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Franchise Direct CEO Sean McGarry recently sat down for an engaging discussion with the international business news website Global Atlanta.

In a wide-ranging interview, Sean not only gives some of the history of Franchise Direct, but he also explains exactly what Franchise Direct does and exactly how a franchise portal like Franchise Direct helps to connect entrepreneurs to business opportunities. Atlanta is one of Franchise Direct’s global bases and in the interview, Sean also spells out why he chose to open an office in the Peach State. If you’ve ever been curious about Franchise Direct or buying a franchise, the interview below will answer most of your questions.

Another successful National Small Business Week wrapped up during the week as people around the country were reminded of the value of Main Street to the American economy.

Ken Walker, the recently-appointed IFA chairman, used the event as an occasion to call for greater regulation in the franchise industry and a spur in government small-business lending.

“Franchise businesses play a powerful role in creating jobs and economic activity on Main Streets across the country,” said Walker said. “We urge Congress to enact polices that lead to increased lending and less government spending. We are confident that policies to encourage lending will lead to more sustainable long-term job growth.”

To coincide with the event, the IFA have created a new ad that is now running in print magazines around the country featuring McDonald’s franchisee Jack Earle. Jack also recorded a video for Youtube. It’s a nice touch: Jack makes a clear case for the value of franchising as a jobs creator during a time of high unemployment.

Finally, I’d like to extend belated congratulations to Ken Walker for his appointment. He’s proved himself to be a great proponent of franchising in the past and it’s great to have a person who knows the industry inside-and-out as a leader.

We were blogging this week about the importance of branding in choosing a multi-unit franchise. Part in parcel of developing a brand identity is creating a living image of the franchise and few things embody this idea like Ronald McDonald.

Travel to any McDonald’s in the world and Ronald is there. He’s a simple, benevolent creation: a clown wearing the signature red and yellow colors of the Golden Arches. As such, he has a special appeal to children. But it appears that appeal is becoming controversial for some people.

It was fascinating to read about the debate that took place at a recent McDonald’s shareholders meeting in Oak Brook, Illinois. A consumer advocacy group called Corporate Accountability International attended the event and asked McDonald’s CEO Jim Skinner to retire Ronald McDonald forever. Their feeling is that Ronald, who has been around or 50 years, has become a “Joe Camel” type of advertising figure, existing for the sole purpose of advocating unhealthy eating to children.

Skinner profoundly disagreed with the group, describing Ronald as ‘force for good.’

“He communicates effectively with children and families around balanced, active lifestyles. He does not hawk food.”

It is not only food that Ronald McDonald is synonymous with. The Ronald McDonald House charities have been doing good around the world for a long time. Interestingly, the shareholders, the people whose opinion matters most to Skinner, applauded when he defended the legacy of Ronald McDonald.

It doesn’t seem that Ronald McDonald is being granted retirement. But you can certainly tell from this stand-off how contested brand image can become and how essential it is to choose the right one for your franchise.

Today, we’d like to describe a recent internet experience we had that could be of some great benefit to anyone interested in investing in a franchise.

Joel Libava, known to the world as The Franchise King, has given me the opportunity to review a easy to follow, eBook style course from his Franchise Online University. Virtually everyone with an interest in franchising knows about Joel. He calls himself the Franchise King, but he’s also something of a Franchise Shepherd. He’s a great, no-nonsense guide on the in’s and out’s of franchising. And since he teams with Franchise Direct on occasion, I was interested to have a look at his lectures, so to speak.

The course I reviewed was called ‘How to Carefully Select a Franchise to Buy’. Note that it isn’t called ‘How to Buy a Franchise This Second’. The main purpose of this seminar, and most of Joel’s work, is to assess firstly if you are cut out for franchise ownership. Once you can establish that, then Joel will help you find the ideal franchise for you. At 36 pages long, there’s a ton of information in here that will set you on your way to making a perfect investment.

These eBook-style courses are about content and advice, not flashy design. One thing I really liked is that it doesn’t get bogged down in business language. Joel uses the first person tense really well and even while you’re reading along on the computer, you get the feeling that he is right there in the room advising you. The report is not bound strictly to the PDF you download either. There are youtube links as well as informative radio interviews with Joel about the state of the franchising industry.

As for the guts of the course, without giving too much away, Joel provides excellent guidance for trying to match your own personal business abilities with the right kind of franchise opportunity. While we might be attracted to successful franchises, particularly of the food variety, franchising is a really broad umbrella with loads of different opportunities. Perhaps you are right for franchising. But for which kind of franchise? That’s what Joel is here for.

When you start out on the road to franchise ownership, you’ll need a guide. This course from the Franchise King is as good as any on the internet. Investing in the wrong business can be a costly mistake. Download these eBook style courses from the left-hand column of the Franchise King’s blog to avoid this problem.

For a certain class of entrepreneur considering franchise investment, there is one question that is difficult to answer: single or multi-unit ownership?

Today in Las Vegas there are a lot of people dealing with the latter half of that question. The IFA’s Multi-Unit Franchising Best Practice convention is taking place at the Las Vegas Hilton. The two-day conference examines many of the burning issues that matter most to multi-unit owners and anyone seriously considering investing in a number of franchise units will have come away with an education in the industry after today. Anyone in the Las Vegas area will still be able to attend.

For those still unsure, Franchising Times has published an excellent
article examining the benefits and perils of multi-unit franchising from a franchisors and a franchisees perspective. Writer Rocco Fiorentino looks at the case of Gary Robins, a Pennsylvanian who had been a multi-unit owner with Blockbuster before investing in SuperCuts Hair Salons.

“Robins considers himself a manager of people, not of a salon. With 34 units and growing, he has yet to pick up a pair of shears and actually cut hair. Robins will admit that financial performance in a brand is a must. For a franchisee, the initial investment versus the potential for return is critical in choosing a brand that is worth growing and investing in.”

The concept of “brand” is probably the most important thing to consider when investing in multi-unit franchises.

The story also lists franchises like BrightStar Home Care who are so keen to appeal to multi-unit owners, they’ve been holding multi-unit bootcamps.

“The CEO and founder, Shelly Sun, CFE, has dedicated specific resources to develop a multi-unit boot camp and a multi-unit mentoring program specifically designed to meet the needs for personal development for this new-age franchisee,” Fiorentino writes.

Not everyone is multi-unit material, but there are clearly top opportunities out there for the right entrepreneur. Find the right brand and you’ll be on your way.