http://www.startupnation.com/franchising/ is where you can find out more.

Use this downloadable workbook to:

• Define your ideal future life.
• Understand the industry options for franchising.
• Leverage the Ideal Franchisee Matrix to review franchise opportunities, and efficiently filter the thousands of brands and concepts to identify your best match.
• Learn the specific warning signs of franchises that you MUST avoid.
• Ask the right questions to ensure that you are making the right franchise choice and are setting yourself up for success.

Join the tens of thousands who’ve found success using StartupNation eBooks, resources and online community.

Check out: http://www.startupnation.com/franchising/ 

Rich

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Sorry, that institution got among the lowest ratings in a Pew Research Center study that was recently released. The Pew Center polled Americans to determine who they trusted least and who they trusted most.

Small business owners - you should be proud. America trusts YOU most.

More than churches, our President, labor unions, the Federal Government, small businesses reign supreme in the eyes of the American public.

Here’s a ratings chart that shows the results:

	Positive	Negative	Other/ Don’t know
Small business	71	19	10
Technology companies	68	18	14
Churches & religious orgs	63	22	15
Colleges & universities	61	26	13
Obama administration	45	45	10
Entertainment industry	33	51	16
Labor unions	32	49	18
Federal agencies and depts	31	54	16
National news media	31	57	12
Large corporations	25	64	12
Federal government	25	65	9
Congress	24	65	12
Banks & financial inst	22	69	10
Pew Research Center March 11-21. Figures may not add to 100% because of rounding

Just edging out Congress as the least trusted institution are banks and financial institutions. I figure it’s the mortgage crisis and recent bail-out ballyhoo that has so terribly tarnished the perception of banks, coupled with the lack of lending at this critical juncture for Americans.

It’s good to be SOLID when it comes to reputation and perception on the street. It’s a big help when us little guys and gals go toe to toe with the behemoth corporations and compete with our service and product offerings.

Be proud to carry the small business torch, folks - not only do you live it, but America “gets it.”

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But I must say, John Jantsch is among those who offer true substance and real value and merit our follows. And here’s the reason why:

He’s practical.

In his new book, The Referral Engine, John provides specific rationale, tactics and actions you can take to create a business growth MACHINE.

His “Customer Referral Cycle” will help you wrap your mind around your opportunities–many of them typically going unharvested–that exist in the market.

(At this point, I’m trying to make John feel guilty that he didn’t use me for comments on his back cover…)

The book hits shelves this week. I give it a strong “buy” recommendation.

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Do you have an idea for America’s next great restaurant? Are you sitting on a billion dollar concept? If you think your restaurant idea has what it takes to go national and bring in millions of hungry Americans, read on…

From NBC and Magical Elves, the Emmy Award-nominated producers of “Project Runway” and “Top Chef,” comes a big-event competition that will award one contestant the opportunity to see their idea turned into reality with a new restaurant chain opened in three cities across America! The contestants’ fate will be decided by a panel of some of the most important names in both the dining and business worlds that will invest their own money in the final restaurant chain and have a huge stake in the ongoing success of the game’s winner.

There are TWO options for you to apply:

1.    Attend an OPEN CALL, at one of the cities below

2.    Follow the directions on our website for SUBMIT BY MAIL instructions.

(Hint: pitching in person is fun.)

Please go to http://www.nbc.com/casting/ for all information, to download an application and pre-register for an open casting call at one of the eight stops on the nationwide casting bus tour.  Along with a filled out and signed application and a photo-ID, we want you to bring anything you feel would help pitch your restaurant concept. Elements could be visual, edible, audible (jingle anyone?) or even wearable. . . Keep in mind you will have a limited time to pitch your idea, so make it count. 

You can also can follow the bus tour on Twitter @magicalelves, with photos and video available on nbc.com/americas-next-great-restaurant.

Good luck and have fun with it,

The Magical Elves Casting Team

OPEN CASTING CALLS FOR AMERICA’S NEXT GREAT RESTAURANT:

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

Friday, March 19 & Saturday, March 20

NBC Experience Store

30 Rockefeller Plaza

New York, New York 10112

10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA

Monday, March 22

Chipotle

6102 Falls of Neuse Rd.

Raleigh, North Carolina 27609

10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

Wednesday, March 24

Nashville Film Institute

The Factory at Franklin

230 Franklin Road

Franklin, Tennessee 37065

10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

COLUMBUS, OHIO

Friday, March 26

Chipotle

4750 Morse Rd

Columbus, Ohio 43230

10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

Sunday, March 28

Chipotle

28251 Diehl Road

Warrenville, Illinois 60555

10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

KANSAS CITY, KANSAS

Tuesday, March 30

Chipotle

6864 Johnson Drive

Mission, Kansas 66202

10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

DENVER, COLORADO

Thursday, April 1

Chipotle

2760 South Colorado Blvd

Denver, Colorado 80222

10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

Monday, April 5

Chipotle

135 E. Palm Avenue

Burbank, California 91502

10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

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I remembered one little task I had to do for a cool new StartupNation initiative that will be very video intensive, and in the process I happened across this video.

I laughed so hard the neighbors must have heard me!

And it’s a great example of how NOT to try to establish credibility with your audience. Click the image below.

here’s the link if you didn’t click the image: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YBxeDN4tbk

(Word for the wise: Be sure to be careful when uploading your own promo video to the internet. If you take the approach the schmooz in the video did, you could end up destroying any credibility you ever hoped to have.)

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At this time of year, interest in finding a franchise is at fever pitch. People seem to come out of the self-reflective New Year and holiday period charged up and on a path to finally get into business. With so many people out of work and not having previous entrepreneurial experience, a good number are seriously considering becoming a franchisee, using a proven formula type of business.

A new article at our site by a true authority on finding a franchise, Richard Simtob of Franchises For Sale, has just been uploaded. If you’re interested in choosing a franchise and want to know the process to getting that franchise from “interesting” to “open for business,” definitely walk through the steps in Simtob’s article.

The steps outlined include:

1. Find a Franchise Concept that Fits
2. Submit Request for Consideration/Application
3. The Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD)
4. Training and Support Overview
5. Franchise Disclosure Review
6. Franchise Due Diligence
7. Celebration or Discovery Day

They’re all detailed and fleshed out in the article. 

No excuses, folks! Start It Up!!!!

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This one’s called Google Rocketship and it’s the most simple, easy-to-follow, supremely affordable advice we could assemble to ensure that your website is positioned to make it to the top of search results on Google.

What does ranking high on Google searches do for you? If it’s not obvious, it sends you free, pre-qualified traffic to your website and what you sell. With an effective “Search Engine Optimization” (SEO) strategy for your website, you stand an infinitely better chance of having lots of traffic - the kind you want - coming to your site. The tricks of the trade for a layman is exactly what Google Rocketship teaches you.

It’s a three-part series, but you can just sharp shoot and download one at a time or just get a single ebook in the series if you want. For members at StartupNation (which is totally free), we’ve discounted the series price to 60% of the list price. A huge discount, in other words.

To motivate you a little more, listen to my recent podcast with Jonathan Smith (”From Zero to $100 million”) who optimized his website with the very principles we recommend in Google Rocketship and reeled in a $100 million dollar purchase order… UNSOLICITED! They found him at the top of Google and gave him a call!

Download Google Rocketship and get your website rockin’ with qualified traffic and new customers! By the end of one weekend, your website could be transformed!

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1. A sense of confidence
2. A sense of excitement
3. A clear action plan

Just this week on their popular Happy Hour show, Fox Business Network featured our advice on their show.

Here’s the interview. Or just click on the image below.

You can learn more about these key ingredients to an effective pitch in a new how-to article we’ve just posted at StartupNation.com.

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Starting a business doesn’t have to be scarey. And you don’t have to wait.

Start on a path to opening your own business. Get our life-changing book, StartupNation: Open for Business.

There are easy steps you can take. And there are over 30 examples of success stories using our process, a smattering of the 10s of thousands of people who’ve read the book and used this site to start up.

The book has been acclaimed as,

“Unbelievable! At last, a business book composed not of anodyne observations and bromides, but one filled with concrete, rubber-meets-the-road tips that every entrepreneur should know. Save yourself years of wasted time, and millions of squandered VC dollars, and study this book.”
— Patrick M. Byrne Ph.D., CEO, Overstock.com

“So many business books today focus on how to start a business by raising venture capital and growing it in the Silicon Valley way. This book is for every man and woman across the USA who is interested in starting a business, and focuses on the fundamentals that are universal to all businesses – ranging from the local flower shop to a business that could grow into a future IPO blockbuster!”
—Norm Brodsky, senior contributing editor, Inc. magazine

“Don’t pick up this book, unless you’re serious about starting a business. The Sloan brothers make it clear that ‘the time is now.’ These guys will get you totally fired up!”
– Pat Croce, best-selling author of I Feel Great and You Will, Too!

“Okay, dreamers. No more excuses. The Sloan brothers have packaged up all of their street wisdom, folded in with dozens of inspiring stories about other successful entrepreneurs – so you can stop dreaming and start doing. The practical know-how you need to build a plan for your business is inside this book.”
– Verne Harnish, CEO, Gazelles and Founder, Young Entrepreneurs Organization

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55% of Americans are not happy with their work and wish they could be doing something else, according to the latest study by The Conference Board, reflecting the highest dissatisfaction level in the 22-year history of the study. In just one year (from 2008 to 2009) satisfaction with jobs decreased 10% from the previous year.

People with jobs, who we refer to as “cube farmers,” under 25 expressed the highest level of dissatisfaction. Roughly 64% of them say they were unhappy in their jobs. The recession has hit their wage levels and has made their work seem like drudgery.

We at StartupNation, including myself and my brother as founders, and also including the many tens of thousands of our community members who made the leap last year to run their own businesses are already experiencing the much-improved, much more fulfilling and exhilerating lifestyle of being entrepreneurs.

So, to those stuck workin’ for the man and not too happy about it… we say, START IT UP!

Here’s a good place to start: 10 Steps to Open for Business

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