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The stars are aligning for a surge for in franchising, according to another entrepreneurial expert. It’s interesting to see a growing consensus around this point, which we have been suggesting for a few months now.

Brian Miller, CFE of The Entrepreneur’s Source, has written a lengthy piece for Franchising Times, in which he talks to a number of franchise experts. His feeling is that franchising is about to make a breakthrough. The nub of his argument is this:

Unemployment will continue to rise and create this form of “forced entrepreneurship.” The sooner the credit markets thaw, the faster this economic boom will occur. And as this fertile ground for entrepreneurs emerge, we’ll have opportunities we haven’t even thought of yet. We’re seeing more of an emphasis on “lifestyle” franchises these days as well.

Brian also cites some interesting statistics. In a recent Zogby poll, 63%  of Americans said that entrepreneurs and small-businesspeople would lead America to a better future.

Snap Fitness CEO Peter Taunton also offered some interesting analysis from the front lines of franchising:

“Over the past few months, we have seen a definite increase in the amount of franchise prospects who are ready to control their own destiny. Many who have lost their jobs due to downsizing have stated that they do not want to go through this again and they feel that the real way to financial security is to own their own business.”

With all the talk of green shoots in the global economic climate, it is certainly heartening to hear some positive talk on the franchising front. Miller admits that no one knows what will happen in the next 18 months, but it seems that intrepid franchisees may be able to inspire the economy to greater things.

In this week’s Franchise Update, we have news on an exciting franchise conference and a bold initiative linking small business people with high-tech skills providers.

Click here to download this week’s Franchise Update, or watch in the player below:

The IFA has announced the line-up for its Franchise Development Super Session which will be held in Los Angeles from September 30th to October 1st in the Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites.

Karen Mills, the head of the SBA, has announced a new strategic alliance with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineer aimed to boost business opportunities for innovative entrepreneurs. The IEEE is made up of over 200,000 engineers, scientists and professionals with interests in electrical engineering and computer science.

We’d like to pass on two important notices from the world of conferencing. Do remember how informative (and fun) February’s IFA convention was? Well the IFA wants everyone to know that early bird booking to attend next year’s event has opened.

The 2010 IFA annual conference will be held in San Antonio from February 5- 8th. The IFA has opened early-bird booking for members to IFA members only until September 15. Early bird booking means a saving of $50 on registration fees. But if you book online today, you can save $100 on booking fees. There’s more info here. It will be the 49th annual IFA convention and is certain to be as much of a blockbuster event as this year’s conference, where Bill Clinton provided the keynote address.

In the shorter term, there’s an interesting IFA event being held in LA at the end of September. The IFA has announced plans for its Franchise Development Super Session which will be held in Los Angeles from September 30 to October 1st in the Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites. This year’s Super Session title is “Selling Franchises in a Challenging Economy”. There’ll be a revamped agenda and its program will aim to keep you on the path to successful franchising. Highly notable is the keynote speaker: internet and technology entrepreneur Scott Ksolosky.

A CEO of three successful start-ups and a Turnaround Expert, Scott will be sharing some of his innovative ideas on how to use to the internet and technology to generate sales.  You can also expect the “unconference” format for a section of the event. It’s sure to be a n energizing session, and you can book your place today at the IFA’s website.

Knowledge is power in this economy, so inform yourself at these two events.

Yesterday we were discussing the struggles that entrepreneurs are facing, with many having to take on second jobs to keep themselves solvent.

Then today we stumbled upon an interesting debate on the blogosphere that moves this discussion on a bit. Social entrepreneur and power coach Yu-kai Chou recently blogged with his suggestion for keeping entrepreneurs afloat: government subsidies.

Yu-kai suggests that the US government should float entrepreneurs about $20,000 simply to keep them in business. He thinks it would save the economy. Here’s his rationalization:

The government can give entrepreneurs a VERY low amount of survival money, like $20,000 a year, as a salary to do entrepreneurial work. This is useful because there are lots and lots of people who would be entrepreneurs but they couldn’t pursue their dreams due to realistic survival issues. This plan allows them to pursue the innovation work they want without the fear of dying on the streets. Many entrepreneurs are some of the smartest and most creative people in the workforce, and they demand very little to survive. They also need to spend all $20,000 of that money because they don’t have the capacity to save.

There’s an interesting debate happening on the comments section of this blog post about whether this suggestion amounts to socialism and kills competition. Whatever your political feelings, its certainly an interesting suggestion, and would welcomed by many franchisees and entrepreneurs.

As for when you get your business or franchise off the ground,  Paul Segreto at the franchiseinsights blog has some worthwhile suggestions for making your business stand-out once you open your doors.

Getting the keys to your unit does not assure customers or profits. In many ways, the hard work only really starts once you open your franchise. As Paul writes:

Many franchisees find it necessary to stand behind the counter and serve the customer when they would better serve the business by getting out from behind the counter and mingling with the customers, visiting other businesses, participating in community events, etc.

The major challenge is that most franchisees refuse to take this approach, feeling they’ve made a large investment and the business should come to them, or put the responsibility on the franchisor, or are just lazy and would rather wait for tomorrow. Well, as Garth Brooks sings, “if tomorrow never comes…” Instead, they need to make it happen today and forget tomorrow, as if there is no tomorrow!

It’s great advice and something we should all keep in mind.

Running a franchise or a small business is challenging, recession or no recession. It’s pointless trying to sugarcoat the difficulties that entrepreneurs are operating under these days. Most consumers are chiefly concerned with saving money and unless an entrepreneur can dream up a concept that facilitates that pragmatic goal, they will find it difficult to gain traction for their franchise traction.

Last week’s Wall Street Journal reported that many entrepreneurs are taking up part-time work on top of their existing business simply to make ends meet. The piece profiles a Chilean flower importer who is now working for a white-water rafting company, a CFO of a PR company who is doubling as a ranch caretaker, and a maker of preteen educational DVDs who is now moonlighting as an education consultant.

Bu the fact that many entrepreneurs are taking up second jobs is no reason to be depressed. There is a lot of work out there that is ideal for people looking to trying turn a spare 15-20 hours in the week into profit. Look at Franchise Direct’s home-based franchises or part-time franchises. These are ideal for the truly enterprising entrepreneur. With say, a vending opportunity, you can maintain your regular job and just attend to the machine when it requires. Use your home or garage for spare office space and let the business manage itself.

Sure, times are tight. But only by being brave and thinking cleverly will we be able to overcome this challenging time.