Franchisee Resource Center

In a country obsessed with counting calories and limiting carbs, a new franchise has been born.

Looks like the College Hunks are graduating to the Penthouse.

Yes, according to a report on space-visible ads by NPR's Mito Habe-Evans, the Kentucky Fried Chicken gang has paid the ultimate tribute to their late leader, with a tile portrait of Colonel Sanders, out in the middle of a dry expanse of dirt in Nevada, that's visible from beyond our atmosphere.

So my recommendation is as follows: As early in the relationship as possible, invest the time necessary to clearly describe the shared expectations for how you will work with your customers and, and how you will work with your employees. If you do this well, everyone will be on the same page and when you deliver something a little bit better than they expect, the will see you as someone they trust, like and want to be loyal to – a strong driver of success for any business.

Before we get to the individual business profiles, however, a quick background on what senior care and home care businesses do and why they serve such an acute need: An increasing number of elderly Americans want the opportunity to remain at home as they age. Unfortunately, to do so, many of these individuals require personal assistance beyond what their families can provide. The best senior care franchises and homecare franchises manage to meet this need cost- effectively -- to the great relief of worried family members -- by providing compassionate non-medical care, such as transportation assistance, light housekeeping, meal preparation, companionship, assistance with taking medication, and, in certain cases, medical services.

There are several reasons for franchises to consider acquiring another franchise. It could give them the opportunity to add new products without the risk or cost of developing these offerings internally. It could help the buyer add new markets, geographically or demographically speaking, with an already strong existing brand. Acquiring a franchise supplier or distributor could build efficiency through vertical integration. Acquisitions can also help a franchise develop sufficient scale to compete with a larger rival more effectively.

Yes, all of the aforementioned stores offer frozen yogurt. And most of the products they offer are kosher, fat-and gluten-free, all-natural, and filled with probiotics found in “regular” yogurt that support immune health. Speaking of Pinkberry: Where does the equally colorful, both in name and storefront, Red Mango get off throwing around allegations of copycatism?

The first is to understand the key drivers of success in your business -- that is to say, the three or four major strategies or operational processes that make up the engine of profitability and success for your organization. As an example, for a restaurant these factors may include things such as speed, consistency, freshness, cleanliness and friendliness. For an auto parts store the key drivers will probably include inventory availability, customer service, expertise and pricing/margins. Once you understand the key drivers, it is critical that you focus on them incessantly and help everyone in your organization understand that it is their responsibility to make sure those drivers are the top priority for them every day at work.

Out on the web, there's more than enough entertaining and interesting information to make your head spin. While the Internet of a half decade ago was held hostage by professionals and degree-touting experts reporting in the same old monotone voices, passionate topic bloggers soon tore that model apart, and helped open up the medium to anyone with something to say.