Food Franchise

 

For the many Filipinos locally and globally, there will always be one kind of fast food restaurant that can provide them with the taste that they’ve gotten used to. A taste that lets them reminisce on their childhood memories, memories that involved a big red bee, wearing a blazer, shirt and chef’s hat. And that fast food restaurant can only be the Jollibee Philippine.

The Jollibee Philippine is the biggest fast food chain restaurant in the Philippines. Catering to all ages, the Jollibee Philippine offers an American-style foods with Filipino-influenced dishes specializing in burgers, spaghetti, chicken and some local Filipino dishes.

Jollibee Philippine has been serving us with their delectable collection of fast food such as the Chickenjoy and Yumburger, but have you ever stopped and asked, “where and when did all of this started?”

As far as we can remember, the Jollibee Philippine provides us with the most delectable fast-food foods, but did you ever know that the Jollibee Philippine didn’t start off selling hamburgers or chickens? Yes, the first Jollibee store didn’t sell hamburgers, but ice creams

Tony Tan Caktiong and his family opened a Magnolia Ice Cream parlor at Cubao in 1975 with Jolibe as the original name.

But after sometime in 1978, they decided on getting the services of a management consultant in the person of Manuel C. Lumba. Lumba suggested that to shift their business of ice cream parlor to hamburgers after his studies showed that a much larger market was waiting to get tapped.

And sure enough, their hamburgers became a hit for a lot of Filipinos. After this success, Lumba next reformed the name Jolibe to Jolly Bee and made the two words form a single name Jollibee. Then Lumba next created the product name “Yumburger” as well as the name “Chickenjoy”.

The stores were re-designed, the service transformed into a full self-service, fast food operation with drive thrus. Not long after, Tony Tan and Manny Lumba went on an observation tour in the United States, attended food service and equipment conventions. Tony Tan put Manny Lumba on center stage by putting him in charge of franchise development.

Today, the Jollibee Philippinehas become the biggest fast-food chain in the country; it also has locations in the United States, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Indonesia, Dubai and Brunei. As of March, 2008, JFC has 1,466 stores in the Philippines namely, Jollibee having 627 stores, Chowking having 377 stores, Greenwich Pizza having 236 stores, Red Ribbon Bakeshop having 194 stores, Délifrance having 28 stores and Mang Pepe having 4 stores. It had 191 stores overseas.

Now every Jollibee Philippine has their own delivery services, but if you’re a Filipino working abroad and wanted to send some Jollibee Philippine food products to your loved ones back home. Then Express Regalo can provide you with the right services that you needed.

That’s about it, but if you want to know more about the Jollibee Philippine products then visit www.expressregalo.com.

As you conduct more and more research into buying a business franchise, you will learn the importance of preliminary research, relying on experts (accountants, attorneys, etc.) and even the value of having an exit strategy from the very beginning. Still, just as there are common traits shared by successful franchisees, there are also common mistakes that can cause perfectly good concepts to go under.

Fortunately, the mistakes that became stumbling blocks for many other franchisees can act as stepping-stones as long as you are willing to learn from them.

1. Buying a business franchise in a bad location

Most entrepreneurs have heard the adage, “Location, location, location.” Of course, this is common knowledge for good reason. Though location determines success for some business franchises more than others, it should always be taken into consideration before the final decision is made to buy a business franchise.

Retail franchises, for instance, are strategically located. Meanwhile, a successful tax franchise is not as dependent on a good location. This makes perfect sense once shoppers’ habits are taken into account. Imagine a shopping center or mall at Christmas time. Shoppers frequent these places because there are several shops all within a relatively small area. Because they are shopping for numerous friends and family members, a mall or shopping center is ideal.

On the other hand, a store that is inconveniently located will inevitably be overlooked. Furthermore, shoppers are just as likely to pass by stores that are easy to see but difficult to access. Thus, when appealing to power shoppers, choose the location wisely. The lesson here: Before buying a business franchise, remember, “Location, location, location.”

2. Buying into a bad business model

As ingenious as a given idea may be, there are some cases where you should avoid buying a business franchise.

One key factor to consider is your potential to “plug and play.” Before you buy a business franchise, think about what it will take to operate that particular store successfully. For example, fast-food restaurant franchises often do well because most anyone can manage them.

In fact, many of these franchises are managed by young people, and many of them are students in high school or college. This is possible because customers go into a fast food restaurant franchise and expect the same food, the same service, etc. In contrast, a restaurant specializing in fine dining is more unique. The menu is certainly more complex, which means the chefs have a tremendous impact on the success of the restaurant. Moreover, the general manager and floor manager or head server are responsible for nearly all public relations.

When these issues are taken into consideration, it is easy to understand why buying a business franchise for a fine dining restaurant is far more risky than investing in a fast food restaurant franchise. Of course, remember that this logic can be applied to any industry.

3. Poor public relations

Those who have training, experience or even a college degree in public relations, marketing or advertising are at an obvious advantage. However, effective public relations takes strategic thinking and possibly a great deal of research.

With a small business franchise, the franchisee will most likely play a major role in implementing strategic communication. However, buying a business franchise that is already a well-established brand offers several advantages. Among these, franchisees benefit from an on-going national advertising campaign.

For example, a Taco Bell restaurant franchise is well known as a brand. And, their national advertising campaign promotes new menus, hours of operation, etc. Most importantly, this takes no effort on the part of the franchisee. Rather, guest relations within that individual store will be your primary concern.

4. Buying a business franchise in an oversaturated market

There are nearly 200,000 franchises in the U.S. today. Of course, with all this competition comes dense commercial areas and millions of advertising messages practically shouting over one another. To ensure that you buy a business franchise that will become profitable, make sure that the concept you choose offers a fresh idea.

For example, the latest trends include going green and getting healthy. Thus, going back to the restaurant franchise example, eateries that offer healthy menus are becoming increasingly popular. As far as major brands are concerned, Subway Restaurants are a good example of this trend.

On the retail side, one of the many new fads is being “pregnant with style.” With celebrity babies posted on the cover of nearly every magazine at the grocery store check out counter, pregnancy has become “vogue,” so to speak. Instead of hiding, women are ready to flaunt their new physiques, which means that trendy maternity stores are all the rage. No matter what you decide, it is best to buy a business franchise that offers a fresh idea but still has brand-name recognition and a franchisee-friendly business model.

5. Inadequate capital

Most entrepreneurs are well aware that it takes a significant amount of start-up capital to build a successful franchise. In fact, most franchisors publish the initial costs up front. Before any commitment is made, you have the opportunity to explore the initial costs and determine whether you are financially prepared to buy a business franchise. However, some are caught completely off guard when they learn that most franchises take a minimum of two years before they turn a profit. Therefore, not only is it essential to have adequate funding up front, it is also vital that franchisees prepare for the financial long haul. After a couple of years, the store becomes established, employees are trained and customer loyalty is won. At this point, your franchise business begins to generate substantial revenue.

There’s a persistent philosophical conception (dating back to Plato) of the human existence being divided between the mind and the body. Modern marketing themes have targeted commercial products as being good for the mind, body and soul. The idea of ‘inner peace’ as being the harmony of those three ‘components’ of the human has been used and abused by today’s media. Inner peace is today packaged and sold on the back of purified water bottles, is legitimized with the knot on a black belt, is written into canon by self-help books that convince you the problem is with you. It’s advertised by beaming models holding a ‘less-fatty’ salad from fast-food franchises that are much more interested in profit margins than an individual consumer’s serenity. And while maybe some people are able to completely detach themselves from their physicality, for most people who are acutely aware of their perceived ‘flaws’, being self-conscious about one’s own body can seriously undermine their sense of inner peace.

But most people with body image issues won’t find lasting, meaningful solace from external means. After all, we develop those personal negativisms from those very same social and cultural sources. It’s that slender model holding the salad that reminds us that our breasts aren’t as large or shapely as hers. Or that we’ve got that spare tire around our midsection that’ll prevent us from ever landing us a date with a girl who looks like that. Which isn’t to say that the very model doesn’t find a number of flaws with herself, but the point is, we’ve been raised and conditioned to recognize and evaluate people based on their appearance. If our own doesn’t meet the standards established by our society, then we tend to view ourselves as inadequate or ugly because we imagine other people do. If we lived entirely by ourselves in the wilderness, in addition to being incredibly bored, at the very least we wouldn’t concern ourselves with our fat faces, our flat asses, our expansive guts, our stretch marks… you get the idea. (Hell, I’d be walking around naked but my preferred lifestyle is irrelevent to this article.)

A very important aspect of accepting our physical appearances is that, should everybody else in the world suddenly disappear and we were left entirely alone, our physical flaws would still be present. Those ’skinny legs’ or ‘chubby cheeks’ wouldn’t change, but you simply wouldn’t be as conscious of them because there’s nobody to impress, or more appropriately,

 

Planet Hollywood is a chain restaurant which was motivated by the illustrious depiction of Hollywood. It was instituted in the year 1991 in New York City. The chain restaurant had the backing of famous Hollywood stars like Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Later on, Planet Hollywood was made international and many stores opened in almost all the main cities in the world. Modeled after the Hard Rock Cafe theme and style, Planet Hollywood Kuala Lumpur is the Asian branch of the international franchise.

Planet Hollywood Kuala Lumpur is a very famous night spot. It is spread over an area of 13,000 feet and is an international franchise. Variety of food, fun and electric atmosphere guarantees complete enjoyment to the visitors.

The walls are decorated with movie props, while huge television screens flash a complete swarm of movies. Visitors to Planet Hollywood Kuala Lumpur are rarely dissatisfied with the yummy American-styled dishes served with American Strip Steak and Barbecued Beef Ribs, which are hot favorites. An extraordinary list of appetizers, mocktails and a live pop group also contribute to the fun.

Planet Hollywood Kuala Lumpur is situated in the Bukit Bintang locality, which is highly popular among crowds seeking entertainment and nightlife venues in Kuala Lumpur. Other international Planet Hollywood restaurant and casino locations include Acapulco, Bali, Cancún (Mexico), Disneyland Resort Paris, Dubai, Jakarta, London, Niagara Falls, Riyadh and Tokyo Disney Resort.

 

There are many other nightlife venues in Kuala Lumpur and they often open until the early hours of morning. Check with your Kuala Lumpur hotel to find out the details about Planet Hollywood or other nightlife venues in the city.

Buying the right franchise and then running it successfully go hand in hand. The major franchise companies have a vested interest in seeing that a buyer connected with them does well and does not have to close the doors in failure.With this in mind, they will do every thing they can to help the buyer end up running a successful franchise. Here are the key elements to running a successful franchise.

Start with a successful franchiser

When you buy a franchise and start with one that is uniformly successful with new franchises; then you have increased the odds of being successful. They know the ropes and they teach how to do it and what to do. They leave very little to chance or good business luck. With a detailed business plan and a willingness on your part to follow it to the letter, you will be on the road to success. Their plan will cover every aspect of running a franchise. They will teach you how to manage employees after you have hired them. You will learn about rewards and discipline. They will show you efficient ways to keep your paper work so that it can be accomplished with the least amount of time. You will be directed to good suppliers and other business services that will serve the business well. If you have any question they are a remarkably good source for an answer as they have years of experience and they have probably solved the problem before.

So, give yourself a leg up and start out with a proven winner. You will more than likely get to your profit range sooner than later.

Follow their plan and ask lots of questions

They have already invented the wheel. You do not have to do that again. Their plan has been proven successful many times and any corrections have already been made. It does not hurt to ask questions so you can see the reasons behind their suggestions, which will help you, understand with more depth. Getting to the basics of the plan will give you more faith in it. Understanding why they came up with a certain solution to a problem or a potential problem is enlightening and will let you see how smart they are about the franchise business. Respect for their knowledge will come with time as you see their solutions come to resolution.

Take advantage of any seminars and owner meetings

Take advantage of any seminars, training sessions or owner meetings that come available. These can be gold mines of information and you will meet other owners who have the same problems and have resolved them. Take advantage of a room filled with experience. Ask questions and listen carefully to the answers. This suggestion is particularly valuable when you first are in the business and every aspect of it is new to you. Later send your assistants to the meetings and let them get educated. A well-trained staff should be the goal of any owner, as this will improve the overall performance of the business. Over time it will also let you have some free time, as you know the business is in good hands. Reward your staff for doing their job well. A compliment given at the right moment can do wonders for the morale of an employee. Employees like to feel that the owner knows they are doing a good job. Complimenting on their work is very well received.

Hiring and firing employees

Finding good employees who show up to work on time, do their work with a minimum of mistakes and come to work drug free is the bane of most owners of a franchise business. This is especially true in the fast food business.

What to look for when hiring potential employees? If they have worked somewhere else, good references are always a good sign. If they have not been employed before look at their high school grades. Good students demonstrate two things by their grades. They are willing to do the work to get them and they have the ability to be taught. There is nothing wrong with having smart people work for you. If they have real talent, promote them as soon as possible to more responsible work. A good staff will make your job as owner and manager much easier to do.

Another way to check out a young person is ask for any letters of reference they may have from teachers, coaches or their church. A sincere letter of reference is a very good sign of good character.

If an employee is failing at the job, have a meeting and let them know where they are failing and what they need to do to improve their performance. It they correct the problem that should be the end of it. If they do not improve to the point you want, let them go and tell them why. Document every thing about this employee problem including the first meeting and any subsequent meetings. You may need it later if the employee tries to come after you for some reason. Being able to prove what you discussed and why will go along way toward proving the firing was justified.

Paper work

Paper work has bogged down more than one owner and caused problems that should have never happened. The use of a computer is worth learning, as it will help to organize this least liked activity for most business owners. If you can afford it, hire a person that does it for a living and likes to do the work. This will help a great deal with what you have to do. There are certain reports that are mandatory for all businesses, like employee payroll tax, sales tax and disability in some states. These need to be accurate and turned in on time. Bring in a professional and spend your time on marketing and other areas that you enjoy. Your business will be better off for it and you will be happier as the owner.

Conclusions

These areas just touch some of the basics that are needed to run a business in a successful way. There is the whole area of marketing and advertising to be considered. Listen to what the franchisers suggest or offer in these areas. They know what works and at least in the beginning you will be well served to listen to their advice. Customer relations are an entire area for a seminar meeting. Handling of the customers who visit you business is critical to growth. Most businesses depend on repeat customers to grow. How a customer is treated the first time they have dealings with your business could impress them or sour them on doing future business with you. Customers respond to smiling, courteous, competent help. They do not like to deal with lazy, dolts who could care less. If you have such a person working for you they should be the first person you let go.

The Internet is a very good place to read about successful franchises and how they do it. There are also franchise associations that have very good publications and meetings that an owner can learn from. Knowledge and education are very important to a successful continuing operation. What you know can help. What you do not know can hurt you. It is obvious what you should do to gain the path to success.

Almost every business that you can think of has been franchised. Now, new opportunities are opening up for the franchise industry with the advent of new technology.

The franchise industry is famous for its fast food, printing & coffee franchise opportunities. These businesses are well known for the quality of their output and reasonable prices. Some of the earliest entrants to the franchise market include well know companies like McDonalds & Wimpy.

Now, some new businesses have entered the market place. You have house hold repair franchises, fence building & maintenance, off licences and stores that help you facilitate your online sales. You can even buy a franchise opportunity which involves killing bed bugs!

Some of the new entrants in the market place cater for busy couples and single people, who do not have the time to take care of normal household duties.

You have domestic cleaning franchises which are ideal if both partners are working. You dictate how many hours’ help you need and based on this and the size of your house you get a quote. In many cases you end up paying slightly more than if you had advertised for the cleaner your self, but then you have no fall back if things go wrong. If your regular cleaner is not well, then the domestic franchise will send out a replacement!

You also have franchises which find you the right tradesman for any urgent repairs. You call one central number and they will provide you with the right tradesman for the job. They are exceptionally good when it comes to the jobs that require more then 1 tradesman. Not only do they organise all the tradesman required, they also make sure that they come in the right order!

What are the future trends in Franchising? Almost any business that you can think of can be run as a franchise opportunity. If the business process is easy to duplicate, easily taught and profitable, then it can be franchised out. The kinds of businesses that are hard to franchise out are where specialised knowledge is required.

With the recent explosion in technology, faster internet speeds and much cheaper computers, I believe that this is the field where we sill see new franchises coming to the marketplace. You are already seeing businesses that provide a local search portal on the internet, offering franchises.

Another growth area will be in education. You now have advanced software that can help you to educate your children and even adults. Franchise businesses that can cater for providing quality education whether it is via the web or by preloaded software; the market is huge!

According to a recent NatWest/BFA survey over 90% of franchise businesses are trading profitably. Over 80% of franchisees are happy with their current franchisor.

If you are interested in buying a franchise business, make sure you have professional advice. It is very important to check that the franchise agreement protects your rights and clearly sets out the obligations of the franchisor.

From its discovery, coffee has been the world’s most consumed beverage. It is usually served hot prepared from the roasted seed of coffee beans. Although only in the modern era, ice coffee and cold coffee with creams have become sought after by many throughout the world.

The word coffee entered the English way back in 1598 from the Italian word “caffa” via the Turkish word “kahveh” through the Arabic word “qahwa”. The ultimate origin of the word is uncertain. However, there are several legendary accounts of the origin of coffee, of which almost every country with coffee will have their own legends pass down from one generation to another.

Coffee is a drink which is liked by all people irrespective of their age or geographical location. Coffee is prepared and made either hot or cold. The cold preparation of coffee is as popular as the hot one. You can have your coffee with or without milk or simply with some whipped cream to make it sinfully delicious. As technology improved from the 19th century to the 20th century, coffee’s popularity soon gives rise to many kinds of instant coffee powder that are packaged. Indeed, coffee has become so versatile, that sweets, desserts (like ice-creams and cakes) and even commodity (like breads) contain every parts of it.

Coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world next to petroleum. The popularity of coffee can also be judged by the rising number of coffee pubs and cafes all over the world. People of all the age groups can be found hanging at such cafes enjoying their cup of coffee. In the morning, in the afternoon or in the nights the coffee house business does not stop. Big brands like Starbuck soon become household name, and the coffee products it sells become more creative and popular. Its franchise is found throughout the world, serving millions of coffee beverages yearly globally. In fact, coffee has become a multi-billion dollars business and look set to burgeon as the world’s demand for it increases.

Many researches have shown that coffee reduces the risk of a number of diseases and ailments like diabetes, gall stones, cirrhosis and many more. Coffee forms the chief source of stimulant caffeine in the human body, especially to the central nervous system. The good and bad effects of coffee are still being researched on. A cup of coffee, when you are really down, can make you more alert and boost your power of reasoning. Anything, including coffee, when taken in moderation does not have an adverse effect on your health. Of course like anything else in the world, excess coffee intake is known to be detrimental to the body, such as the effect of caffeine. Caffeine has been known to be a legal and lesser version of narcotics, as a substance that causes addiction and reliance on the consumers. However, this is definitely an overstatement, as there are still no conclusive results from research that shows caffeine as a harmful substance.

Like cocoa and banana, coffee is a tropical export that is produced almost exclusively in the rain forests of the developing world. But it is mainly consumed in the wealthier and developed nations. Fortunately more and more coffee drinkers are demanding that their favorite baristas serve coffee that is grown in a manner that protects and not destroys the rain forests.

In 2002, farmers all over the world have harvested 7.4 million tons of coffee, an all time high. This is almost double the amount harvested in 1960. Another astonishing fact is that one out of every five cups of coffee worldwide is actually consumed in the United States. Whenever there are meetings, and in the events of discussions, proposals, marriages, finalised deals and so on, there is always the presence of the magical cup of coffee. Indeed, coffee has become so significant in our lifestyles that it will be very hard to imagine a world without a coffee.

So, most probably, while ending the last sentence of this article of coffee, most of you might find yourself, sitting back, relax, and enjoy your last sips of coffee! 

Oh Praise Nature for bestowing this wonderful gift to Mankind!!!

If you are looking for a franchise opportunity, the choice is mind boggling. There are literally hundreds if not thousands of different types of franchise available for you to invest in, with the same variety in cost. Each have their own benefits and usually the more you pay the more potential to earn. You obviously want to select a profitable business venture so it is important that you thoroughly research.

The major benefit of starting a franchised business is that the business model has already been proven. As a result, only 5% of franchises fail in a year compared to the 30% to 35% of non-franchise small businesses. This means that franchises are the most successful way to set up your own business.

Selecting the franchise that’s right for you.

Types of business franchises.

Have you ever wanted to take control of your life, run your own business from home and spend more time with your family? If you have you’ve probably already searched on the Internet using keywords like ‘Home Business Opportunity’ or ‘Work From Home’, and you’ve probably also failed miserably only finding scam opportunities and sites that want to take your money for nothing in return.

There are virtually no free opportunities on the Internet anymore. You just can’t get something for nothing. You can, though, buy the franchise for an established company and run it how you want to.

Some franchises, like Press-A-Print will offer you full training so that you can truly hit the ground running. Press-A-Print are a printing company and you get full training helping you become fully skilled at printing any image onto any product. Hands on sessions mean you will learn all the tricks of the trade, and the easy to use equipment is, of course, provided. This lucrative opportunity is available for around $20,000.

There are many different types of franchise businesses available including computer service businesses and even car repairs. There are a few examples at the end of this article.

Costs of buying a franchise.

There are other costs associated with buying and running a franchise of your own. There are usually less costs associated with beginning a home business; there are no building costs, no utility costs and no purchase costs but an online home based business isn’t for everyone and there are franchises to suit all your needs and requirements, whatever those needs may be.

There are always costs associated with setting up your own business, and owning a franchise is no different. The big difference, of course, is that you are buying a business that already has a proven brand and often popular well known name.

You will have to pay the initial franchise costs as well as the purchase of land or buildings or a security deposit on rented buildings. Often your dream location will need a little work to make it your perfect dream and this will all cost money. If your new franchise business is a produce selling business you may need the initial outlay to purchase goods or raw materials to create the goods. Shipping, sales tax, insurance, labour cost and solicitors and accountants fees may all play a part too and should be budgeted for but don’t let this put you off buying a franchise. They can be extremely profitable in the right hands. These costs can combine to total anything from under $50,000 right up to $1,000,000

Examples of franchises available.

V2K has a product that really sets itself apart from the rest of the competition. They specialise in creating window fashions, and their selling point is the virtual shop window. They create a computerized graphic representation of the window so that potential customers can see for themselves exactly what it would look like. Previously one of the main reasons that potential customers wouldn’t become paying customers was because they couldn’t ‘visualize’ the end result.

The V2K program means there is no need to purchase premises, and should you wish to do so, a simple storefront would do. No need to purchase any inventory thus saving you a little more money. No need to purchase a special company vehicle. Initial training is included in the start up fee along with ongoing support. The average total investment for this franchise is approximately $50,000.

Looking on the Internet for franchise opportunities you will see plenty of success stories pertaining to ‘The Little Gym’ franchise. As a stand-alone business, The Little Gym has been in operation since 1976 so you really are buying a proven business. The Little Gym helps children develop motor skills and builds confidence as well as burning energy and keeping fit and healthy.

The average outlay needed to own and run The Little Gym as a franchise is approximately $150,000 but you are not only buying into a proven name you are also helping make a difference to children in your area. A small price to pay.

The key to making a success in a franchised business is to choose a franchise that matches your interest. Is it food, automobiles, fitness perhaps? These days there’s a franchise for just about everything. Then, narrow down your options , taking into account the capital you can invest, the track record of the brand and the success stories of other franchisees. Due diligence is the key – thorough research at this stage, is the solid foundation for a successful business.

©2005 Nick Carter

Last week’s question from Anthony R. on how to choose the franchise that would best fulfill his life-long dream of owning his own business sparked a number of emails from other readers wanting to offer their two cents on the subject.

Some folks offered helpful insights and suggestions on how to pick a franchise and a few things to watch out for, while other emails came from current franchise owners asking me to help them sell their operations to Anthony R.

Hmm, sounds like it’s time to update the old business card once again. Tim Knox: Franchise Broker At Large… Who knows, maybe I can franchise the concept.

Last week I promised we’d take a closer look at a few of the things you should look for when considering a franchise opportunity. Keep in mind that there are thousands of franchise opportunities that range from the low end opportunities available for a few thousand dollars to the high end franchises that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The difference in price is reflected in many ways: the viability of the opportunity, the level of training and support offered to the franchisee, the track record and financial stability of the franchisor, the success rate of the franchisees, and a dozen other factors.

All a lower end franchisor might offer is a training manual and the right to use their company name. Many also have very little interest in weeding out potential franchisees. The truth is many are in business just to collect franchise fees. They have little interest in whether or not a franchisee actually succeeds. If you have a pulse and a checkbook, you can become their franchisee. And your pulse does not have to be that strong.

The higher end franchisors have very strict franchisee requirements and will not allow just anyone to become a part of their franchise system. They also go to much greater lengths to ensure the success of their franchisees. They offer complete hand holding from start to finish and remain heavily involved in the business even after the doors open. Yes, you do pay dearly for their assistance, but as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for.

Here are a few things to look for in a franchise opportunity:

Turnkey operation
This is the most appealing feature of many franchise systems. Many of the top franchisors will scout the best location for the business, build and equip the facility, hire and train employees, put you through an extensive management training system, then toss you the keys. Furthermore, they will work closely with you for the first few months to help make certain that you know what to do with the keys once they’ve been tossed to you.

The majority of franchises don’t offer such complete turnkey packages, so be prepared to do much of the upfront work yourself. Often it is up to you to find a location, negotiate the lease, build out the space or erect a building, install the equipment, hire and train a staff etc.

Proven track record and management system
As mentioned earlier, many of the lesser-known franchise systems offer you a training manual, maybe a training video, and a few hours of telephone support. Not the best way to learn how to run a business. A good franchisor will provide you with thorough management training, either at their facility or onsite at yours. Since one of the reasons for buying into a franchise system is to tap into their expertise and know-how, thorough training should be a foremost consideration.

Customers waiting for the door to open
I don’t have the statistics in my pocket to back this up, of course, but I’d bet the farm that every time a new McDonald’s opens its door, it’s a mere matter of minutes before the first Happy Meal is sold. Many franchisors spend hundreds of millions of dollars on national ad campaigns to promote brand awareness. This works great for the franchisee who can literally have customers waiting for the doors to open on the first day of business.

Always consider the downsides
There are downsides to franchising. Foremost is the high cost of entry. The top franchise opportunities require considerable investment on the front end, usually more of an investment than if the entrepreneur started a similar venture on his own. You could open an independent hamburger fast food restaurant for a fraction of the McDonald’s franchise fee, but you probably won’t sell as many hamburgers. What you’re buying from McDonald’s is not just a fast food restaurant that sells hamburgers. What you’re buying is a brand, a reputation, and a proven business system with ready to eat customers. Be prepared to pay a premium for it.

Another downside is that when you buy into a franchise system you often have to pay a percentage of your revenues back to the franchisor. You might also be required to buy supplies from the franchisor, including inventory, paperwork, software, computer systems, and anything else the franchisor decides that they should supply to you.

And there in lies the biggest downside of all. When you buy into a franchise system you don’t control your business, the franchisor does. You have very little say-so in running the business. You must follow their processes and procedures without variation. And should you decide to get out of the business you may not even be allowed to sell the franchise to just anyone. The new owner would have to be approved by the franchisor before a deal could be made final.

The bottomline, Anthony, is to do your homework and make sure the franchise you choose fits your personality, your lifestyle, and your pocket book.

Sometimes, the hardest part of doing something new is just getting started. Once you’ve got momentum in a certain direction and a desired destination to get to, keeping yourself to task often gets easier, because you know what tasks you should be working on. Until that direction is established, however, deciding what to do and getting it done can be rather tricky. With that in mind, here are some pointers for getting your home based business up and running successfully from day one.

Pick A Designated Work Space

Some people work well without clearly defined boundaries, while others need to know where home life ends and work life starts or they’ll never be fully engaged in either. Even though you work at home, it still helps to set aside a certain area for the exclusive purpose of work, so that when you’re sitting at your desk, you can more easily switch out of home mode and into office mode and get your work done faster and more efficiently.

Get All The Necessary Office Equipment

There will be plenty of places in your home business to save money by cutting back on what you don’t need, but don’t do that when it comes to furnishing your home office space. Take for instance the Human Resources Rx franchisee. Because his business is all about providing professional grade, outsourced human resources services to his small and mid-sized business clients, he must have access to all the regular means of office communications and administrative tools, as well as quick reference of state and federal business laws. This translates to a computer with the necessary software, a phone, fax, email access, filing cabinet, legal reference material, and backup copies of everything, just in case.

Set Specific Hours Of Operation Or Accomplishment Goals

Whether your tendency is to work too little or work too much, it’s vital to your business success and personal health to have reasonable and tangible expectations for how long you’ll work and/or what you’ll accomplish each day. For example, if you own a Virtuoso Music franchise, serving your community as a liaison between music instructors and those who want to learn to play music, it would be terribly beneficial to set a daily standard for either how long you’ll work on marketing your services to new potential clients or how many new potential clients you will call. That way, you’ll work until you reach that goal, and you’ll know when to stop working.

Keep A Schedule

As a DVDNow movie rental franchisee, your business is built on having DVD rental kiosks stationed at as many high-traffic locations as possible, and they all have to remain stocked with the newest rentals available. If you fail to keep exploring new locations and grabbing new opportunities, your income will not grow. If you fail to restock your existing machines, your returns might actually diminish. Therefore, it’s vital, in this or any other business, to plan out your coming week and month to ensure that you do all the things throughout the month that are vital to the success of your business, and can be easy to forget.

Don’t Forget About Simple Networking

Most franchisors teach you how to best market your new franchise opportunity and give you all the resources necessary to do so. Still, with all their tips and aids, one of the best means of marketing any business is simply to keep business cards on your person at all times and be ready to talk with people about your services at the laundromat, grocery store, and wherever else discussion goes in that direction. Never neglect to make business cards.

Seek Out Good Places Around Town To Meet Clients

One of the downsides of working from home is that you probably don’t have an office or conference room that is professional enough to bring a client into for a meeting. For instance, as an L&W Investigations franchisee, you need to convey to your clients a high level of professionalism and competence in order to make them feel comfortable letting you investigate their claims of insurance fraud, so meeting in your living room with the kids running through playing tag may not be the best idea. If your home is not the best place to entertain a client, browse your town and find local coffee shops, bars, and restaurants that convey the kind of professionalism that you want your clients to associate with your business.

There are plenty of ways to make your business opportunities run smoother and more profitable, more than could possibly be listed here, and many of them will be specific to particular industries, businesses, and methods of operation, but these are at least a solid start. As you start your business, pay attention to the way that you operate and be ready to make new plans and adaptations as necessary.