Business Blogs: Trends, tips, and real-life anecdotes from industry experts.

Earlier this week I attended the International Franchise Association’s 9th annual Franchise Appreciation Day in Washington, DC. Over 500 people, franchisors, franchisees and industry suppliers, gathered together to discuss the current economic and political picture and visit Congressional men and women to present their views and stances on the major political issues facing small businesses [...]

So let’s review for a minute. By now, you’ve:

Started discussions with your family and decided that you might be interested in owning your own business, and
Accumulated a nice list of opportunities to consider.

Now we’re on Step #3. The analysis phase. I recommend starting with an Excel spreadsheet, each franchise disclosure document (FDD) and an old-fashioned pen [...]

Do you know what’s the worst thing about starting up a home business, besides the two weeks my husband is on vacation and decides he wants to help me? I’ll tell you: it’s the “helpful” advice that you get from your so-called friends and family members, all of whom usually wear suits.
You know the worn-out advice…
“Well, Stella, you [...]

As you start deciding which franchise is for you, there are dozens of sources to reference to gain valuable information about available opportunities. If you are searching for a retail opportunity in your own town, take some time to drive around and see what’s there. Use other helpful resources like YellowPages.com and Google to see [...]

Good evening Startup Nation visitors! Today we begin a 15-part, five week crash course that will help you decide whether or not franchising is the right thing for you. Starting your own business can be extremely daunting.

What is the right business for me?
How do I get financing (or do I even need financing)?
Home based? Retail? [...]

I recently attended the annual International Franchise Expo in Washington, DC. It’s arguably the largest consumer trade show for franchise opportunities, attracts around 10,000 - 15,000 attendees from around the globe (I remember hearing there were 19 delegations this year) and showcases around 250 different types of franchises. However, it amazes me how many people [...]

Last month, we talked a little bit about the attributes necessary to turn your home based business into a franchise … you can find that post here.
Well, what about branching out from the home based sector and becoming a franchisor of any type of business? According to Frandata and reiterated by Mark Siebert in an [...]

I have to start by commending all of the businesses that participated
and ranked in StartupNation's inaugural Top 100 Home Based
Businesses. It's a true testament that working from home can be
fun, productive and profitable. Let's take a birds' eye
view at your businesses for a minute. Do any of these traits describe
your business model?

My business could be [...]

For the third year running, Franchise Business Review is hosting the Franchisee Satisfaction Awards. Each year, we pay tribute to the franchisors that are "doing it right" - putting their
franchisees first and focusing on the things that matter most..
If you're interested in seeing the franchises that ranked highly in 2007, you can see a complete [...]

During the past few weeks, I've spoken with dozens of franchises and a few of our partner companies informally polling them on the franchise environment. One franchise consulting company said prospect inquiries are down but we continue to place more people into franchises than we did last year. Several of the franchisors I've spoken with [...]