Franchisee resource center

Idea wealth, that is. Many entrepreneurs are too scared to talk about their new idea because they think that somebody else will steal it! In more cases than not, nobody has the time, energy, resources or PASSION to turn that idea into a reality. Got an idea? Tell people about it! You'll beshocked at some of the great feedback you get.

During my work for the past decade, both running and consulting to companies at every level of the business spectrum, I have noticed a curious and extremely prevalent trend.

Before going into the negotiating aspect, one must always ask the franchisor whether they are willing to negotiate. Usually franchisors state that they have a rigid Franchise Agreement and that it is not open to negotiating. However, there may be some instances where the franchisor may allow some flexibility. Stated below are a few tried and tested tips for negotiating franchise agreements and which areas to concentrate one’s efforts on.

This month sees the return of a venerated promotional campaign, McDonald’s Monopoly. The promotion first began in 1987, and in the last decade has become an almost yearly tradition. Each year, certain McDonald’s products come with Monopoly game tokens, each with either a space from the Monopoly board or an instant win prize for items such as a small fries. Larger prizes are won by collecting all of a group of Monopoly properties, usually three, but sometimes two (Illinois Avenue, Indiana Avenue and Kentucky Avenue, for example). Each group of properties have one whose piece is much rarer than the others; for most of the groups, it’s the last alphabetically (Kentucky Avenue for the red properties, Ventnor Avenue for the yellow), but for the dark blue, it’s Boardwalk, as it is the last and most expensive property on the board. More recently, McDonalds developed an online counterpart to its in-store Monopoly game in which customers can roll virtual dice, or more recently pick one of three chance cards for various prizes.

When evaluating a potential franchise opportunity, prospective franchisees need to take care to put the hype and their emotions in check, and carefully consider all factors relevant to their buying decision. After all, the franchise will be a 5- to 10-year relationship (at minimum, under most franchise agreements), so it is well worth the investment to put in some research and analysis before taking the leap.

Financing the acquisition of a franchise is not a slight affair, as with the legal fees, the initial fee, allocation for resource acquisition and various other expenses the cost raises significantly. Therefore financing often becomes mandatory in that situation. Mostly people concentrate on third party financing where they seek out investors and other debt or equity lenders for their financial needs. However, two of the most overlooked options are:

No, these aren’t marketing tips. I can’t help you get more Twitter followers, and I can’t help direct more traffic to your Facebook page. What I can do, however, is provide information that might help keep you out of trouble while you do these things on your own.

I've started and successfully harvested businesses. I've taught entrepreneurship for almost 20 years. As a part of my teaching and research I've written books and texts on how to write a business plan. I've read almost a thousand of them. Now I believe franchise companies can think differently about business plans.

America has always been the land of free enterprise, and the prospect of self- employment may sound like a dream come true. Imagine the schedule flexibility, the freedom to explore and expand while pursuing an interesting career. The alleyways of entrepreneurship are so vast that it can be rather daunting to entertain. What is the right business for today? What product is in demand? Which business model is most profitable? What concept is most likely to succeed? Potential owners also must consider that franchising may be a better option than small business start ups. Yes, when entrepreneurship meets franchising, the parameters change. There may still be freedom, but new franchisees find themselves absorbed into a preset business model with a tried and true support system.