Feature Stories
- The Power of Mom: Mothers have gotten into the franchising game and in many cases it's a perfect balance for working and raising a family
May 9, 2008
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.
- A Change in Personnel: New York City borough franchise operator places personnel in key roles for clients
May 1, 2008
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.
- Rags to Riches: Immigrant Mike Ghaida weaves adversity into success
April 10, 2008
Mike Ghaida lives in a million-dollar house in a quiet suburb in New Jersey with his wife and three sons, and $300,000 worth of cars in his driveway. It wasn't always this way for the 41-year-old Ghaida, who came to the U.S. from Lebanon at 17 to study English and architecture at LSU.
- Home healthcare for aging seniors will continue to be a growing franchising niche with plenty of opportunities
March 26, 2008
According to the U.S. Administration on Aging, by 2030 the number of Americans aged 65 and older will more than double to 71 million, that's roughly 20 percent of the U.S. population. In some states, as much as a quarter of the population will be aged 65 and older.
- Grease Monkey franchisee starts anew in his home town
March 13, 2008
Bill Dalton owned eight Grease Monkey franchises in the Seattle metro area. Today he owns one--a five-month-old, state-of-the-art facility in his home of Montgomery, Texas.
- Two American entrepreneurs are building Gold's Gym franchises throughout Russia, central, and eastern Europe
March 5, 2008
The former Soviet Union was a frightening frontier for expanding businesses in the early- to mid-1990s. The former communist country was experiencing growing pains as it left behind decades of closed existence and began embracing a new economy built around more of a free market-based environment. And it was just this setting that Jake Weinstock and Paul Kuebler dived into headfirst.
- Women's Weight Loss and Fitness: Will This Booming Market Suffer from Success?
February 7, 2008
Even 10,000-unit gorillas have an Achilles' heel. For Curves, the number-one women's fitness and weight loss franchise, its own success is now biting it in the ankle. Competitors of all sizes and shapes have sprung up, offering women an ever-increasing array of options for losing weight and staying fit.
- Now That's Handy: You don't have to be a skilled carpenter to successfully operate a handyman franchise
January 25, 2008
Brian Wigutow had always dreamed of operating his own restaurant. But after more than a dozen years in the industry he realized that for him -- and his family, which includes three young daughters -- it was just not going to be the right career choice. That's when he turned to a franchise broker and discovered, to his surprise, one of the franchise matches that best suited him…Handyman Matters.
- Franchise Financing Special Report: Keeping track of economic trends will maintain growth in '08
January 9, 2008
Financing is the lifeblood of expansion for franchisors and multiunit owners alike. Whether for advertising and marketing to sell additional franchises, or whether to remodel or build more company stores, without financing there is no growth and development. And, despite the rapid growth of new concepts and new units in the aftermath of the dot.com crash in 2000 and 2001, many forecasts of the economic climate and its effect on business growth in 2008 range from gloomy to dim--especially when it comes to credit and lending.
- New Year, New Us: Look for a new and improved Franchising.com in ’08
December 26, 2007
Season's Greetings! As we all wind down the old year and ring in the new, franchising.com has a New Year's resolution of our own for 2008: to be your premier franchising resource. Not only for the analysis and profiles we've brought you over the years, but also for the timely news and events you need to keep informed of the most current, up-to-the-minute developments in the world of franchising.
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