Franchise Brokers Association BLOG

We are so excited to share this with you!

From attendees (both broker and franchisor) of the Franchise Broker Conference and Expo, here are some of their thoughts on the conference and the Franchise Brokers Association.

It gives us chills!  What do you think?

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.

Each year the official kick-off of the Conference and Expo is the Welcome Reception that takes place on Wednesday evening (a special thanks to Eric R. Riess and the folks at Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C. who once again sponsored the reception!). The welcome reception is an opportunity for all conference participants (brokers, exhibitors, franchisors and FBA staff) to meet and greet before the excitement and rush of the courses and next day’s events. There was music, drinks, hors d’oeuvres and good conversation.

Life at Play  joined us and brought their photo station. It was a fun touch to the reception and a perfect ice breaker. Attendees were able to play dress up with big sunglasses, hats and boas and take funny pictures with each other.

Many brokers were able to finally meet face-to-face with franchisors that they have been working with all year. Everyone made sure to make introductions between people who didn’t know each other or that they knew would have a mutually beneficial relationship.

Cocktail and business card in-hand, this is the perfect kick-off event each year.

Seeing a franchisee’s operation first-hand is truly eye opening.  You get to see the day-to-day life of a franchisee in a given system and can give your clients an honest description of what they can expect when they invest in this franchise or business opportunity.

The FBA is so pleased to announce this opportunity to franchise brokers and consultants who are attending the FBA’s upcoming Convention.  Signworld has graciously invited 2011 Convention attendees on a private tour of a local Signworld operation.  The tour will take place November 9^th from 12:00 – 2:00 pm, travel between the Convention hotel and the licensee’s location and lunch is provided.

This is an excellent occasion to see the operations of the notable Signworld opportunity, meet and ask questions of a Signworld licensee and see why this is a fantastic investment for your client.

 Registration for the Convention and an RSVP for the tour are required. 

For details on the event click here.

For questions or to RSVP, please contact Andrea at andrea@franchiseba.com.

FBA's Newest Member!

WELCOME TO THE WORLD

SHANE ALEXANDER WALL!

The FBA is elated to welcome its newest “member”:  Shane Wall.

Sabrina and Chris welcomed him into the world at 10:03 pm on July 28th.   He was 7lbs 1oz and 20 inches long.

Congratulations Mom and Dad!

UPDATE:

With much enthusiasm for The Wall’s new bundle of joy, the FBA Staff wanted to do something special for the new parents.  We thought a nice surprise for their home coming would be appropriate, and so we storked their lawn!  It turned out to be a wonderful surprise for Sabrina and Chris, see the pictures below.

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!

Be sure to hit the gas pumps before hitting the road and join the FBA team on our road-trip to Washington D.C.!

IFA’s International Franchise Exposition takes place this weekend at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.  Executive Director, Sabrina Wall and new husband Christopher Wall, Creative Director, along with Marketing Representative Kirsten Krenzer will be in attendance to promote the many different avenues of the FBA. IFA’s International Franchise Expo is one of the largest shows for everything franchising, which is why we fit in so perfectly! While at the exposition, we’ll be looking to recruit new consultants to join our wonderful association and attend our live training at the FBA offices, located here in sunny, beautiful Orlando, FL.  There will be various symposiums held at IFA’s expo to inform attendee’s on the plethora of information that comes with the industry.  All of us here at the FBA agree that each one of the symposiums have extremely pertinent information that we include not only in our training, but in our ongoing support of the association. We have brought this association up to speed and incorporated every facet of franchising and will, in-turn relay all of our knowledge to our new consultants.

UPDATE:  We have guest passes for the Expo and we want to invite you to join us!

FBA Board Member Carl Gould will be giving a presentation on Saturday, April 2nd, at 2:00 pm titled:

Demystifying the Franchise Process:

Avoiding the 7 Deadly Mistakes that Most Business Owners Make.

Please see details below regarding the expo and click on the invite to sign up for your guest pass.

	Carl Gould
	7 Stage Turnaround	7STAGE

Rooftop Welcome Reception

We kicked off our annual convention with a Welcome Reception for all attendees and exhibitors.  The convention is held to connect Brokers with Franchisors and help them build mutually beneficial relationships.  What better way to start a two and a half day event than with a casual and fun cocktail reception?

Two days of courses, training and trade shows can be daunting, so we try to lighten the mood and make introductions easier through the official opening event.

This year, having the annual convention in Orlando, FL afforded us the opportunity of hosting the event on a rooftop patio in downtown Orlando.  We were surrounded by the lights of the city, reflections on Lake Ivanhoe, and the warmth of an October evening in Orlando.

FBA Members and Franchisors who had attended last yea’rs event took the opportunity to catch up with one another, and new faces embraced the opportunity to meet those they’ve heard about, read about and were looking forward to network with.  Drinks and appetizers were shared by associates, colleagues and friends.

For an internet-based association the FBA embraces the chance to meet face-to-face the members we communicate with on a daily basis.  Relationships were not only established here, but strengthened.

View more reception pictures and photos from other convention events here

FBA Annual Convention Highlights

Recently, FBA held its annual convention near our headquarters in Downtown Orlando.  Spanning three days, we welcomed to our event nearly 80 franchise brokers and consultants from across the country, and 30 franchise and business opportunity concepts.

We were joined by some outstanding industry professionals, including:

We were honored to have Guidant Financial Group as our Platinum Sponsor

The purpose of the event is to educate new and existing brokers, provide opportunities to network with other professionals and foster collaboration within the industry.

Events at our convention included:

Roundtable Discussions

Tradeshows

Panel Discussion

We received excellent feedback on the information provided, the events and the networking opportunities.  We are pleased to be able to provide this event annually, not only for our members, but for members of the entire franchising industry: Franchisors, Franchisees, Business Brokers, Franchise Consultants, Franchise Funding Sources, and Potential Investors.

Look for recaps on individual events throughout the month of November.

Did you attend the FBA Annual Convention? What was your favorite part?

For additional details on the FBA and upcoming events, visit our website here

Franchise Brokers Association Welcomes

Guidant Financial to Annual Convention

Financing Provider Announced as Lead Sponsor in Industry Event

Franchise Brokers Association (FBA), a trade Association for franchise brokers and consultants, has announced Guidant Financial as the Platinum Sponsor of their annual convention.

Guidant Financial is the recognized leader in one-stop franchise financing.  With 92% of deals funded within 21 days, the company has helped more than 5,000 entrepreneurs in all 50 states safely invest their retirement funds into a franchise without taking a loan or a taxable distribution.  With their vast national network of small business lenders, Guidant has facilitated thousands of unsecured and SBA loans for franchisees.   And, with the experience and reputation to help aspiring franchisees realize their goal of small business ownership, Guidant’s clients are 63% more likely to succeed than traditional small business owners. For the third year running, Guidant has been included on Inc. Magazine’s list of fastest growing companies. The founders were honored by the Small Business Administration as the National Entrepreneurs of the Year in 2007.

The FBA’s convention is an event organized to bring together the industry’s top brokers and consultants, franchise industry vendors and franchise concepts.  The event is taking place October 20 – 22, 2010 in Orlando, FL and will feature workshops, trade shows, speakers and panel discussions.

“With small business funding at the forefront of the news and the cornerstone of small business success, we are excited to have Guidant as the event’s sponsor and educating the attendees on financing options,” said FBA Executive Director, Sabrina Carter.

In addition to Guidant Financial, exhibitors at the 2010 convention include Sport Clips, Color Glo International, PuroClean, Crestcom International, Service Team of Professionals and The National Franchise and Business Opportunities Show.

About Franchise Brokers Association

Franchise Brokers Association is an Orlando, FL based trade organization.  The FBA supports all members of the franchise community and can facilitate all steps in the franchise process, from franchise development to unit sale.  FBA was founded in 2008 by franchise consultant Sabrina Carter and has grown to over 550 consultant and franchise members.  The FBA’s purpose is to provide support and improve the industry standards for franchise investment, development and sales.

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