Franchise Operations
Did Your Favorite Franchise Investment Meet the EVM Deadline?
As of October 1, 2015, all companies taking credit card payments in the U.S. were required to meet the European EMV standards. That means that, instead of reading a magnetic strip on the back of the card, credit card machines have to read a chip on the card instead. At…
Franchisee, Can Software Get You in Trouble?
Franchisees pay for many items of value when they invest in a franchise business opportunity. Often that includes specialized software. Proprietary software can be a big investment for a small business, and automating many of the tasks of a business can save significant amounts of money. Software can also sometimes…
Franchisee Conferences: What’s the Value?
Snap-On’s franchisee conference brought more than 8,000 franchisees together in Washington, D.C. this year. They roamed through a product expo, attended seminars on how to improve their businesses, and got hands-on training for new techniques. Many franchisors offer this kind of event annually. Is it worth going? Is it worth…
Franchise Cash Flow Questions
One of the most common complaints among people who have invested in a franchise business is that they aren’t earning enough, that they worry over meeting payroll and bills, or that they don’t have the sales they expected. As with so many franchise business problems, cash flow issues are often…
New York Minimum Franchise Wage Debate Heats Up
New York’s fast food franchise businesses are up in arms about a new minimum wage requirement that applies only to them. Supply and Demand Chain Executive quoted Queens franchisee Jack Bert as saying, “Singling out fast food restaurants while ignoring other industries that hire workers who are paid under $15…
Franchisees Getting Involved with the Community
Successful franchisees know that they can’t leave all the marketing efforts to the franchise corporate office. When you think about which franchise business opportunity to choose, you should consider what kind of marketing strategies will work for each franchise you consider, and what resources you have in those areas. One…
Should the U.S. Have National Franchise Laws?
Canada and Australia have recently made updates to their franchise business laws, but in the United States, every state has its own rules. You might have noticed, for example, that California is back in the headlines with a new version of the “Franchise Bill of Rights” which was vetoed by…
Looking for a Franchise? Here’s What You Should Know about Trademarks
One of the most important things a franchisee gets from a franchisor is the right to use a trademark. You can’t open your own burger joint and call it “Burger King” in order to get a great jump on marketing. You can only call your restaurant “Burger King” if you…
Franchise Business from a Virtual Office With Management Software
Talk with a franchisee who works from a “virtual office,” and you might think it’s the same as “work from home.” In some ways it can be, but there are definite differences. A virtual office centers around the software being used. It might involve virtual filing, virtual meetings, virtual…
Franchisee’s Cybersecurity Responsibility
Imagine you’re planning to open a franchise diaper service catering to busy new moms. Now imagine you could get the names and contact information of pregnant women in your neighborhood so that you could start marketing to them right away, before your competitors even think about it. You could. That’s…