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
tidy up service Glenview ..Strategic alliances are increasing at a rapid rate. It is... Read More
It doesn't take a Terrorist Act, Tsunami or Earthquake to... Read More
Most companies that are worthy of raising venture capital have... Read More
( * - the word 'product' can be substituted to... Read More
Business owners and entrepreneurs are, by nature, risk takers and... Read More
Writing a business plan to help you direct and manage... Read More
The format of a Business Plan is something that has... Read More
Writing a Business Plan these days is tough, venture capitalists... Read More
Is there a 'magical' way to exponentially grow your business?It's... Read More
What gets measured gets done.How do you keep your business... Read More
As a franchisor it is imperative that you seek, find... Read More
Too much goal setting and strategic planning can leave you... Read More
While writing an article recently on effective ways to bridge... Read More
The day you decide to take the plunge and work... Read More
A significant advantage of some business ideas is that the... Read More
Part 1A few weeks ago I attended a seminar sponsored... Read More
Fun From The StartFor those with the will to start... Read More
Anyone who has been watching the Idaho Market Carefully for... Read More
1. Largest Selection -One way that you can make your... Read More
Much of what we heard in the mass media about... Read More
Is your business growing as fast and effectively as it... Read More
The current state of the available technology at the disposal... Read More
Why cut costs now? Efforts are multiplying to cut costs... Read More
No "meme" isn't a typo and Got Milk, the more... Read More
The first task before hiring a contractor for home remodeling... Read More
full-service cleaning Mundelein ..Would you like to jumpstart your online or offline business... Read More
Building a dynamic small business is a constantly evolving, increasingly... Read More
There's nothing automatic about corporate growth, particularly in the information... Read More
How are you feeling today? Good, not so good, great?... Read More
"Did you hear what your competitor is doing?" This question... Read More
Succession planning requires the owner of a small or medium-sized... Read More
If you've ever listened to Warren Buffett talk about investing,... Read More
Mobile auto detailing equipment becomes very inexpensive around March each... Read More
Many business start-up kits or consultants will tell you one... Read More
Microsoft Great Plains fits multiple services market niche and healthcare... Read More
I love the excitement of starting up a new home... Read More
The University of Exeter in the United Kingdom recently published... Read More
Ask a small business owner about their strategic plan and... Read More
You have heard that there is extra money on the... Read More
One of the key challenges for any business is to... Read More
Every decade we seem to come up with a buzz-word... Read More
Conventional wisdom has it that there are only three ways... Read More
"Most great plans aren't. They are just nice, high-level ideas."That's... Read More
In 1989, Sony founded its Institute of Wisdom at the... Read More
Please take a moment before you read any further and... Read More
Making money doesn't make your reputation... your reputation makes you... Read More
Every new business owner knows that a business plan is... Read More
Is there really anything as a problem? Does chaos or... Read More
More than $117 billion passed hands from Internet shoppers to... Read More
Why cut costs now? Efforts are multiplying to cut costs... Read More
Strategic Planning |