Tag Archives: franchise clique

A Healthy Choice: Wok Box Fresh Asian Kitchen

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There are plenty of lunch and dinner choices to make when you’re looking for Chinese food, Japanese dishes and other Asian food specialties. As a franchise operator, wouldn’t it be convenient if your customers could find all of their favorite Asian dishes and other exciting new specialties under one roof?

Wok Box Fresh Asian Kitchen has put together a delicious variety of flavorful and healthy meal choices from popular Asian regions all in one menu. Expect favorites from Thailand, Malaysia, China, Singapore, Vietnam, Japan and many more. Wok Box Fresh Asian Kitchen’s lunch and dinner selections are made to order with fresh ingredients and unique sauces made exclusively for the Wok Box in their test kitchen.

The Wok Box pioneered the concept of freshly made pan-Asian food in Canada and packaged it in a quick serve restaurant model that fits into 1,200 to 1,500 square feet. Their growth has attracted abundant interest from would-be franchisees across Canada, resulting in more than 70 stores opening in three years.

Their diverse menu selections appeal to many tastes and attract both lunch and dinner customers. The restaurants are designed to create a comfortable, pleasant and unique Wok Box experience, encouraging customers to return often. But why limit your opportunities to serving dine-in customers only? Their Group Share menu selections encourage family style dining that easily lends itself to take out ordering too. Their customers enjoy the convenience of picking up their favorite menu items on their way home, so they can serve their family with practically no effort at all. Boost your sales further with Wok Box’s extensive catering menu. Give customers the opportunity to think of you when they need to cater a family gathering, business meeting, birthday party or sporting event.

With a management team boasting many years of practical hands-on experience, the Wok Box offers comprehensive support to its franchisees, starting with helping you understand how their markets are laid out, and then guiding you through the real estate process where you choose your store location. They will make sure you build a beautiful store complete with their interior designs and colors, tiled walls, big screen televisions and a unique and inviting kitchen design.

 

To learn more about the Wok Box franchise opportunity, please click the following link: http://www.franchiseclique.com/franchise/Wok-Box-Fresh-Asian-Kitchen.

Franchise Profile: The Grout Medic

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The Grout Medic, in response to exploding customer demand, was founded under the commitment that their company could provide customers a viable, long term, cost effective, alternative to replacing tile and grout.

 

The Grout Medic is the leading grout & tile restoration franchise with over 40 locations across the US. Their franchise owners come from all walks of life, but they all have the same common goals; to gain control over their future and provide a better lifestyle and opportunity for themselves and their families.

 

At The Grout Medic™ their goal is simple – To create an opportunity to allow motivated, hardworking, business-minded individuals a low cost, high margin path to success. In doing so, The Grout Medic™ has become a leading grout and tile repair service with a cost effective, highly profitable, operating system offering a valuable service to their customers with very little competition. The Company’s foundation is based on solid business principles, extensive training and post operating support and, most of all, their experienced and dedicated people.

 

 

The Grout Medic Difference:
The Grout Medic has an industry leading approach to grout and tile restoration which has been one of the major factors in its success. They use exclusive equipment including their vapor machine and electric grout removal tools, as well as techniques and exclusive product lines to position The Grout Medic as the leader in the industry. The Grout Medic also employs a number of “green” practices in line with the current consumer demand.

 

To find out more about this amazing franchise opportunity, please visit the following link: http://www.franchiseclique.com/franchise/The-Grout-Medic. An online form may also be submitted for more detailed information.

Women and Franchises: how to pick the best one for you

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Every woman is unique. If you have made the decision to be self-employed, but are still mulling your choices, consider opening a franchise. The multitude of possibilities out there means that there is bound to be a franchise that’s right for you and reflective of your unique personality. There are many steps to think about, so let’s dive right in.

 

What kind of franchise opportunity should you choose?
As a woman choosing the best opportunity to pursue, maximize the benefit of your point of view- the woman’s point of view that is. There are plenty of business avenues where your perspective as a woman gives you a competitive advantage. From automotive maintenance to home maintenance, women have their own perspective on researching and buying a product or service. Utilize this and your sales will benefit as a result.
Some of the specific franchise areas that would benefit from a woman in charge are:

Women’s fitness;
Women’s dietary supplements;
Women’s health products or services;
Fashion retailer;

The list above is intended to get your ideas flowing. Knowing what a woman wants with regard to certain products is a valuable viewpoint for most business ventures, so take this knowledge to the next level with the following step.

 

Stick to your strengths!
Next, consider your strengths and abilities. You want to match your talents and interests with the franchise that makes the most sense for you.

 

Consider these questions:

Is there an area in which your friends always ask you for advice?
Did you gain expertise or a skill-set in a previous job?
What are your interests and passions?

 

Keep your strengths in mind when shopping for a franchise. You want to be in a business that you enjoy and will stick with.

Make a list of your top 5 choices, and then contact them –
Contact the franchisors (the owners selling you the franchise rights) that interest you the most. Emphasize any management and sales experience that you have. Making sales is the heartbeat of any franchise, so align your passion for the product with your previous experience and skills.

 

Balance –
If you have a family or other responsibilities, look into franchise opportunities that allow you to better balance the work and home aspects of your life. A franchisor should help you establish whether opening a store an acceptable distance from your home is feasible. Business planning and education are part and parcel of buying a franchise, and the franchisor should help you in this regard.

 

Startup cost and experience-
Each franchise has a cost to buy into the opportunity. Evaluate your top choices, keeping in mind the amount of your initial investment. Ask about how other franchisees are faring, sales-wise. This will help determine the length of time it may take to get back your investment, as well as giving you a snapshot of the health of the company. A strong record of sales will help reduce your risk. Remember to ask the franchisor about any previous experience that is required.

 

Get Started –
Prospective entrepreneurs have many resources at their disposal. Businesses ranging from unique candy and fashion retail to educational services and tax preparation await those women motivated to become successful owners of a franchise. To learn more about these and other franchise opportunities available, please visit www.franchiseclique.com.

Franchising – Is It for You?

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When someone decides to buy a franchise, there are many questions which need to be asked before they part with their money.

 

Does the company have a solid reputation?  Do you have the required funds to make owning the business licence a reality?  Will your bank lend you additional funds to help you get started?

 

While all these questions are perfectly valid, they fail to touch on another important area which should be explored before you consider taking up a franchise opportunity.  This additional area is you.

 

It is easy to overlook your own skills and qualities when you are researching the opportunities on offer, yet these will act as the most valuable components of your potential success or failure.  You need to be sure of your own strengths and weaknesses before sinking thousands of dollars into a franchise.

 

It may be that the idea of owning your own business appeals to you, but doing it all on your own seems too daunting to consider.  Franchising offers you the security of trading under a familiar name, selling a product the buying public already knows about.  You are entering a business which, in effect, has already been sweated over and set up for you.  All the hard work has been done… right?

 

Well, not exactly.  The groundwork has been laid, yes, but there is still a lot of hard work to be done on your part, and you should be prepared to put in long hours – at least to begin with – if your franchise is to succeed.  There can be a lot of money in franchising, but as with all money making ideas, it does not work on its own.  Are you persevering enough to see it through?

 

Alternately, if you like to operate totally on your own, franchising is not likely to be a good choice.  You will be your own boss to an extent, but not all the decision making will be down to you.  You need to be honest with yourself here – does this work structure appeal to you… or are you put off entirely?

 

Confidence is another keystone in the world of franchising.  If you doubt your own abilities at all, then any success you achieve is likely to be on a small scale.  You need to have an unshakeable belief in yourself – preferably one which is backed up by people who know and will support you.  No business venture is foolproof, but with an ability to recognise this and a belief that you will eventually succeed, you will be better able to plod determinedly through the hard times in order to reach a higher level of success.

 

You also need to consider which franchise would suit you best.  There are several hundred companies offering franchises to the right people, encompassing many areas of operation – clothing, business services and food outlets, to name but a few.

 

If you happen to be a vegetarian, then a franchise with McDonalds is probably not a good idea.  You need to choose a company which operates in a sector you are familiar with, and one in which you will preferably have some existing skills.  For example, if you had some experience in the clothing industry, then you will no doubt possess some useful skills which can be put into a franchise with a company such as Benetton.  Monetary input is not the only decisive factor when buying a franchise.

 

The question of location is another important area to consider.  An increasing number of franchisees – especially those with family commitments – are working from home, and you may find the advantages of this kind of franchise would appeal to you more than if you worked in a shop.  Travel expenses are virtually non-existent, you don’t have the worry of shop (and home) security when you are in one place or the other, and your working day is much more flexible.

 

With the help relevant associations in your country can give you (try a search on Google), you will be able to assess whether or not you are the right person to take on a franchise.

 

If you do have what it takes, and you make the most of the skills and abilities you have, then success in this attractive, rapidly growing and relatively secure sector of the business market may soon be yours.

 

Franchise Clique Helps Entrepreneur Become Franchisee

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Manny’s Mediterranean Café announced this week plans to open a new franchise location in Charlotte, N.C. The new location, which will open in the next 90 – 120 days, is owned by entrepreneur Stephanie Cripe, who discovered Manny’s thanks to Franchise Clique.

 

Rena and Thomas Cripe, both graduates of UNC-Charlotte, will handle the franchise’s daily operations while Stephanie serves as the owner.

 

Manny’s Mediterranean Café is a fast-casual restaurant franchise that serves mediterranean and American favorites. The franchise concept is currently expanding and looking for personable entrepreneurs who have a large network of personal contacts and established in their communities.

 

The ABC’s of Franchising

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Do you know your franchise industry ABC’s? 

 

A is for Autonomous — Why did you want to become a franchisee in the first place? More than likely it was because you wanted to be your own boss. Who doesn’t crave more autonomy at work?

B is for Blue Mau Mau — If you’re looking for the best original and curated content, press releases and articles on franchising, business opportunities and small businesses, Blue Mau Mau is the place to go.

 

C is for Crowdfunding — Funding remains a challenge for all entrepreneurs, not just those who are hoping to open a franchise. New legislation is sure to help crowdfunding’s popularity as a way to raise capital.

 

D is for Discovery Day — One of the most important days for a potential franchisee is discovery day. While each concept’s discovery day is a bit different, it normally includes a visit to the franchise’s headquarters, a sit down with the development team and often a meeting with the franchisor. Often, the franchise discovery day is the last stop before you sign on the dotted line and become a franchisee.

E is for Entrepreneur — Entrepreneur magazine has long celebrated franchising with its “Franchise 500”, their annual ranking of the industry’s top franchise concepts. The magazine also features a franchising section and often covers topics pertaining to the industry on its website.

 

F is for FDD — The franchise disclosure document (FDD) sounds just like what it is: a legal document that discloses the major facts and figures that make up each particular franchise concept to a prospective buyer. The FDD is intended to provide potential franchisees with enough detailed information to make educated decisions about a possible franchise investment.

 

G is for Growth — Growth despite economic challenges and uncertainty has become a hallmark of the franchise industry. Despite the woes experienced by many during the Great Recession, the franchise industry recovered well. The IFA expects the number of franchise establishments to grow by 1.4 percent in 2013.

 

 

H is for Healthcare — As the Affordable Care Act became law in 2012, the franchise industry took to the podium to speak out against the potential damages of the healthcare overhaul on small businesses. Many franchisors, including Papa John’s CEO, John Schnatter and Catherine Monson of FASTSIGNS have spoken out against President Obama’s healthcare reforms.

 

I is for IFA — The International Franchise Association (IFA) is the world’s largest and oldest organization representing franchising worldwide. It acts in the best interest of the franchising industry to promote, protect and enhance the franchise industry through policy, PR, and education.

 

J is for Jobs— No, not Steve Jobs, although we’re sure he’d appreciate the economic fortitude that is the franchising industry. According to the IFA, The franchising community provides nearly 18 million jobs!

K is for King — Joel Libava, aka “The Franchise King”, writes a phenomenal blog on all aspects of the franchising industry. His posts range from evaluations of franchising concepts, helping potential franchisees and issues the industry faces. Follow him on Twitter @franchiseking.

 

L is for Las Vegas — This year, the annual IFA Convention will be held in Las Vegas. The IFA’s annual convention allows for all members of the franchising community to congregate and connect. This year, Franchise Clique’s CEO David Schwarz will attend with his key managers as an “Entrepreneur of the Year” award nominee.

 

M is for Military — Military veterans have been welcomed profusely to franchising by franchisors and the IFA alike. The push to hire military veterans has been facilitated by websites like Veterans Franchise.com, VetFran and crowd funding platforms like Boost a Hero.

N is for Nation’s Restaurant News — This magazine delivers breaking news about the $600 billion food industry, including franchises. Since 1967, NRN has been covering trends, operators, suppliers and major figures in all areas of the food service industry.

 

O is for Operations — As a franchisee, a large part of your day deals with the day-to-day operations that make a franchise unit run smoothly. Luckily, those with varying degrees of business experience can count on their franchisor counterparts to lead the way. After all, one of the best parts about franchising is the proven track record and support provided to each franchisee by its franchisor.

 

P is for Portal — As the franchise industry picks up speed, leaving the Great Recession behind, portals have become an invaluable source of leads. Some, like Franchise Clique, Franchise Buy and Veterans Franchise, have begun call-verifying leads as franchise sales and development teams field an increasing number of inquiries.

 

Q is for Quick-Casual — If you didn’t catch our recent post on food costs and the franchising industry, you missed out on a short and sweet explanation of how food franchises continue to grow despite rising food, oil and transportation costs. The real winner in the food franchise category? Quick-casual restaurants, which are predicted to grow 1.7 percent in 2013, the third largest growth percentage according to the IFA. Also, quick-casual restaurant franchises make up two-thirds of all food related franchise establishments.

 

R is for Restaurants — When you think of franchising the golden arches and drive-thrus probably spring to mind first. It’s no wonder, considering food franchise establishments comprise 33 percent of all franchise establishments.

S is for Steve Caldeira — Stephen J. Caldeira is the President & CEO of the International Franchise Association. As the President and CEO, Caldeira works with the IFA’s board to set the course for the organization’s strategic priorities: policy, research, education, PR, and various development programs. Mr. Caldeira has 30 years of government relations, political communications, fundraising and professional development experience. Prior to his current position, Caldeira served as the Executive Vice President of Global Communications & Chief Public Affairs Officer for Dunkin’ Brands, Inc.

 

T is for Trillion — Yes, that’s trillion with a “T”! The franchise community represents $2.1 trillion of economic output just for the U.S. economy.

 

U is for Understanding — Let’s talk it out. No, really. When you’re deciding which franchise to buy, it’s important to do your research, ask questions and find out all you can about the concepts that interest you before taking the next steps. A franchise is a long-term business investment

 

V is for Vision — If the franchising industry were a word it would be “expansion.” Beyond the U.S. and Canada lies opportunity– and the franchise industry knows it. More and more brands are expanding their vision to Africa, Asia, Australia, South America, Europe and the Middle East.

 

W is for Work — Despite the autonomy inherent in becoming a franchisee, there’s also a lot of hard work. Ask any small business owner and they’ll tell you how much they wish there were more than 24 hours in a day.

 

X is for Xenophile — Now that’s an SAT word! As far as we’re concerned, one of the very best things about the franchise industry is its acceptance of other cultures. Whether it’s a franchisee expanding outside of the U.S. or the birth of a new food franchise celebrating a cuisine that’s not quite mainstream yet, the franchise industry makes a point to bring “new” and “different” to the masses.

Y is for Yogurt — How many frozen yogurt places can you count driving through your city or town? The frozen yogurt franchise craze, which hasn’t cooled yet, has been going strong for years. Though it’s not the oldest type of franchise concept in the industry, it’s certainly one that’s made other consider franchising as a viable means of making a living.

 

Z is for Zany— As of late,new franchise concepts have gotten creative and outright zany! Nail art vending machines, make your own sushi franchises and dog walkers have become incredibly popular. What could be next?

Franchise Clique Helps 360 Clean Find Two Franchisees

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Sorry for the blogging hiatus, everyone. As I’m sure you know, the holidays are rarely a relaxing time of year. We’ve been very, very busy!

One of our wonderful cleaning franchise clients, 360 Clean, contacted us this week to share some great news: thanks to our lead generation efforts, they’ve welcomed two new franchisees to their concept!

 

“FranchiseClique is a great resource for our lead generation. We have found that FranchiseClique is innovative in their approach to lead generation and we are excited that it produced two new franchisees for 360clean in the Fall of 2011.  We look forward to more franchisees from our relationship with FranchiseClique.”

– Barry Bodiford, 360 Clean CEO

 

 

 

 

Why Location Doesn’t Matter When It Comes to Franchise Real Estate

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Franchise Territory Mapping Tools

The old adage that the three things that matter most in real estate are location, location and location is only half true. The most important factor is the relationship between the property’s purpose and its geographic location, especially when it comes to your business’ profitability.

 

Think about the way you chose your current living space. What were your primary considerations? Were you more concerned with proximity to your workplace or neighborhood safety? Did you want an urban or suburban lifestyle?

 

How we choose our residential living space is similar to the way a serial entrepreneur or franchisor selects his or her next business location. It’s all about the relationship between the available geographic space and its constituents, rather, the potential customers.

 

But when you’re investing thousands of dollars of your own money to open a new location, you might want to consider more than just urban versus suburban lifestyles and how close you are to the best schools in town.

 

Or do you?

 

Well, it depends. Regardless of the economic, demographic or geographic success indicators for a franchise, a key step in the development process is market analysis. Territory mapping software can be very helpful in analyzing, processing and aggregating data that otherwise would be mind-numbingly difficult to interpret if left in an Excel spreadsheet.

 

Tetrad, Geometrx, Microsoft MapPoint, Alteryx, Maptitude and MapInfo Professional are some useful territory mapping options we found for franchise mapping purposes. All use their own unique mix of geographical, mapping and demographic datasets to help business decision makers.

 

Tetrad uses PCensus, demographic and geographic data to help clients plan sites and evaluate/analyze market data.

 

  • Measure trade area performance by comparing your business’ performance relative to local competition.
  • Find new markets and opportunities
  • Evaluate shopping centers
  • Locate distribution centers and identify key facts about shipments
  • Minimize transportation cost by changing geographical location of shipment centers
  • Determine the positive or negative effects of relocation

 

Geometrx is a territory management tool. The software is designed to use Geometrx’s and the client’s datasets together to generate a view of current territories and suggestions on effective management options.

 

  • Manage up to five territory hierarchies (from the national level to micro-geographical locations)
  • Scenario tracking and management allows users to compare and contrast possible situations using Geometrx’s and the user’s datasets

 

Microsoft MapPoint uses map data to pinpoint relationships between data and geographical location, trends and opportunities.

 

  • Good option for International franchisors as it has European datasets
  • GPS sharing capabilities
  • Ability to analyze local markets and your competitors

 

Alteryx thought of everything when they created their software. The business analysis tool is, like the other software profiled, to examine the meaningful connection between different sets of data.

 

  • Math lover’s delight—user has access to simple and complex mathematical formulas and functions (if/then statements, spatial manipulations, numeric conversions, etc.)
  • Access to financial metrics, measurements and statistical data sets like net present value (NPV) and internal rates of return (NRR).
  • Analysis and mapping of trade areas using census data and standard geographical limitations like county lines and zip codes.
  • Geographic news search (using MetaCarta’s library)

 

Maptitude uses data from the census, core based statistical areas (CBSAs), counties, zip codes and other geographical limitations.

  • International capabilities make Maptitude a great option for franchisors expanding into non-U.S. territories.
  • Create and edit maps, analyze geographical data and connect to corporate data resources that offered free of charge on Maptitude’s website. The software supports over 50 file types and 100 GIS formats.

 

MapInfo Professional is a Windows-based mapping and geographical analysis application designed to examine the relationships between data and geography.

  • MapInfo Pro allows users to manage location-based assets
  • Gain an understanding of markets
  • Discover trends
  • Create custom maps.

 

 

Lead Generation 101

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In between unpacking boxes and putting away belongings my home telephone rang. I reached to answer it thinking it was probably my mother. I kicked myself as I realized even she didn’t have my new number yet.

“No thank you,” I said, “I’m really not interested.” The call was, of course, from a solicitor. Despite her encouragement to support a worthwhile charity by purchasing magazine subscriptions, I refrained. I was more concerned with how this woman got my telephone number.

Cold calling is a (very annoying) marketing tool that often yields poor results for one simple reason: you’re calling an uninterested prospect.

Lead generation is a marketing term that refers to the process of generating prospective consumer interest or inquiry into products or services of a business. Quite simply, lead generation identifies the people who want to talk to you.

Used by companies large and small for a variety of reasons, lead generation is a solid and effective marketing tool. The goal of lead generation is to generate quality leads. Quality leads are determined by a prospect’s inclination to take their inquiry or interest to the next level. A quality lead expresses interest and then, due to your excellent sales technique, turns that interest into an investment or a purchase in your product, business or service.

Lead generation methods and techniques are numerous and most businesses use a combination of several methods as part of their marketing strategy. The most important lead generation methods are those that work (i.e. generate quality leads). While no best methodology or technique exists there are best practices for each method. Keep your end goal in mind when choosing lead generation techniques for your marketing campaign.

When the term lead generation is mentioned, it often brings to mind online marketing and advertising – a very commonly used method. Franchise Clique’s expertise falls under this category. Due to the fact that the Internet is like a storefront that is always open, online advertising is a cost-effective approach to lead generation. Through search engine optimization, organic search engine results, paid search engine results and a laundry list of other ways, you are able to generate leads literally in your sleep.

Common Lead Generation Methods

1. Branding – Involves the use of sponsorships, advertising, associations, newsletters and events to produce leads.

2. Public Relations – Involves the use of editorials, news releases, public speaking engagements, news coverage (radio, broadcast, print and online), article placement, and content generation to produce leads.

3. Website – Involves search engine optimization (SEO), podcasts, blogging, RSS feeds and unique URL landing pages to produce leads.

4. Phone Calls – Involves developing relationships, gaining internal referrals, identifying business shortcomings and needs, opt-in for content notification, re-engaging with previously missed opportunities, identifying and/or verifying contacts and inviting contacts to events in order to produce leads. *Please note the difference between this marketing approach and cold calling. This is about developing and not establishing relationships.

5. Email – Involves using one-to-one messages or one-to-many messages to produce leads.

6. Online Marketing – This is probably the most popular and widely known lead generation method. It involves using organic search engine results, paid search engine results, webinars, newsletter sponsorships, banners, portals and online directories to produce leads.

7. Direct Mail – Involves using postcards, personal letters, dimensional mail (this is exactly what you would imagine it to be—something other than a normally shaped piece of mail), and self-mailers to produce leads.

8. Events – Involves going to and/or hosting one or more of the following: seminars, workshops, webinars, conferences, executive briefings, and tradeshows.

9. Referrals – One of my favorite methods. Referrals work because of how much we believe the opinions and experiences of those we trust. Using referrals as a lead generation technique involves using vendors, consultants, customers and partners and their trusted experiences.

For more information, I suggest you read The B2B Refinery by Green and Saylor, Lead Generation for the Complex Sale by Carroll and Marketing for Dummies.