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Browse our selection of franchise articles and features to help further your knowledge in opening and operating a franchise business. Our exclusive features cover the , , , , , , and site of the franchise business. Written by the editorial team that produces Franchise Update Magazine and Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine, the franchise industries premier magazines.

After Tom Barnett graduated from the United States Air Force Academy, his first assignment as a lieutenant was to head to UCLA for an MBA. That wound up costing the Air Force a career professional.
  • John Carroll
  • 4,711 Reads 1 Shares
John Prince has done a lot in his 66 years. He's been a radio talk show host, reporter, stockbroker, and even ran a small hot dog and soup stand. He's worked at SmithBarney, Citibank, been a multi-concept owner, and even started his own franchise brand (more on that later). He's seen franchising from more than both sides now.
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 18,006 Reads 5 Shares
There has been a growing trend in the world of franchising to tell candidates more about their earnings potential. Item 19 in the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) is the section that provides details on earnings, costs, and other factors likely to affect future financial performance after a candidate signs on to become a franchisee.
  • Eddy Goldberg and Kerry Pipes
  • 23,428 Reads 2 Shares
After my workshop on loss prevention and security at Franchise Update's Multiunit Franchising conference this past April in Scottsdale, attendees made their desire clear for more information on the topic--and for specific tactics they could employ to improve profitability. After all, every dollar not lost to employee or customer theft (or some other form of controllable loss), falls directly to the bottom line.
  • Rollie Trayte and Gary Widman
  • 4,566 Reads 3 Shares
When we visited with Hank Huth last year, the franchising veteran was keeping busy overseeing his 23 Blockbuster Video locations and 7 Palm Beach Tan units. He had an eye on expanding his Palm Beach Tan portfolio and he did just that in 2007, adding 3 more and winning the company's 2007 Developer of the Year Award. But that's not all he's been busy developing.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 8,772 Reads 1 Shares
There's a loud ruckus, a crowd gathers 'round, and a customer is sprawled on the floor next to the soft drink dispenser. The area is covered in soda and ice and the customer laments she slipped, fell, and is injured because of your negligence.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 9,040 Reads 1 Shares
With her high energy and positive attitude, it's no surprise that Linda Fong is a successful multi-brand, multiunit franchisee. However, like many franchisees, she's not one of those who made a plan and followed a straight line to that success. But it's the detours and her individualism that have taught her what she needed.
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 3,592 Reads 15 Shares
Growing up with a father who owned a Burger King gave Will Bigham an early look into the back room operations of fast food franchising, laying the groundwork for his own career.
  • John Carroll
  • 4,042 Reads 43 Shares
For Bill Gellert, who currently owns and operates 14 franchise units across three brands, with a fourth on the way, business is "a constant mixture of fear and excitement." And he loves it.
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 4,105 Reads 37 Shares
"I love the action of the restaurants and the strategy of the real estate. This is the jackpot business for me," says Mike Scanlon, president and CEO of Thomas and King in Lexington, Ky., where he opened his first Applebee's in 1988.
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 5,433 Reads 1,021 Shares
For months, media headlines and story lead-ins have been filled with dire warnings and inflammatory statements about the economy. Phrases like "the road to recession," "dollar debacle," "subprime mortgage implosion," "housing meltdown," "credit crunch," "trading scandal," and "rogue trader" combine with 600-point intra-day swings in the Dow and volatile economic news to bombard our senses almost every moment of every day.
  • Carol Clark
  • 3,229 Reads
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Against a background of greater economic uncertainty in 2008, will franchise development become more difficult? In a word, yes. To be clear, the franchise business model is alive, well, and growing. This decade's accelerating growth in units and expansion of companies embracing the franchise business model are testament to that. However, it appears that more challenging times are awaiting us in 2008. Here are some of the reasons—and suggestions for what franchisors can do.
  • Darrell Johnson
  • 3,695 Reads 3 Shares
As we have highlighted throughout 2007, the change in the economy we anticipated is finally upon us.
  • Dean Zuccarello
  • 4,176 Reads 1,021 Shares
An industry analyst digging into reams of franchise industry data would find that about half of all franchisees across the country are busy operating more than one unit -- and often, more than one brand. It's a phenomenon that has changed the face of the franchise industry over the last decade. And though there hasn't been much significant change in percentages so far in 2008, it's likely to remain a strong and growing trend.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 5,433 Reads 1,023 Shares
Customer loyalty cannot be bought. Loyalty is created by great experiences. And loyalty is lost by poor experiences--or loyalty is lost to a competitor who takes care of customers better than you do.
  • Jack Mackey
  • 3,116 Reads 3 Shares
"How's risk management in the big bank world?" he asked the banker. "I wish it were that," the banker replied. "It's more about risk elimination. We won't make a loan to anybody unless they don't need the money."
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 3,750 Reads 7 Shares
The news is depressing, the economy is sinking, financing is hard to get, the market is down, gas prices are up, and competition is fierce. So why are all these multiunit franchisees smiling?
  • Bill Hall
  • 3,452 Reads 1 Shares
If you were fortunate enough to attend the annual Area Developer Multi-Unit Franchising Conference this April in Scottsdale, you know that the weather was terrific, the facility outstanding, educational sessions abundant, and that franchise networking opportunities flourished late into the cool desert night.
  • Bill Hall
  • 3,178 Reads 1 Shares
As vice president of concept development at HMSHost, Novack has his plate full, and seems to relish every bite.
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 6,653 Reads 1,023 Shares
During the past 20 years, we have witnessed a generation of multiunit franchise operators grow up. Today there are more than 40,000 of them.
  • Darrell Johnson
  • 6,167 Reads 1 Shares
In June 2008, heavy rains caused flooding that filled the basement and rose two feet high on the first floor of Columbus Regional Hospital in Columbus, Indiana. The flooding closed the hospital, forcing the evacuation of 157 patients and causing an estimated $125 million in damages. Paul Davis National (PDN) was soon on the scene, part of the team brought in to mitigate the damage and allow the regional health care facility to reopen as quickly as possible.
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 3,463 Reads 1,021 Shares
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Ask any small business owner in the country how important customer retention and loyalty are and they'll tell you they rank right up top of the list of business priorities. It's no different in franchising.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 3,447 Reads 76 Shares
Beyond the unmistakable impact of the Internet and World Wide Web, advances in technologies used every day by franchisees are continuing to change the face of franchising -- and the way franchisees do business.
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 3,728 Reads 1,014 Shares
Think of it as hoses-to-go. A broken hose can spell disaster for many businesses. A machine breakdown at a job site or factory can cause work to grind to a halt. And sometimes it can take days or weeks until the proper replacement hose can be obtained and the machines repaired. In purely economic terms, a $20 broken hose can bring a $3 million crane to a standstill - not to mention the paid employees who are idly standing by.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 5,571 Reads 1,014 Shares
For over a quarter of a century, I have been a critic of the United States' franchise sales regulation system.
  • Rupert Barkoff
  • 3,639 Reads 3 Shares
Running a racquet and health club is a time-consuming business and one that Bruce Forsythe knew quite a bit about. He'd been running one with his partners in Long Island, N.Y. for about 14 years when the team decided to turn one of their former tennis court areas into a second -- and different -- business endeavor.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 2,611 Reads 58 Shares
For America's Top Franchisors, Search Delivers Exponential Growth Opportunities. Are the Top Contenders Capitalizing?
  • Oneupweb®
  • 8,226 Reads
When Lino DeFeo bought a Sign-A-Rama franchise in West Palm Beach, Fla., he didn't know much about signs. That was about 15 years ago. DeFeo had sold his trucking business in Manhattan and moved to Florida with his wife Maria and their two young children to join a family business. But that didn't work out exactly as planned. "I got out before we totally killed each other," he says with a laugh.
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 9,327 Reads 1,014 Shares
Motherhood is one of the toughest jobs in the world - just ask any mom. It's often thankless, seems endless, and certainly lacks much worldly prestige. Life for mom can be even more challenging if she desires to work outside the home to boot. There are, after all, limited choices beyond the full-time job and requisite daycare for the kids. In a month where we stop for a day (May 11) to recognize all that mom does, it's interesting to note that more and more moms are finding a place at home and in franchising. Moms like Liz Norwood in Denver, Colo.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 3,283 Reads
Elaine Stroman was making great money. She had spent the better part of two decades working as a mortgage banking consultant helping people buy and renovate brownstones in old New York City neighborhoods such as Harlem. She worked on 100 percent commission and was completely in charge of every penny she earned.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 2,070 Reads 5 Shares
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