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Businesses around the world have been forced to respond to the environmental challenges of our time – and the world of franchising is no different. Green franchises now constitute one of the fastest-growing industries, Franchise Direct has launched a new webpage to promote environmentally-friendly businesses.

Thanks to Franchise Direct, franchising is going green. As businesses continue to embrace environmentally-friendly practices, the franchising industry has witnessed the recent growth in ‘green’ franchises. As such, Franchise Direct, the world’s leading portal for franchise opportunities, is proud to announce the launch its own line of green businesses. Eco-conscious business practice represents the way forward and Franchise Direct is looking to provide the entrepreneurial world with a green injection.

The reasons for a green conversion are bountiful. The world can no longer sit idly by and expect the earth’s resources to replenish themselves. And while necessity drives the engine of environmentally-friendly commerce, profit is still part of the equation. The truth is, the time is coming is when environmentally-friendly practice will be the exception, not the rule, for small business owners. Innovative entrepreneurs are developing their green businesses at the moment and Franchise Direct has decided to provide them with platform for global success.

With Franchise Direct’s green franchises, entrepreneurs will be provided with a vast range of business opportunities linked together by a common commitment towards saving energy and utilising green energy methods. As the green marketplace continues to expand, Franchise Direct will be the central resource for this franchising sector, fostering the gradual evolution of the industry.

Take, for example, a company like Filtafry. In 1996, Filtagroup launched the Filtafry brand, after pioneering a cleaner oil filtration technique. Filtafry gained attention from restaurant owners immediately because it provided a more economical approach to oil filtration. Its environmental impact, however worthy, was something of a secondary concern. But Filtrfry sensed that a market was developing and chose to continue investing in its line of environmentally-sustainable products. Thirteen years later and Filtafry is at the forefront of its industry and living proof that green businesses can also be profitable ones.

The Franchise Filtafry is just one of the exciting environmentally-conscious companies that Franchise Direct now provides access to. There are also green opportunities with pizza, home cleaning and indoor air cleaning businesses with Franchise Direct. And this is only the tip of the franchising iceberg. As the marketplace responds to the present environmental challenges, green franchises like Filtafry will become more and more essential to commercial activities. You can be guaranteed that Franchise Direct will be on hand to provide entrepreneurs with direct access to the most innovative green businesses.

As the success of a company like Filtafry illustrates, there’s no stopping a unique entrepreneurial idea. If you’re an investor look to ride the crest of the green wave to financial success or if you have a sustainable business concept that’s ready to thrive on a national level, let Franchise Direct act as your conduit to profitability and business growth.

As the year winds down, one question that continues to pop up – be it on radio or TV or in conversation – for people in the small business world is: what constitutes a recession-proof business?

As we all know, there is no wishing away the economic downturn at this stage. It has quickly become part of our lives and the most opportune investers are trying to position themselves with the business most able to weather a bad economic stretch.

There are a lot of theories about which industries are recession-proof. It’s certainly a subject that we’ve discussed on this blog. The truth is, there’s no way of exactly saying, as each recession differs from the one that precedes it. Interestingly though, Scott Shane, who writes for the website smallbiztrends.com and teaches entrepreneurial studies, compared data from the last two recessions (1990-1991 and 2001-2003) in search of trends among the small business that succeeded.

Shane used pretty rigorous criteria to determine a recession-proof business. A company had to experience a 20% increase in each of the following categories to be considered recession-proof: the number of establishments; the number of employees; the dollar amount of payroll; the number of establishments with 20 or fewer employees; the number of employees at establishments with 20 or fewer employees; and the dollar amount of payroll at establishments of 20 or fewer employees.

Pooling all of his data together, Shane found only a handful of industries that experienced booms as the rest of the economy slumped: banking-related businesses, accident and health insurers, health practioners and business consultants.

The findings are highly interesting, indeed. One thing Shane admits is that every recession is different, and so it is rare to see a business thrive in two recessions. As for thriving in three recessions, banking-related businesses are facing into a tough few months given the collapse of Wall Street. The future may look brighter for business consultants and insurers, though.

Shane also makes two other points:

• Some industries grow at a steathfully during a recession.
• Insurance, health care, and consulting tend to be recession-resistant industries for people running small businesses.

As for his second point, Franchise Direct brings you some of the most vibrant insurance, health care and consulting franchises in the industry. Find out more today.