Benefits of Buying a Franchise versus Independent Business

January 26, 2011

As we mentioned in the previous post on myths and realities of franchising franchising model helps those who want to get into small business; but do not have prior experience or do not want to start from scratch. These people like the fact that buying a franchise versus independent business will reduce the risk of failure. At the same time, they also question the value provided by franchisor for the amount of money they have to pay to them in terms of initial franchise fee as well as ongoing royalty.
As with any business transaction, it is important that you understand what you are getting in return for the money paid to the franchisor. While franchisor does provide benefits in exchange for the fees they receive; not all of them are equal. In addition, different franchises provide value in different areas depending on their strengths and strategy. You should know why you are buying one franchise over others and set proper expectations before making decision.
In our experience, franchises provide value in 4 categories listed below:
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Buyers, Management, Operations, Purchasing Tagged With: ,

Understand Operating Requirements of Franchise before Joining

January 17, 2011


How franchisees operate their stores is probably the most contentious issue that raises friction between the franchisor and the franchisees. We have come across number of franchises where the franchisee and the franchisor are at odds with regard to how the store should be operated – the franchisor wants franchisees to keep the stores open late to improve sales; while the franchisees only look at it as increasing their labor expense without adding much to the sales.
In our opinion, there needs to be a balance between the needs of the franchisor and the franchisees. However, in real life, the balance is usually tilted in franchisor’s favor. The district supervisors and inspectors hold a lot of sway in dictating how franchisees run their businesses and can even impose penalties and other restrictions in many cases. In one example, the inspector asked the franchisee of a fast-food restaurant to replace the oven because it was not showing proper temperature. It could have been repaired for $1,000; but the franchisee ended up spending $20,000 for new oven simply because the inspector insisted on it.
How can you ensure that you understand whether franchisor runs the operations in a pragmatic or dictatorial fashion and avoid getting into a franchise where you have constant fights?
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Buyers, Operations Tagged With: ,

10 Questions You Must Ask Franchise before Joining

January 12, 2011

As we mentioned in the previous post the franchising model provides a springboard to many would-be entrepreneurs who dream of owning their business; but do not have experience or time needed to take care of myriad aspects of running a small business.
While franchising does provide the needed support and tools for running the business; many people wrongly believe that because they are going in the franchising business they can operate the business without much effort on their part. Nothing could be further from truth. It is imperative that you do your homework before signing the franchise agreement and hand over the check for franchise transfer fee.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Buyers, Operations, Purchasing Tagged With: ,

5 Common Myths and Realities of Franchising

January 9, 2011


The franchising model provides a springboard to many would-be entrepreneurs who dream of owning their business; but do not have experience or time needed to take care of myriad aspects of running a small business.
While franchising does provide the needed support and tools for running the business; many people wrongly believe that because they are going in the franchising business they can operate the business without much effort on their part. After all, the franchise is supposed to take care of everything in exchange for getting the monthly royalty payments, right? Nothing could be further from truth.
In this post, we aim to dispel this and other myths held by entrepreneurs. You should also look at previous blog posts that discuss qualities to look for in a good franchise as well as signs that show the franchise will be successful.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Buyers, Management, Marketing, Operations Tagged With: , ,

How to Evaluate Business Before Buying

November 11, 2010


For many would-be small business entrepreneurs the path to business ownership starts with purchasing an existing business. While you will be paying a premium for the existing business in terms of goodwill, it gives you peace of mind knowing that the business is already established.
While this is true to some extent; we believe that you still have to be extra careful when purchasing an existing business. Just because the business has been operating for several years does not mean that it is running well. There is no guarantee that you will make a good return on your investment. We have come across several situations where the buyers, particularly the first-time buyers, were blindsided by the realities of the business AFTER they had signed closing papers. That is why it is very important to spend extra time in performing due diligence before signing on that dotted line.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Buyers, Purchasing Tagged With: , ,

How to Ensure the Business Launch Date Stays on Target

November 2, 2010


If we have to bet on one thing when it comes to opening a business on schedule; we’d say it WILL NOT. No matter how well you plan, it seems things always go wrong somewhere resulting in delays.
Not being able to open the business on-time can hurt you on multiple fronts –you not only lose sales for every day that the business is not open, while your expense clock is already ticking; but also you end up throwing more money on tasks that are running late.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Buyers, Management, Operations Tagged With: , , ,

Challenges of Starting a Business while Holding onto Current Job

October 5, 2010


While it is tempting to hold onto current job while you are starting a small business; it may prove to be quite challenging.
As we mentioned in the previous blog post many of our friends, colleagues and aspiring businessmen want to jump into small business out of frustration resulting from jobs (or lack thereof) in this difficult economic environment. However, they still want to hold onto their current job to ensure they have a fall back place in case things don’t work out with new business and several other reasons.
While it is certainly understandable that people would want to play it safe and keep the current job while business is getting established you should not underestimate the challenges of operating in this fashion. Below we have highlighted many of the challenges you will face when working at your job and starting a business at the same time. We hope that by understanding these challenges you will make informed decision and understand what to expect if you do decide to go forward.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Buyers, Management, Operations Tagged With: , ,

15 Signs the Franchise You are Buying is Good

September 23, 2010


In the U.S. alone there are hundreds of franchises eager to find small business owners as franchisee. The new ones come up every month. However, you should keep in mind that for every McDonald’s franchise out there a number of other ones have been started and disappeared over the years.
In an earlier post we mentioned that you should make sure the franchise you are looking to get into is good and will make you successful as well. After all, selecting the wrong franchise can hurt you and may even wipe out your hard earned savings.
Below we have listed signs you can look for to determine if the franchise is successful.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Buyers, Management Tagged With: ,

5 Qualities to Look for in a Franchise

September 22, 2010


The franchisor and franchisees have a love-hate relationship. They cannot live with each other and cannot live without. While there are certainly benefits to “going the franchise route” when buying a small business, particularly for first-time buyers, selecting a wrong franchise can hurt you and may even wipe out your hard earned savings.
So how do you know if the franchise you are considering to get into is a good one?
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Buyers, Management, Operations Tagged With: ,

5 Myths that Hold Back Potential Small Business Buyers

September 16, 2010


In our previous post we showed several misunderstandings potential small business owners have that hurts them. In this post we want to show the other side. These are the myths that prevent many would-be owners from getting into small business. While it is certainly challenging to own and operate small business; they are not insurmountable and the rewards make it worthwhile to pursue that dream.
We hope that by understanding these common myths and realities you will not get scared by the challenges and be able to make an informed decision.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Buyers, Management, Operations Tagged With: , ,