Juan Valdez, a coffee brand backed by the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation, is opening franchised cafes in Florida in a fresh attempt to challenge Starbucks in the U.S. The first store was to open in Miami this week, according this Bloomberg BusinessWeek article. And Kono Pizza — a pizza-in-a-cone concept invented in Italy and selling in Edison, N.J. …
Business is Up: Sales, Hiring and Wages Rose in Q2
Rising sales helped boost hiring and wages at U.S. businesses in the second quarter, and companies are optimistic that the trends will continue this fall, according to a new survey by the National Association for Business Economics. Get the details at Inc.
Consumers May Be Ready to Ease Cutbacks, Says Harris Poll
U.S. consumers may be ready to loosen their purse strings, according to the latest Harris Poll. The June survey of consumer confidence found some early signs that American adults are less focused on small cutbacks in their family spending compared to a year ago. Changes in discretionary spending are big driver of small-business and franchise growth, so even …
Small-Business Optimism Pulls Back In June
After a three-month run that hit a post-recession high, a leading indicator of small-business growth fell a bit in June. The NFIB Optimism Index, from the National Federation of Independent Business, fell 1.6 points to 95. The index had risen to 96.6 in May, the the highest reading since September 2007. That level was still far below readings that …
New Resources Emerge to Help a Boom of Older Enterpreneurs
The Baby Boom generation is having a Business Boom, with substantial growth in its share of new-business entrepreneurs over the past decade. The Wall Street Journal has gathered some statistics and commentary on this trend, along with a list of free and low-cost resources, some specifically designed for older entrepreneurs. Learn more in this article: Encore: Where …
Franchises Expected To Add 12% More Units, 220,000 More Jobs This Year
Demand for franchise units is expected to increase by more than 12 percent in 2014, the highest rate of increase since 2009, according to a new FranDATA analysis. And the International Franchise Association Business Outlook predicts that the franchise sector will lead the nation’s economic rebound by creating an estimated 220,000 jobs this year. “With seven out …