That got me to thinking.  You’re the Genius of your company.  I’m the Genius of my company.  Through franchising you are able to teach, share and grow your Genius through others.  No risk, no more employees, and no additional investment.

Helping others while growing your business and your bottom line.  All with a 10 year commitment, renewable, on their part. Now, that’s what I call sweet!

Jim Gibbs bought 80 acres years ago….built a summer home….and kept purchasing more and more land. He currently has 300 acres with 220 of those acres landscaped. To give you an idea of the extensive project this was….it is the largest Japanese Garden in the U.S. It took him 15 years to bonsai the 50-60 year old trees and 5 years just to find the “correct” rocks. He is a well known landscaper here in Atlanta…wish you could see him grinning from ear to ear as he shares this magical estate with folks from ALL over. Funny story, one of the fellows in the parking lot (most all volunteers are from BC) spoke to a couple last week that flew in from Australia on Wednesday, to visit the Gardens on Thursday, and were flying home the following day…Friday. We met folks from various states….the word is out.

Right now the daffodils are the big attraction. Various types will continue blooming for the next 4 weeks. Over the years they have planted 3,000,000 bulbs. When you consider how they multiply, and looking back at their invoices, Mr. Gibbs thinks the number is now over 20,000,000. From one focal point, we could see 13 acres of daffodils. I have a calendar from their website that tells when each of the various flowers/gardens will be in full bloom. We plan to visit weekly. Enjoy the peaceful, tranquil and beautiful Japanese Gardens!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jast9e7Iqhg

Deciding “is my business able to be franchised” is the first step. This is not an easy decision. Some questions that we will ask you in order to fully understand your business are simple and straight forward. Is your business profitable? Why is your business profitable? Does your business provide a regional niche that may or may not be successful in other markets? Is your business unique? Does your current business need you to operate it to be successful? Do you have the time to dedicate to handling all the start up functions to launch your concept? These are just a few of the questions; we may ask in helping you make this decision.

After carefully analyzing your business concept and plan, we will work with you as a consulting team helping you decide if you say those words “franchise my business”. Then we will take action on your behalf.

How to franchise your business is then the next part of our system after concluding that this is the right step for you. We then help you with all the necessary paperwork such as operation manuals and franchise disclosure documentations. Then we prepare the franchise agreement that you will need to begin franchising. This is a lot of work and we strive to make sure that when you are ready to launch you will have all the necessary paperwork to license your trademark.

We will also help you to understand how to make franchising both rewarding and financially viable. We will look at your royalties and franchise fee that you will be charging. We will help you understand what to charge for marketing and advertising and other fees associated with the franchise. We will also look at other alternative means of revenues, such as commissary.

We will help you decide how to geo-target your franchise development on a location basis and or territorial planning. This is crucial in franchise development. Some concepts are best served by having franchises reasonably close together for branding purposes. This is especially true in the early stages of the franchise. Some concepts, to be successful, may need large amounts of territories in which to grow.

One of our steps is also helping you, as the franchisor, understand where to turn to get good quality franchise leads as prospects to become franchisees. This is vital, especially during the growth period of the franchise. There are many avenues for lead development including, and not limited to, your own website marketing and using franchise portals. There are even tradeshows where franchisors can set up to demonstrate their concepts to entrepreneurs.

If you are asking, how to franchise your business we believe you have found the right partner with Franchise ASAP to get started on the pathway for franchise success. Let our years of franchise experience and know how guide you on the adventure of franchising your business model. So let’s get started on Franchising My Business.

For the last 10+ years the Garden has been closed to the public while Jim has expanded it to it’s now 300 acres. And what a breathtaking expansion it is. I won’t try to describe it here, just go to the website, and take in the beauty.

You may wonder why I’m writing about the Garden in my business blog. For some time now I’ve believed that everything is a metaphor for something else. Let me explain. Jim, from the beginning has had a plan to have a world class Garden. Part of that plan has been a strategy to grow into what it is today. He knew what he wanted to do and he has done it.

I say the Garden is a metaphor for “How To Grow Your Business”. Jim is very proud of his Garden. You want to be proud of your business. Jim had a vision. You have a vision. He did his. You can, too.

These days we help companies do just that by helping them Franchise. We can help you do that with your company. Stay tuned for the next metaphor.

While the woods are full of businesses that want to franchise, few if any, think ahead to:

• How to find franchisees
• How to sell them on their particular franchise

With 10 million people out of work, you can easily find franchise buyers and people to sell franchises. After all, isn’t that what you’re aiming for?  To grow your business like you’ve dreamed of?

To find them, go where they hang out. Go to church help groups. Look on Craig’s List or Backpage. Talk to friends, family, neighbors. There’s even a group  that helps former military find jobs. Check them out on www.hirepatriots.com.

As you qualify potential franchisees, give them plenty of help when it comes to making the decision to join your organization. Provide area location analysis. Provide third party franchising. Show them how to develop their own Profit Analysis of your franchise.

Treat them like you would like to be treated and you will sell many more franchises.

We’re here to help.

Tags: Franchise Help. Franchise Success

Business owners like you franchise for 3 reasons:

• You want to grow faster than opening other locations yourself
• You  want to grow using other’s capital & energy
• You want to grow without managing more employees

In today’s economy this is even more important as the unemployment figures approach 10%. More people are looking for a business to get into to replace their lost job or they just want to get out of the corporate rat race and work for themselves.

The lower the cost of a franchise, the more potential buyers you have. And the lower the cost, the better chance they have of being successful in replacing their job.

Franchising works for companies whose real net profit is enough to allow the franchisee to pay a Royalty Fee (usually 5-6% Gross Revenue), pay himself, and have enough leftover to earn a 20% return on his investment. These numbers will vary, according to the industry, but on average they provide a good yardstick.

I don’t know of another business model that works so successfully to double the bottom line of your business. By simply selling 3 to 5 franchises, you are able to double your profits.

Of course, you wonder if the franchisee will deliver the same quality and service that you do. This is a legitimate concern. The solution is good initial training and at least quarterly follow-ups. That is where your management skills come into play. Picking the right franchisee and good management follow-up will substantially increase the your franchisee’s chance of success.

Businesses that work with us find that we are:

• Affordable – We offer turnkey development for less than $20,000
• Fast – We can have you ready to sell franchises in 6 weeks and ready to train in another 6 weeks.
• Hands On – You work directly with your consultant, not a group.

Our company, Franchise ASAP, provides turnkey franchise development and we welcome the opportunity to share with you how franchising could substantially help you grow your business.

Check out our website www.franchiseasap.com and give us a call at 770-595-1055.

WHY You FRANCHISE Your BUSINESS
Imagine opening 10 new business locations, without taking on any risk. Imagine managers running all those locations, which are just as committed to growing the company as you – and not having to pay them a dime. In fact they pay you money for the right to operate your business model.
 For many companies, creating a franchise program is a sensible way to achieve rapid, profitable growth without giving up any control or ownership. Going from a single location to a dozens or even hundreds is possible and well-documented because franchise owner-investors put up all investment capital, shoulder all risk and assume all day-to-day operating responsibilities. It’s expansion, using OPM – Other People’s Money.

ENTERING A NEW BUSINESS
The bad news is a company planning to franchise must realize it is entering a new business, offering an entirely different service (training & support) to entirely new customers (business owner-operators). This new business requires different skills, abilities and expertise. In the new business of franchising, it is critical to develop effective evaluation, documentation, mentoring, training and consulting skills.

THE FRANCHISE FEASIBILITY
An indispensable step before any franchise a business development program gets underway is an analysis of the concept and business model. Has the concept been sufficiently proven in the marketplace? How profitable are existing prototypes or company-owned outlets? Franchising will not solve existing problems, it will only intensify them. Franchising is not a way to raise capital, get rich quickly or expand a business with existing problems. There must be sufficient profitability in the business model so that royalty and other payments can be made and leave the franchise owner with a sufficient profit.

FRANCHISE STRATEGIC PLANNING
A successful franchise development program begins with a solid plan – a foundation for franchising. Often there is little or no strategic planning with new companies entering the franchise industry. More important than a business plan is a strategic plan – a vision of the franchise program together with a limited number of concrete, achievable action steps.

FRANCHISE DOCUMENTATION
If your company made doing a good job at the planning stage its number one priority, franchise documentation goals will be apparent. Proprietary assets (like recipes, formulas, methods, branding, operating techniques and customer information) need to be identified and protected. A catchy and appropriate name, logo and tag lines are registered as trademarks or service marks.

A franchise operations manual and franchise training program are developed, often from scratch, to impart business day-to-day operating skills to franchise owners as well as ensure uniformity of products and services. The franchise operations manual and training program curriculum must be drafted or edited with a particular focus. Certain topics, chapters and policies used in manuals for company-owned locations, for example, are entirely inappropriate in a franchise environment, creating significant franchise liability issues.

Finally, and only after all of the above are underway, a FDD Franchise Disclosure Document, similar to a securities (stock offering) prospectus, is prepared by a competent franchise attorney. Doing it correctly and with a balanced, fair perspective can save going to the courtroom later. Using a boilerplate or online FDD template will almost certainly guarantee a visit to the courtroom down the road. Since these visits cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and up, they are not cheap and far out weigh the cost of doing it right to begin with.

Training the Franchise Management Team -
 When the documentation phase is over, momentum gathers as the exciting implementation phase begins. This is where the sparks begin to fly as franchises are sold, new franchise owners are taught and trained, and opening assistance is provided. It’s also when most new franchise companies make serious mistakes that haunt them for years or even decades to come.

The Reason – Most new start-up franchise management teams have not been trained in how to properly operate their new business, nor can they afford to hire a six-figure, salaried person with franchise management experience.

A More Practical Solution –  Provide new franchise companies with in-depth franchise training instructional workshops as well as on-going, as-needed advice based.

Tags: How to franchise, Franchise My Business, Starting a Franchise
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We’ve just arranged a financing program for you, our franchisers. It is a three tiered program. Our program starts with unsecured debt, then secured debt, and lastly folds into an SBA program. It is possible that a buyer can get up to $250,000 if they have a credit score of 715 or better. This program works for franchisers also.

To find out more give us a call 770-595-1055.

Designing Your Franchise Program
The first step in the process is to design the key components of your franchise program. This includes the initial franchise fee, ongoing royalty, territory size, key operational processes, advertising fund, grand opening program and other key components of what will become your franchise agreement. You’ll use the pro-forma financials and actual operations of your location as the basis for establishing these items. A highly experienced franchise consultant can work with you to develop these items before “handing off” to a franchise attorney for a review, which is our approach.

Completing the Franchise Disclosure Document [FDD]
For this activity you’ll need our services. Using the results of a questionnaire and/or meeting with us and key items from above we will construct the franchise agreement. Together we will provide key input for what needs to be in the agreement. The cost of an FDD and franchise agreement will be in the $7,000 -$8,000 range or more! This can be completed in 6 weeks and you are ready to sell franchises. This doesn’t include the filing fees for various state registrations. There are 14 registration states which require that the FDD be filed and where necessary, conform to that state’s franchise regulation. It’s not necessary that the FDD be registered in a particular state unless the franchisor offer’s franchises from that state or offers franchises to residents of a registration state. If a franchisor is operating from New York they must be registered in New York state but can’t sell to candidates in the other registration states unless the FDD is filed in that state. Under this example a franchisor could still sell franchises in 36 states. Some advice, don’t have an agreement done until you’ve put your program together and have the capital to start off on the “right foot.”
Operations Manual and Training Program
The next step is to write an operations manual and design a training program for your new franchises. This information must be disclosed in the FDD. The franchise operations manual has a specific format and it will serve as the reference, instructional guide, training and procedural manual for your franchisees. Again this is where we come in. We will prepare a Franchise Operations Manual and incorporate your internal operations in that manual or a separate manual if it exceeds 100+ pages. This is done with your input ad usually takes another 6 weeks. The cost again runs from $7,000-$8,000.
You’ll need someone to do the training and you may choose to use your existing location as a training site. At the early stages of a franchise start-up many franchisors will use existing employees to perform the training. This may even include you . Training should include operations, marketing and other important components of franchise operations.
This means you can be ready to sell and train franchisees for from $14,000-$16,000.

Selling Your Franchises
All of the work that we’ve done and the initial capital you’ve invested is to bring you to the point where you can start to sell franchises. You’ll need to have a franchise   packet which is an information packet that can be emailed to franchise prospects. Be sure you have a web-site that can present your franchise opportunity in an attractive and effective way. If you have a limited amount of working capital to devote to the sale of new franchises you may consider existing employees or even a family member or friend who may want to be one of your new franchisees. Many clients with an existing business tell me that they have an unsolicited network of several people who would like to own a franchise. This can help you start your franchise program without spending a great deal of your capital advertising for leads.
If you have the capital to devote to generating leads for franchise prospects consider the following:
1. Your existing web-site can be used by increasing traffic on your site
2. Franchise internet sites
3. Seminars
4. Franchise handbooks or directories
5. Franchise shows
You’ll need to have a franchise sales process which will include recording leads, qualifying prospects and working with candidates right up to the franchise agreement being executed.
There are a number of details that need to be completed before a company can start selling a franchise. The above provides the more important steps which need to be taken to be a franchisor.
Our success as Franchise Consultants comes form offering an affordable and fast track to franchising. Don’t hesitate to call me @ 770-595-1055 or email tom@franchiseasap.com with your questions.