Could Franchising Be The Business For Me?

Most people are familiar with franchising. For the benefit of those who are not, according to http://wikipedia.com franchising is the system of doing business wherein a franchisor licenses trademarks of a product and tested methods of doing business to a franchisee to receive payment like a percentage from gross per sales or gross profits as well as the annual fees agreed upon, as compensation for the trade secrets shared as part of the franchising agreement. Sometimes legal contracts may vary as to the terms of franchise and may not fit the definition above. Sometimes, the methods on how to do the business may not be part of the franchise or other benefits that other franchising companies give may not be available to others.

The most common franchising companies known to the public would be chain of food stores like McDonald’s which nowadays offer some franchising strategies to reach a wider consumer market. McDonald’s has become a household name since it was able to reach a wider consumer market that is not only limited to the United States and the Americas but to the rest of the world. The success behind McDonald’s becoming a household name and the one of the most known trademarks around the world is due to the system of franchising. Aside from the buildings that McDonald’s rent to the franchisee, it also has a stake on the sales of the franchise and the cost of the supplies charged to the franchisee. To help out in the quality of products and services offered in each food chain, McDonald’s sends a member from the franchisee to their Hamburger University in Oak Brook, Illinois. This is one support benefit that the franchisee would get once they franchise a restaurant for McDonald’s.

Like any business, there are advantages and disadvantages that franchising offer to anyone who wish to venture into it.

Advantages

Popular labels are widely known and are likely to sell. Popular trademarks like McDonald’s are likely to sell than a new restaurant that has not reached a market such as McDonald’s. It is selling a well known product to a consumer market which knows the product being sold.

No need to develop a new product that has not been well researched. Venturing into franchising would allow the franchisee to have access to information that the franchisor have about an existing product and put up a business in a shorter period of time.

Trainings and seminars would be provided to the franchisee about the product. It would be easier to operate and manage the business since there are available trainings and other support methods for the franchisee.

Disadvantages

High standards held by the franchisor raise costs of maintenance in the franchise. Since the standards of the franchisor would definitely be high, sometimes the cost of maintaining a franchise can escalate. Unless the materials used would be second rate and low in cost.

Development of new products might still need to be passed for approval to the franchisor. If the franchisee would like to add a product which they think would be saleable in their market range, the new product has to be approved first by the franchisor and this may take time and it would likely be rejected if it does not meet standards of the trademark.

Profit is limited since the franchisor has stake, most of the time, on the profits of the franchise. Not only does the franchisee have little control of the franchise due to many stakes that the franchisor has on the franchise, the profit of the franchise would also be split between the two. Therefore, there is a limit to how much the franchise would earn.

Even if there are several disadvantages in franchising, still there are advantages. If you think you could handle this kind of business, all I can say is, business is gambling. In any industry there are players and you might be lucky that you would be on top once and sometimes at the bottom. Get to know the game play and start playing to win the game.

Grow Your Business Through Franchising

Most business owners would like to significantly grow their business. Franchising can be a very effective way to do this with the added advantage that minimal investment in additional premises, business equipment and employees is required. Franchisees fund this expansion for them. This approach makes franchising a low risk option for business owners providing they have a robust product or service.

A major problem for business owners in expanding their business is finding the right employees to take the company forward. Franchising enables you to find highly committed, capable and motivated franchisees who invest their own capital to purchase your business franchise. They are very focused and follow your business systems, quality pricedures and processes.

The types of business that are suitable for franchising are endless too. Many different industries use franchising to distribute their products and services across the market place. If a business has a good profit margin and can teach franchisees to replicate their systems and processes then it is likely that it can be franchised.

The main income streams from franchising a business can include some or all of the following, the franchise fee, a monthly support fee, a percentage of turnover , the supply of products and services to franchisees, buying power discounts, and increased sales of products and services (both front end and back end).

The Franchise Model is the key factor in the success of a franchise. It's aim is to maximise the income of both the franchisor (the franchising business) and the franchisee. The success of the franchisees will ultimately determine how many franchises the business can sell and at what price it can sell them at.

A robust Franchise Model effectively implemented has the potential to significantly increase turnover and profits. This makes franchising a strategy worth researching for most Business Owners. Research can be done for virtually zero cost and most Franchise Consultants will offer a Free Evaluation Service.

Business Franchising – Just What Should You Look For In A Franchise?

What is a Franchise?

· An authorization to sell a company's goods or services in a particular place
· A business established or operated under an authorization to sell or distribute a company's goods or services in a particular area.

How did franchising start?

One of the earliest franchisors was the Singer Sewing Machine® Company, which set up dealers shortly after the Civil War to sell and repair its revolutionary machines throughout the country. Shortly after the turn of the century, Coca-Cola® licensed others to manufacture and distribute its wonderful elixir. Ford Motor Company® later set up dealers to sell and service its products. Of course, McDonald's® is an example of how an entrepreneur (Ray Kroc) could take an idea and quickly spread it coast to coast (and eventually around the world) without starting out with millions of dollars in capital. Many companies turn to franchising as a system for expansion because they recognize that they can grow rapidly with a minimum amount of capital and enlist top-notch partners if the company is willing to share the profits. The company that sells licenses to its system is called the franchisor, while those who open their own units are called franchisees.

Why franchise?

There are many reasons why franchising is the best type of operation for the majority of first-time business owners. Most revolve around the increased probability that the business will succeed and provide profits to the owner in a shorter time frame than an independent business. This allows the owner to address her or his personal goals both financially and personally. Here are a few, more detailed, answers to that question.

Earn what you’re worth

Thousands of franchise owners report they were handicapped in their corporate careers by company policies and supervisors that put a cap on their earnings. When you own your own company, your efforts are rewarded and your personal income shows it!

Satisfaction of Achievement

Many business owners report that seeing their actions turned into reality without stagnating for months in committee meetings (as often happens in big companies) is a major reward of owning their business.

Quicker Start-Up than Independents

A proven plan out-paces an independent’s hit & misses operation almost every time. Looking at just independents that succeed--you'll find that franchises grow quicker, reach break-even sooner and succeed more regularly than others in the same industry as depicted in the accompanying chart


What do I need to know?

Another question that arises is “What do I need to know in building my own franchise?” There are four main ingredients found in each business...

· The product or service that is delivered to its customers.
· The location that the business occupies.
· The amount of capital that was invested or borrowed by the venture.
· The management team that runs the company -You!

Making a choice

Choosing the right franchise can be a confusing process.

First, you must believe in the product or service that the franchise network delivers. Is the niche stable, expanding, long-term, saturated?

Next, you must verify the industry's future. What do the trade papers predict?

Check your aptitude for the job. If you don't enjoy math, an accounting franchise isn't for you, etc. Often outside sources can help here. A personality and aptitude test (similar to those used by major corporations) will help you discover your hidden talents.

Determine the earnings capability. Most franchisors can't provide earnings projections, but you must make an effort to determine your future return.

Confirm the potential earnings and the franchisor's integrity with existing franchisees. Each franchisor will give you a list of its network members.

You should call them to get their confirmation of your projections. If a franchisor (or business opportunity seller) will not give you a list of its franchisees, you should heed the red flashing lights and end discussions.

While this article is just the tip of the iceberg, you can get a good idea why you should start your own franchise, today.

All About Franchising and Starting up a New Franchise Business

Copyright 2006 Peter Hayes

Franchise business opportunities are expanding rapidly. If you look at the most famous franchise in existence today is the McDonald’s corporation. McDonalds has established itself around the world and is one of the leading business organizations. Opportunities in franchising continue to develop as the franchise industry develops.

What is a franchise?

Information on the Franchise Business

A franchise is a mirror image of an original business idea. When a business has become successful the opportunity arises to duplicate the success in other locations. When an individual purchases a franchise opportunity, they are purchasing is the right to repeat the original business operations in another area. To help them achieve success a franchisee receives complete instructions on how to achieve the success achieved by the original business. They get an established and proven business plan and marketing plan on which to build their new business.

A franchise has been granted the authorization to sell or distribute a company’s goods or services in a certain geographical area. For example, a restaurant or coffee shop’s marketing area is limited, usually to people in the immediate local area. Therefore, creating another restaurant or coffee house based on the original business in a different area would be considered a franchise.

The original business developer determines the formula for producing the same result achieved by the original business and how this formula can be repeated in new locations. This formula is packaged and sold as a franchise. This package is sold to interested parties who can achieve success simply by following the proven formula.

Why Do Businesses Sell Franchises rather than Expanding their own Business?

What is the advantage of developing a franchise as opposed to simply opening the business in multiple locations? It is quite possible to open a number of restaurants in one city or county or even within a state. However, the time requirements and energy required to do this is extensive. Franchising offers th possibility to expand the business and have others on board to share the burden.

It would be impossible for someone like Roy Croc, who developed McDonalds, to run each individual McDonald’s restaurant around the world. To expand your business without running it into the ground, you need quality people who have an interest at your own bottom line.

Information on Buying a Franchise Business

Many people would like the freedom to start their own business. However, they may be new to the business world. Or they may not be confident of their ability to develop a business. Or they may not have a business idea that they are confident in.

The opportunity to start a business that has a proven success record and an established plan for achieving a similar success is what make franchising attractive to new business owners.

This is beneficial to both the original business developer and the entrepreneur. The business developer makes a profit by selling his system and the entrepreneur gains the knowledge from an experienced owner with a successful business. This increases the opportunities for the entrepreneur, which allows for a greater chance of success.