If you are a successful franchise of a large franchise brand or chain, chances are you will wish to expand. The most important thing to do is make sure you are on the most positive terms with your franchisor. You should tell your franchisor at the earliest point of your plan to expand. It is important that you ask the franchisor for help when you are expanding. Growing your business is not an easy task. It requires systematic checks of your business. The kind of checks your car does electronically such as sensors telling you:
Your alternator is charging
Your battery is good
Your seat belt is on
You have gas in your tank
Oil pressure
You are not overheating
Your speed is ok
Your RPM's are appropriate for the gear you are in
As long as the little warning lights are good, everything is ok. Right. Wrong. As you know, those are important indicators. However, what about the warning buzzer that says; Your door is ajar. Your door really isn't a jar. It's a door, not a jar. This sounds funny but think about it. There are warning lights in a car but they may mean more than they say or they may be a false alarm.
For instance, when you turn on your engine all the lights are on. Most modern cars display malfunctioning lights at least once during their life. These lights are great for idiots, as a matter of fact they are often called idiot lights, but they are bad for do-it-yourself mechanics. Some cars display lights automatically at a certain number of miles. The check engine light goes on. The dealership is the only one who can reset the lights. If you are a do-it-yourselfer and have maintained the car yourself, the light still goes on and stays on. Later, when something does go wrong, the do-it-yourselfer doesn't know because the light has always been on. Whoops.
Like a car, franchisors have built safety switches into there business models. They have out all the mistakes for you before they happen. These set of idiots lights will help you, but make sure you are interpreting them correctly. An erroneous reading of a warning light will create unnecessary hardship for you as a franchisee. An example of an erroneous reading would be:
Your sales are up 50% and you just signed a huge one year contract. You should expand because you are doing 1.5 times what a normal franchise does right.
Most would say yes, business is up, new contracts coming in, you are good as gold. On the surface this may look good. But any good franchisor will tell you this is a typical sign of a cash flow issue. Sales are up, but how are receivables? One year contract is good, but are they also net 90 days? If you do not have proper cash flow funding you could wind up waiting for a check in the mail the day the bank comes in and wants to repo your entire store? This is why you need to talk with your franchisor and have a game plan, pay attention and use their expert advice? After all that is why you bought a franchise in the first place. Think about it.
"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.worldthinktank.net/wttbbs
limo prices to midway Crystal Lake west of Randal .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareHuman beings are rational agents. Rationality endorses one to take... Read More
1. Largest Selection -One way that you can make your... Read More
There's nothing automatic about corporate growth, particularly in the information... Read More
Richard L. Daft one of the country's recognized academic leadership... Read More
The format of a Business Plan is something that has... Read More
The new check cashing instant clearing will take some time... Read More
The trick is to determine what uniquely identifies your best... Read More
The University of Exeter in the United Kingdom recently published... Read More
Writing a business plan for a franchised outlet of a... Read More
A recent conversation started with a typical question, "How's business?"... Read More
Ask a small business owner about their strategic plan and... Read More
Writing a business plan to help you direct and manage... Read More
Building a dynamic small business is a constantly evolving, increasingly... Read More
With a heightened awareness of opportunity, ideas can often be... Read More
Many business start-up kits or consultants will tell you one... Read More
Business owners and entrepreneurs are, by nature, risk takers and... Read More
If ever there were an industry where we want zero... Read More
We have been spending many hours surveying the market for... Read More
The first step in starting a restaurant is proper planning.... Read More
Microsoft Great Plains fits multiple services market niche and healthcare... Read More
More than $117 billion passed hands from Internet shoppers to... Read More
Microsoft Great Plains, former Great Plains Dynamics is excellent fit... Read More
Want to become more strategic? Add these traits to your... Read More
If you own the mid-size business and actively work in... Read More
Microsoft Great Plains fits horizontal markets clientele and in case... Read More
taxi o'hare Auburn ..( * - the word 'product' can be substituted to... Read More
Imagine spending the same amount of money on marketing and... Read More
If you are in the parking business and own or... Read More
Is there really anything as a problem? Does chaos or... Read More
Mobile auto detailing equipment becomes very inexpensive around March each... Read More
Business seems to drop, slow or even stop during the... Read More
Possibly THE most frequently asked question of me is "What... Read More
A well known, national chain of restaurants discovered that certain... Read More
To stop a computer virus you must understand how it... Read More
"I don't need a business plan."Neither did Alice in Wonderland."Would... Read More
Businesses tend to avoid doing their annual business plan thinking... Read More
There is a story, about a business owner who wasn't... Read More
We all agree Strategic Planning is a critical part of... Read More
Twice a year, Bill Gates goes to a remote island... Read More
This will make some people angry as hell, but it's... Read More
Too much goal setting and strategic planning can leave you... Read More
When developing the competition section of your business plan, companies... Read More
A menu is the foundation of any restaurant; Guests will... Read More
When you start your program to purchase your "ideal" company,... Read More
Why do so many companies languish and watch as their... Read More
We all know that nothing runs without a plan, and... Read More
Want to become more strategic? Add these traits to your... Read More
If you've ever listened to Warren Buffett talk about investing,... Read More
When in doubt, cut that out! Yeah, yea, doubting Thomas... Read More
In Ohio: besides the 3-Cs you should look at Akron,... Read More
Strategic Planning |