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Feature Stories

Franchise Social Media - Beyond the Basics
March 22, 2011
What is Franchise Social Media? Basically, it's more than just social media. It's the application and utilization of social media within a franchise environment. Sure, many of the same principles apply. But, franchising is different than most small business models. It's unique in many ways beyond the typical B2B or B2C model. There are specific disclosure laws that are a major part of the franchise candidate recruitment process. Even from a consumer proposition standpoint, the integrity of the entire franchise organization must be considered. And, one cannot discuss social media in a franchise environment without touching upon guidelines, policies and procedures, and brand uniformity.
Employee Retention Tips from Successful Franchisees
March 17, 2011
Retaining employees is an ongoing challenge for new franchisees -- and a key ingredient in building a successful business. After training employees to do their jobs well, the franchisee's goal is to retain them as productive, reliable workers. It costs much more to hire and train replacements than it does to work with current employees to improve their job performance.
Retaining Franchise Employees
March 2, 2011
Retaining great employees is the key to success in franchising, or in any business for that matter. This is especially true in retail businesses, where your company is represented by the people who deal directly with your customers. Hiring has its own challenges, but once employees are trained and performing well, your goal is to keep them. After all, you've spent the time to find them and train them, and don't want to go through that again if you don't have to. The best way to do that is to make them feel valued, recognized for performance, and provide them with a working environment that's better than the competition's. Easier said than done, but definitely doable. Just look to the best franchise organizations to see how it's done.
Unit Managers
February 23, 2011
Many new franchisees discover that they love being a franchise operator but often quickly learn that they can't always be in the store overseeing operations at all times. This is especially true as single unit operators expand. Since hourly employees typically need oversight, guidance, and sometimes redirection, many franchisee operators often turn to unit managers to help them keep the unit operating at maximum efficiencies. It's this "point man" who often wields the knowledge and power that can significantly affect a franchisee's bottom line. Naturally, you want talented and motivated managers.
Employee Motivation
February 16, 2011
Your hourly employees…they're the face of your franchise business. They greet and serve customers and are essentially the cornerstone of your customer service efforts. So it only makes sense that if you've gone to the effort to recruit right that you would want to make sure that you keep those top employees happy and motivated. You might be surprised how poorly some franchise operators actually are when it comes to motivating their hourly employees.
Training Tips from Successful Franchisees
February 9, 2011
Training employees can be challenging for new franchisees who have never operated their own business before. While they come to franchising with many valuable skills, training employees usually is not one of them. Large corporations have training specialists to do the job, and solopreneurs don't have to train anyone but themselves. And to be blunt, training at most companies leaves a lot to be desired. Yet, well-trained employees are essential to success at nearly all franchised businesses.
Training Franchise Employees: Essential ingredients for unit success
February 2, 2011
One of the challenges new franchisees face begins soon after the franchise agreement is signed: hiring and training employees. The success of each franchised unit depends on the quality and behavior of its employees - and it's hard to find a franchise concept that doesn't need employees to function.
Hiring Employees: Hire Smart and Avoid the Headaches
January 20, 2011
In many ways, the face of the franchise is its employees. They are the ones who meet and greet customers, provide the products and services, and represent the brand daily. Some franchise concepts require more employees than others, and there's a wide range of the types and skills sets of employees needed. But chances are you will need to do some hiring and, to some degree, it will remain an ongoing process for your business.
International Franchising Expansion: Where It's Happening, by Region
January 6, 2011
China is hot, as is much of Asia. So is Latin America. Hot for what? For expansion-minded U.S. franchise brands seeking growth opportunities. In a trend that accelerated with the onset of the Great Recession, U.S. franchisors have been looking overseas with greater focus for the past three-plus years.
International Franchising: Opportunities Abound
December 29, 2010
As the American economy staggered in the last few years of the 21st century's first decade, many U.S.-based franchisors began to search for growth opportunities overseas, casting a serious eye at international expansion. And from overseas, foreign-based franchisors saw depressed U.S. real estate prices and increased availability of prime locations as an opportunity to penetrate the U.S. market and establish a beachhead with American consumers.