reason you never see yellow arches painted pink.”

David understands franchising. Do you?

• Do you understand that there are no guarantees?
• Do you understand that you have to follow the rules?
• Do you understand that you’ll need massive amounts of energy to be successful?

I hope so. In the meantime, check out The 10 Traits That a Franchisee Needs, Aussie style.

Then read the American version, over on CNBC.com

Notice any differences?

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 everyday activities.

Like eating.  I’ll explain…

Let’s say that Jill Stressball, a 35-year old mother of three, just picked one of her kids up from Little League practice, and needs to drop her other two kids off at soccer practice. Of course they’re all hungry, and she has about an hour to play with. While she’s driving around, trying to decide where to stop for a quick lunch, her phone starts chirping. She has her oldest take a look at the message coming in via text, and see’s that it’s from a restaurant nearby.

As a matter of fact, it’s only 3 blocks from her current location. 

The text reads, “Today Only: Stop by for lunch, and your beverages are on us!”

She just decided where to bring the kids for lunch. And, geofencing made it happen. Here’s how….
 
From Mobile Commerce Daily;
 

 ”Geofencing enables retailers to recognize customers when they are within a predetermined radius around a specific location and send them messages and special offers designed to encourage them to walk into the store and make a purchase.”

Read more

They Opt-In

If you set geofencing up correctly, right from the start, you can have your potential customers opt-in. They’ll give you permission to notify them when they are in a specific geographic area that you can determine. For example, you can set up the system to only work within a quarter-mile radius of your franchise. Or a mile.

And, it’s not just food franchises that can use this cool technology to increase their revenues-and profits. Retail franchises can use geofencing, too.

Are your senses starting to awaken? Are you thinking of the possibilities?

Good!

Could geofencing give your franchise a much-needed boost?