Alesia

Inspiring words from an inspiring woman. What are you willing to do to win?

The old cliché, “work smarter, not harder” is true for a reason. These five tips will get you thinking about your personal productivity in whole new ways. #innovativethinking #franchising #franchisedictionarymagazine

Wise words from a wise man. Happy Presidents Day!

You’ve got to master one key skill if you want to be a franchise owner, make money, or be successful. You must learn to sell.

Now, when we say learn how to sell we don’t mean learn how to be pushy, rude, overwhelming, or any of those other not so nice words and phrases that people sometimes associate with sales teams. Og Mandino’s book “The Greatest Salesman in the World” — a bestseller with over 50 million copies sold — doesn’t say one word about how to push and sell your product. Instead the book, and the story contained within, teaches you how to become the greatest PERSON in the world. It touches on things such as: the importance of greeting each day with love in your heart, the need to persist until you succeed, being grateful, living each day as if it were your last, being unique and laughing at the world no matter what situation you’re in.

By learning the needed attributes of love, hard work, confidence and inner peace, we not only will become better sales people, but each of us can become a better leader, business owner and friend. We will help more people, have more success, and live a happier life.

When it comes down to it, we can relate almost anything in our life to selling. We are always trying to convince others of our way, get others to work with us, or get people to use our product. If we can attack each situation with a “salesman” type attitude and show love, confidence, and gratitude, there is no way that we can fail. So, if you have negative opinions when it comes to sales, consider what we’ve just discussed here and look at it as a way to approach life with a whole new attitude.

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Who will you share your pizza and heart with today?

Former NFL linebacker Gary Brackett is finding success off the field with his 10 (that’s right, 10) Stack Pickle bar locations. #franchise #franchisee #stackedpickle

Is it time? Are you just over it and done with the cube farm life?

Are you tired of languishing under directors who don’t value your contribution to the organization?

Are you the enterprising type who loves to create jobs and wealth and see the fruits of your labor?

If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, franchising might be right for you. Franchising and franchise consulting allow you to go into business for yourself, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be alone. Starting a business isn’t easy, and when you try to do it by yourself, crucial aspects of the process — from site selection to construction, financing and training — have to be planned and executed by you (or your clients in the case of franchise consulting). Yet when you work with a franchise, you are provided with critically important pre-opening support. Whether it be tapping into regional or national advertising operations or getting assistance on bulk purchasing, a well-run franchise already has a proven record of success.

Consider that there are 100 unique franchise business categories. So no matter what you are interested in, and no matter what type of business you want to run, chances are there is a franchise out there that will match up with your passion. Franchising also allows for a combination of factors that have a positive impact on your unit-level performance. In other business it may be hard to find motivated partners, but a successful franchise operation has a lot invested in YOU. No one wants to see you fail. As a result, you can expect high level of support from those within the organization. In the end, there’s a number of great reasons why you should want to be your own boss, but deciding which franchise path is right for you is the first step in your own incredible journey.

How many times have we heard that the only secret to success is hard work?

We hear it so often that, well, it’s probably true. There is no big secret to becoming rich, famous, and successful. It literally comes down to having a dream or passion, having a plan to fulfill that dream, and doing it. That’s it. Three steps with hard, constant work being the driving factor.

So, let’s break it down. How does hard work take shape within each step?

Step 1: Have a dream, goal, or passion.

Think about your goal all of the time. Let it fill your thoughts. Think about it so much that it pushes out all the doubts. Know why you want to reach your goal and the exact reward you will receive by reaching it.

Step 2: Create a plan to fulfill that dream

Write out your plan multiple times. Figure out every detail and back-up detail in case something doesn’t go right or has to be changed. Make short-term plans (what you can do NOW), near-future plans (what you will have to do within the current year), and long-term plans (everything else that has to be done to carry out your plan). Be so thorough that you have the whole plan memorized and probably have a few of your friends annoyed because you talk about it so much.

Step 3: Do it. Carry out your plan. Adapt and change it along the way as needed. But do it.

Work harder than you ever have. Work harder than anybody else thinks is possible. Stay awake long hours. Don’t waste your time. Get help if you need it. Do anything and everything to fulfill your dream and reach your goal. Never give up. Look to the future, but live in the moment. Tell yourself you can do it and go to work.

Work hard and fulfill your dreams.

For many of you, this will be the year you finally start your own business. Whether your business operates out of your home, has a lot of different products or already has need of more employees, it’s important that certain steps are followed, not only so you can maximize your success, but also so you don’t run into any legal trouble.

The U.S. Small Business Administration breaks “starting a business” into the following 10 steps:

1. Write a business plan.
2. Get business assistance and training.
3. Choose a business location.
4. Finance your business.
5. Determine the legal structure of your business.
6. Register a business name.
7. Get a tax identification number.
8. Register for state and local taxes.
9. Obtain business licenses and permits.
10. Understand employer responsibilities.

A popular legal information site breaks it down even further, giving 50 detailed steps that need to be taken in order to open your own business successfully. Some of these steps include: Decide how many owners your business will have, decide if you will be doing business online and check available domain names, prepare organizational paperwork, obtain insurance, set-up a record keeping system for payments and paperwork, and purchase small business accounting software if needed.

If you do an internet search for how long it takes to start a business, you’ll find some articles that say no longer than a day and some that say nine months to a year. The truth is, it depends. It depends on the size of your business, your products, the cost of opening, etc. The most important thing it depends on, though, is you. If you have prepared well, have a passion and won’t take no for an answer, your business is as good as open; you just have the details to worry about.

If you have the passion and motivation to start your own business as a franchise consultant, but could use a little help with all of the options and details, get in touch!