Archive for the ‘Advice’ Category

Is franchising right for you?

Tuesday, August 17th, 2010

Franchising is not a way of working that suits everyone. In fact, there are certain attributes and personality traits that you need to have that might not suit every single candidate.

People are attracted to franchise opportunities because of the flexible way of working that it offers and the opportunity for growth, but there are other aspects to this way of working that will need to be considered.

Someone who wants to get involved in franchising will have to be willing to adopt someone else’s way of working. A franchise will often have an established framework and system that will need to be adhered to in order for a franchisee to fit in with the requirements of the franchisor.

You will also need to be able to manage other people and be able to devote enough time to this.

There are more personal aspects to consider too, such as whether you have enough money to invest in the franchise; particularly in the early stages. And you will need to consider whether your partner will support you even if you have to spend a lot of time and money on your new venture.

Franchising certainly isn’t for everyone, but it’s a rewarding way of working if you have the right attributes to suit it.

Franchising- the modern choice

Wednesday, August 11th, 2010

Modern life is dramatically different to the lifestyles of just a few years ago, and this has led to more and more people looking into working for themselves.

Although 9-5 careers are still ideal for many people, working for yourself can not only give you much more freedom and a better work/life balance, but can also be unbelievably rewarding.

With the current economic climate still a little shaky though, it’s fair to say that the majority of people are extremely hesitant to start their own business from scratch. In addition to this, obtaining credit from financial institutions for the purpose of starting your own business is now far more difficult than in years gone by.

However, a business option which is becoming more and more popular with those who want to work for themselves- but without all of the financial implications- is franchising.

As there are so many options available today, finding a franchise which caters to your interests and aspirations isn’t too difficult a task. From retail stores to fast food outlets to sign making businesses, there are great franchise opportunities in just about every sector imaginable.

If you have been thinking about becoming involved in franchising, there’s no time like the present to do a little further research and make your career dreams a reality.

Choosing the right franchise for you

Saturday, August 7th, 2010

When you come to choosing which franchise opportunity you want to take on, you should ensure that you don’t restrict yourself too much.

A lot of people fall into the trap of only considering franchises that are related to their previous experience or to something that they have a keen interest in. But this should not be the case because with franchising, you are given all the training that you need when you take on a new project.

What is more important, when it comes to franchising, is that you have ambition, determination and management skills. When you are taking on a franchise, you will have a lot to learn. But you will also be expected to pass your knowledge and skills on and the lead others. It is these skills that are most highly valued by franchisors when they are looking for someone to take on a franchise.

Obviously, it helps that you have an interest in the franchise industry that you want to enter, but previous experience is not essential. In fact, it’s often good to be able to take the opportunity to have a bit of a career change. Choose something new and exciting and chances are, you’ll enjoy your new role at the franchise more than you were expecting.

Being financially stable before you commit to a franchise

Thursday, August 5th, 2010

When you take on a franchise, there are a lot of things that you will need to take into consideration.

But one of the things that you will really need to work out is whether you are stable enough financially to take on a franchise.

Launching a franchise is a lot more affordable than other ways of starting a business but there is still an investment to make and you will need to thoroughly asses your finances before you commit to anything. You will need to make an initial investment and this usually starts at around £20,000.

Then you will need to keep putting money into the franchise as it begins to grow. The financial rewards that can come from a franchise are huge though, so you could potentially be making a profit on this investment very quickly – but only with hard work and focus.

Before you take on such a responsibility, you need to question whether you will be able to support yourself while your franchise gets up and running. The beginnings of a new franchise can be a bit of a struggle, so you need to ensure that you are financially stable before you commit to any franchise opportunities.

Be prepared for hard work with franchise opportunities

Thursday, August 5th, 2010

People who are involved with franchising will often speak of how much easier it is to achieve success with a franchise than with an individual business start up.

But that doesn’t mean that working for a franchisor is easy. In fact, it can be a lot of hard work; particularly in the beginning of your new business venture and that is something that you must be prepared for before you begin to look at franchise opportunities.

Very often, when you take on a franchise, your hours will become very unsocial, for a time at least. The future of the business is in your hands and for this reason, you will find that you very rarely stop working at 5pm and you might even be working for six days a week to begin with, while the business gets up and running.

Franchising is a great way to achieve a work/life balance that suits you but you must stay in control of this as it can be very tempting to let one take over the other when you are not restricted by a manager.

So before you begin looking into franchise opportunities, you should consider whether you have the ambition and determination to work very hard in order to make it a success.

Picking the perfect franchise should not be rushed

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

More and more people are opting to run a franchise nowadays, and it’s little wonder, as there are many fantastic benefits to be had.

There are many reasons why working for an employer isn’t the best option for many people, and as running a franchise essentially enables you to work for yourself, it is a very attractive option for individuals from all walks of life.

Whatever your interests and whatever type of franchise you wish to run, as there are so many different franchise options available today you are sure to be able to find one which fully suits your needs.

Whether you’re interested in sports, catering or gifts, there are an abundance of great franchise opportunities available today, although it’s important to take your time and review all of your options before coming to a final decision.

It goes without saying that in order to experience success, you need have a keen interest in the sector in which you’re working as well as a fair amount of knowledge or the willingness to learn.

Franchising really can change your life- so make sure that you choose a franchise wisely.

What are franchisors looking for?

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

Franchising attracts people from all walks of life. But when you look at the type of people that are successful in this form of business, they all have certain traits in common.

For a start, people who are successful in the franchise world normally have a lot of motivation. They are determined to achieve and to be successful and this can make for a really successful franchise.

These people are also normally very confident. They can talk about the service or the product that they are selling in an enthusiastic way and be successful at it.

Someone who wants to get involved in franchising must also strike a balance between being a leader and being able to take instruction. They will be going into completely unchartered territory and must therefore be able to take advice from the franchisor. But they must also be able to pass on their skills and what they have learnt to other staff members.

All of these traits make people specifically suitable for a career in franchising. This type of business requires dedication and hard work. But the rewards offered by franchise opportunities are endless and make it all worthwhile.

Franchising can change your life

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

It’s amazing how franchising can completely turn someone’s life around. Just by taking a look at the franchise opportunities available and choosing the right one for you, you can transform your life.

That is what happened to Kashif Sheikh who bought a Snack-in-the-Box franchise three years ago. Before making the decision to get involved in franchising, Kashif was a shop owner and he found himself working very long hours. This left him with very little time to see his family. But now, with franchising, his hours have been dramatically reduced and he has the weekends free to enjoy and spend time with his children.

This was key for Kashif. The work and home life balance was something that was very important to him and that is why he chose Snack-in-the-Box as it could offer him everything he was looking for.

One of the things that Kashif has noticed about his time with the franchise is that he receives a lot of support from the franchisor. With their backing and the strong brand already in place, he has managed to build up a strong customer base already and is really glad that he decided to get involved in franchising.

Getting involved in sales

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

To get involved in a franchise opportunity, there are plenty of skills and experiences that you must have. And sales is vitally important in any franchise venture.

For some franchises, your success will rely completely on your ability to sell. For others, it will be a slightly less important factor. But it is always needed to a certain degree so before you agree to anything, you must make sure that you are comfortable with this and also that you have the right skills.

There are two types of franchise when it comes to sales requirements. With some franchises, the franchisor will expect the owner to take responsibility for generating sales. This is why a lot of franchisors will recruit people with sales and marketing backgrounds to take on their franchises.

The other type of franchises are referred to as ‘job franchises’. This is where the franchisor takes responsibility for the sales, allowing the franchise owner to take responsibility for improving the services they offer.

No matter what type of franchise you become involved in, sales will always play a part. But you should look into how much you are required to be involved in the sales aspect of the franchise before you agree to it.

What to consider before agreeing to franchising

Friday, July 9th, 2010

Franchising may seem like a really attractive idea to you. But actually, this type of working does not suit everyone and there are plenty of questions you need to ask yourself in order to assess whether you are suited to the franchising way of working.

Firstly, you need to think about whether you are physically fit. Running a franchise is a lot of hard work, so you need the physical fitness to match your intellectual capabilities.

You also need to question how much money you have to invest. You will need to invest a lot of your own money into a new franchise venture so you need to assess whether you can afford to do this.

Another thing to think about is whether you could survive on a lower income than you have now. In the first few months of franchising, you may not be earning as much as you are used to so you need to decide whether you are financially stable enough to cope with that.

And another important thing to think about is whether your partner is happy with your new venture idea. A lot of your time and investment will be going into the franchise so you need to ensure that your partner is happy to put up with the difficult times in order to reap the rewards later on. The last thing you want is for your franchise to negatively affect your relationship.

United Carpets Cash & Cheque Express Franchise Development Services (FDS) FiltaFry Plus (part of The Filta Group) Mac Tools Europe Adept Cleaning Services Rohan Designs Cash Converters Countrywide Signs Limited Granite Transformations (Europe)