Friday 25 November 2011

Franchise Guide

Franchise or Business Opportunity?

Business opportunities are less structured than franchises, so the definition of what constitutes a business opportunity isn't easy to pin down. In essence, a business opportunity is any package of goods or services that enables the purchaser to begin a business and in which the seller represents that it will provide a marketing or sales plan, that a market exists for the product or service, and that the venture will be profitable.

Here are other key factors:
  • A business opportunity doesn't generally feature the seller's trademark; buyers operate under his or her own name.
  • Business opportunities tend to be less expensive than franchises and generally don't charge ongoing royalty fees.
  • Business opportunities allow buyers to proceed with no restrictions as to geographic market and operations.
  • Most business opportunity ventures have no continuing supportive relationship between the seller and the buyer; after the initial package is sold, buyers are on their own.
The Pros

The greatest strength of franchising is its ability to bring independent retailers together using a single trademark and business concept. The benefits of this affiliation are many: brand awareness, uniformity in meeting customer expectations, the power of pooled advertising and the efficiencies of group purchasing.
For the individual owner, there are several advantages to franchising. The ever-present risk of business failure is reduced when the business program has already proved to be successful in the marketplace; the use of an established trademark saves the business owner the cost of creating and advertising a name that customers will recognize; and the advantages of group advertising and purchasing make operations more profitable. In addition, ongoing training creates an instant operational expertise that would otherwise need to be acquired through trial and error. Also, with franchising, expansion seems to come more naturally. Operating a successful franchise may quickly lead to building a second and then a third business, and so on. Fortunes have been built this way.

The Benefits
  • Reduction of risk
  • Turnkey operation
  • Standardized products and systems
  • Standardized financial and accounting systems
  • Collective buying power
  • Supervision and consulting readily available
  • National and local advertising programs
  • Point-of-sale advertising
  • Uniform packaging
  • Ongoing research and development
  • Financial assistance
  • Site selection guidance
  • Operations manual provided
  • Sales and marketing assistance

Nine Reasons You Should Buy A Franchise

Picture A franchise is an established business operating under authorized permission to distribute or sell goods or services offered by the franchise company. Everywhere you look today, you see FRANCHISES! In fact, financial experts have indicated that franchising is the "wave of the future". In the next 10 years, franchising could comprise over 50% of the retail economy and employ millions of people. This growth should be anticipated based on the simple logic of the underlying concept. Franchising offers success, with the least amount of risk, to aspiring business owners. Franchises will enable hundreds of thousands of new business owners realize the dream of successful business ownership and financial independence.

In a sense, franchising is a business model whose primary purpose is risk minimization. Every study ever done on the success rate of new(non-franchise) business startups concludes the same thing. Starting up a new business is very risky. Most studies show that over 90% fail within three years. The primary reason that the failure rate is so high is because the owners have to go through the learning curve of operating that specific type business.

Unfortunately, the market place is not very tolerant of the inexperienced neophyte trying to learn how to operate a new business. If you can't compete in the market place, you get eaten by the sharks very quickly, you go bust, you lose money, your credit, your home, your reputation and sometimes even your family. Failing in business can be a horrible experience. Unfortunately this happens to thousands of poor souls every year in the U.S., and it is so unnecessary.

Unless you have considerable experience in the specific type business that you are considering going into, it is very probable that you will fail. Business format franchising is as close as you are going to come in today's market place to a guarantee of success. All the studies done have found that franchise new business startups rarely fail and when they do it is typically because the franchisee did not stick to the franchisers systems.

In all human endeavor there is involved a learning process . This learning process requires going through a series of trial and error encounters wherein knowledge is gained by trying and failing, trying and failing again and again and eventually trying and succeeding. This process is generally called the learning curve. In the context of franchising, the franchiser has already gone through the learning curve and has learned the secrets of success for the specific business. In business format franchising all that has been learned by going through the curve is transferred to the franchisee. This is fundamentally why you buy a franchise, to minimize risk and give yourself the best possible chance to succeed. Another reason why it is prudent to buy a franchise is that a franchise investment can be thoroughly researched before any significant expenditures are made.

With a new business startup (non-franchise) you are always operating in the dark. No matter how much research you do it is very difficult to get a handle on so many aspects of the new business. With a franchise the franchiser is a wealth of information about the business from how to prepare a pro forma to the best personality traits for the business. But the most important information comes from the existing franchisees. With a good systematic approach you can get answers to nearly all the really key questions. Such as, Do you feel that you were properly trained, how long did it take before you reached break even, what is your annual return on investment, how do you feel about the day to day duties of the business and if you had it to do over, would you do it again? You can in a very real sense try the business on before you buy to make sure it is a good fit for you.

Another very important reason to buy a franchise is intertwined into it's basic nature. Franchising inherently leads to rapid growth, because the franchisees provide the expansion capital. There are few restraints to growth in franchising. As a franchise system expands into hundreds of units many positive things begin to happen. The name begins to become well known because people see it everywhere. Most people associate size with success. The bigger the franchise the better it must be. The large number of units enables the franchise to advertise heavily, which tends to increase sales. A synergy begins to be created in which success begets success.

The following 9 reasons to buy a franchise will help you to understand why it will be a great investment for your client. It is your job to help your client understand the value in the investment they are about to make.

  1. Buying a Turn-Key Business
  2. Proven System in Place
  3. Higher Likelihood of Success
  4. Corporate Image and Brand Awareness
  5. Easier to Obtain Financing
  6. Training
  7. Ongoing Support
  8. Marketing
  9. Exclusive Territory

For a complete list of franchise opportunities from A to Z, please click Franchisant