It’s pretty remarkable how many different types of franchised businesses there are available.  When most people think of a franchise, images of McDonald’s, Burger King and Subway come to mind.  But less often do people think of the other business concepts the franchising industry has to offer, like:

• Clothing boutiques
• Day Spas
• Hair Salons
• Business Services and Coaching
• Childcare and Development
• Tutoring and Education
• Financial and Loan Services

There are thousands of franchise and business opportunities to invest in.  And, while many people initially say “I want to own a restaurant” or “I want to own a gym” there are important factors than can help you choose the very best business option for you.  Are you looking for:

• Flexible schedule
• Home office based operations
• Low investment level
• High return on investment
• Quick start up
• Small office or small number of employees

This is where a franchise broker can provide you with valuable guidance and assistance.  Their purpose is to not only match you with the best industry for you, but also the best business model.  Your work-life balance and your business goals are taken into consideration when researching your franchise options.  Do you want to:

• Make a difference
• Operate a green company
• Work with other businesses and professionals
• Provide job opportunities

It is important to take all of these items into consideration when investigating franchise and business opportunities you are interested in.  While these things can be daunting, having an experienced partner in your research process can prove immensely helpful (and stress reducing).

If you’re interested in talking to someone about your options or want to learn more about the benefits of using a franchise broker, click here and fill out an Information Request Form.

Each year at the Franchise Broker Conference and Expo we strive to bring the most valuable and educational trainings and presentations to our attendees.  This year we held 7 educational breakout sessions over the three day event.  These sessions, totaling 6 hours, can be applied to each attendees Certified Franchise Broker^SM designation (a professional designation for franchise salespersons developed and offered by the FBA).

We offered courses in:

Franchise Sales Compliance Training – a course that educates salespeople in the laws of the FTC pertaining to the sales of a franchise.

Using Immigration Visas to Sell Franchises – this course coaches attendees on the opportunities to expand franchises through E2 Visas.

Voicemail and Email – Improving Metrics – demonstrating techniques to improve call back and close ratios.  This is a course that attendees can use in their business immediately, as soon as they return to the office.

Social Media Marketing – Social Media is still a huge, untapped market for many small businesses, this course helped attendees put together an effective social media strategy.

Fee-Based Consulting – While franchise brokering is a free service to the brokers’ clients, there is revenue opportunity that broker and consultants can still develop.

Build Value Through the Entire Sales Process – a very popular course that looked at how to keep clients focused and match concepts to their highest values, becoming a truly trusted advisor to the client.

Master Franchising to Increase Your Revenue – this course focused on the power of Master Franchising, and how attendees can tap into it.

We welcomed some of the industry’s most renowned speakers including Carl Gould, Dan Durney, Eric Riess, Larry Carnell and Todd Weiss.

Each year we build on the courses and next year look forward to providing even more opportunity for career growth and development for all attendees.

Bark ‘N Bubble Dog Wash

The FBA is hittin’ the road again, and traveling down to Ft. Lauderdale for The Franchise and Business Opportunities Expo, June 4 – 5.

Join us to learn about the industry and opportunities for YOU in it!  Learn about financing options and other assistance available to you to own your own business.

Want to go to the show? Want to go for FREE?  Print the ticket below for free admission!

When we were contacted by Julie Bennett, a report for Franchise Times, we were excited to talk to her and help her educate readers on the franchise brokering industry.  She asked some great questions delving  into the state of the industry, as well as the support and successes of the brokers.  Ms. Bennett also had the opportunity to speak with a few FBA Featured Franchisors, including ColorGlo International and Service Team of Professionals.

The article takes a hard look at franchise brokering, and we were honored to be included in such a noteworthy industry publication.

Here’s an excerpt:

“Brian Clark, head of franchise development for the Service Team of Professionals in Kansas City, Missouri, says, “Some broker groups are putting sales ahead of ethics.  We joined the FBA to help change that.”

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Jantize America Janitorial Franchise

Jantize America is a strong franchise brand that provides their Franchisees with a proven business system that’s based on over 20 years of franchising and industry experience.  The Jantize business model is consistently ranked as one of the fastest growing and most successful opportunities in the world.

They provide their Franchisees with:

• Low Cost Start Up
• Recurring Royalty Revenues
• Unlimited Growth Potential
• Industry Size of $128 Billion and Growing
• Recession Resistant
• “Proven” business practices from the Franchisor

It allows the business owner to develop a large business within a relatively short period of time with an extremely high success rate. And, the Franchisee is responsible for the growth and development of their business, not the cleaning, trash removal, stripping of floors or handling keys to buildings.  They’re able to maintain a traditional 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. working day, while earning income from five different revenue streams:

• Sales of franchises: $3,500 to $35,000
• On-going royalties and management fees: 12-19%
• Financing
• Equipment leases
• Product and supplies

Jantize does have the prerequisites of: Sales & Marketing or Business Management experience, with leadership capabilities and understanding the basic Area Developer franchise concept.

Learn more about Jantize America by contacting a FBA Member here.

Learn more about becoming a Franchise Broker or FBA Member here.

Call with the Franchise Attorney

Our franchise attorney, Eric Riess, reviewed the Service Team of Professional’s FDD and found it to be a fair document and a good representation of the company.  He encouraged my client and I to do proper due diligence and gave suggestions on extra questions to ask the Franchisees.   Eric went through each of the items that he was going to ask the Franchisor for.  He explained why he requested them and was sure to check for understanding along the way.  The call went well and at the end Eric let us know he would be negotiating the terms directly with the Franchisor.

It’s incredibly important to have a knowledgeable franchise attorney that can review the FDD and make it work for both the Franchisor and my client.  Reviewing and revising the FDD should facilitate the investment in the franchise, not hinder it.

We called the Franchisor afterward and talked to him about any additional questions that we had.  We let him know that our attorney was sending the memorandum with the requested changes to him and asked that he review it.  One of the items on the memo was that the territory had not been defined yet.  Next, we would began discussing territory.

Junk King Franchise System

Junk King is a young, dynamic and ambitious company uniquely poised to out grow the competition very quickly.

With the growing demand for junk removal, Junk King provides an opportunity to become part of the multi-billion dollar junk removal and hauling industry.

Franchisees work with home owners, realtors, property managers and business owners in meeting their junk hauling needs, removing anything and everything that is not a hazardous material; old furniture and appliances, electronic equipment, fencing and lumber, yard waste, tree branches and garden refuse, tires and automotive parts.

Junk King is also a green company, recycling up to 60% of what it collects from customers and having already saved nearly 2.3 tons of waste from local landfills.

Franchisees are provided with FOUR revenue streams with Junk King:

Business-to-Consumer

Business-to-Business

Business-to-Government

Recycling

Junk King provides:

• Five years of Item 19 (Earnings Claim)
• Comprehensive 5 day training at headquarters & week-by-week preparation for Opening Day
• Strong business model
• White collar management opportunity in a blue collar industry
• Guarantee: If the Franchisee does not achieve a minimum revenue goal of $125,000 in the first 12 months of business, Junk King will refund 100% of the franchise fee on the first territory and allow the Franchisee to return the franchise.

Learn more about Junk King by contacting a FBA Member here.

Learn more about becoming a Franchise Broker or FBA Member here.

First Choice Business Brokers Franchise Opportunity

First Choice Business Brokers (FCBB) offers assistance to both buyers and sellers of small- to medium-sized businesses with their transactions.  FCBB prides themselves on being leaders in the industry, and providing the most professional and effective consultancy possible.

Ranked in Entrepreneur Magazine‘s 2009 Franchise 500

FCBB offers:

• Low Initial Investment
• Low Overhead
• No Inventory
• Few to No Employees
• Highly Expandable and Scalable Business
• Business-to-Business ONLY
• Daytime Weekday Hours

Business brokering offers security in any economy.  Whether it’s a good economy and business owners are selling, or a weak economy and buyers are looking to invest, business sales are continually being conducted.

Learn more about First Choice Business Brokers by contacting a FBA Member here.

Learn more about becoming a Franchise Broker or FBA Member here.

Researching Franchises and Matching Them to the Client

After going over the information we gathered on the franchise (discussed in the last post), my client was still fond of the concept, although they understood that they were not being set up for success by using that system.  We went through a questionnaire that helped me to understand what they were truly looking to achieve with this franchise.  The results provided me a clear picture of what they could qualify for and what type of lifestyle they needed the business to create.  I also understood the family involvement and the magnitude of what their success or failure meant to their life.  I understood them.

We then input the information into the Franchise Brokers Association’s Franchise Search Tool and came up with a list of franchises that matched their criteria.  We went through the franchises one by one and discussed the pros and cons of each franchise as well as the longevity, uniqueness and profitability of each concept.  At the end of the day, we used the comparison grids provided by the Franchise Brokers Association to compare the different concepts that we decided were interesting to the client.  We chose 4 franchises to investigate further.

We had completed the first several steps in the consulting process and were ready to talk to the Franchisors.  We determined that our next meeting would be facilitated via conference call and departed for the day.

Learn more about using a Franchise Broker here.

Learn more about becoming a Franchise Broker here.