The IFA offers a number of excellent services designed to inspire the franchise sector. Sometimes franchisees get to a point in business where they need external advice for invigorating their operation and for that reason, the IFA has launched a special development seminar series.
The Franchise Development Program will visit four cities over the next few months. It will feature guest speakers who will talk about how they’ve taken their business to “the next level”. Ideas about financing will be key to the discussion as well as talk about what other franchisors do to keep their businesses running smoothly. The event will provide a forum for a frank exchange of ideas on franchising, and that can prove essential for pumping new life into your business.
So if you operate in the following four cities, be sure to check out the Franchise Development Program:
- Dallas, TX (April 28)
- Chicago, IL (June 9)
- Washington, DC (September 15)
- Tampa, FL (October 6)
Texas is one of the biggest states in the nation at many things, and franchising is no different. As they say in the Lone Star State, when Texans do something, they do it big or don’t do it all. It’s the same with the state’s franchise industry. So many of our favorite franchise brands have used Texas as their launching pad towards national recognition.
There are more signs emerging at a grassroots level that Texas is leading another franchising renaissance. According to reports in the Abilene Register, franchising contributed to nearly 33% of new building projects in the city last year. That adds up to about $8million in building works.
Considering that the landscape in Abilene is already dotted with franchises, this is a huge development. For instance, Subway is about to open its 11th franchise in the city. It shows that in Texas there is still a huge appetite for franchise brands. It’s great to find small cities that have taken franchising on. Industry experts all look to Texas to gauge how franchising is faring, and the signs in Abilene are certainly positive.
We love reality television programs about entrepreneurs and small business owners, and so there’s a lot of interest in the new CBS show called Undercover Boss.
On this show, CEOs and higher ups in big American businesses find out what it’s like to work on the grassroots level. Hooters is one of the businesses on the list, but there are a few franchises on the list including 7-11.
Now it’s debatable what good these shows do for the businesses at large. Advertising Age certainly thinks that there’s plenty of downside for businesses here. But that’s not what interests us. Anything that makes the franchisor get a better sense of the franchisee’s working conditions is a great idea as far as we’re concerned.
Undercover Boss airs Sunday nights at 9. You can watch episodes of Undercover Boss online as well. We’ll be checking out some episodes online, especially those about the franchising.
We’ve blogged extensively over the last six months about extending SBA loans. With a lot of the stimulus plan measures expiring this month, it remains to be seen whether the federal government will bolster its support of the small business sector. That said, it’s becoming clear that some of the existing loans are not getting into the hands of the people that need it.
The New York Times has a very interesting profile of Barbara Wright who owns a uniform company on Chicago’s southside. Barbara is feeling the pains of the struggling economy like so many entrepreneurs at the moment. She applied for an SBA loan. Barbara received the loan but was shocked to realize all of the restrictions placed on it.
She thought she could use the money to meet her cash needs, but she soon learned that the loan had a catch: It could not be used for operations. In fact, the money could be used only to help pay off a previous loan of $50,000 from ShoreBank.
This story paints a complicated picture of receiving SBA loans, and partly explains why the small business sector is still stuttering, despite the efforts of the federal government. Clearly the funding is assisting the small banking sector, but small business owners, like Barbara, are still crying out for help. At the end of the day, the loan she did receive helped her pay off some debt. So while, she wasn’t complaining, the restrictions limited what she could do with that money.
Clearly, entrepreneurs are still in need of better, more comprehensive assistance from the federal government.
Franchise Direct has really been spreading its wings this February. Two weeks ago, we were in San Antonio at the International Franchise Association’s annual convention. But Franchise Direct is a global organization and last weekend, our UK team was at The Franchise Show in London.
The UK’s franchise market is one of the biggest in the world and it’s on the move as the UK economy begins to rebound. The Franchise Show was this year held at the Excel in London. There were over 65 speakers on hand and many great experiences to network with the leading lights in British franchising. Franchise Direct is marking its tenth anniversary of working in the UK market this year and we were more than pleased to spend a few days rubbing shoulders with the British franchising world.
Here are a few photos of the convention itself.
Franchise Direct’s Brian Rogan poses with a new friend from Down Under (acutally it’s a representative of the educational franchise Kindaroo).
Lillie Burroughs (left) and Sandra Pender of Franchise Direct and two representatives from Your Plumber.
Brian Rogan at the Franchise Direct stall at the Excel.
Sandra Pender of Franchise Direct is photographed here while Brian Rogan discusses what Franchise Direct to with some curious people.
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