A strong economy continues to fuel record levels of optimism among small business owners, according to the latest survey by the National Federation of Independent Businesses, with high demand for hiring stated as the No. 1 concern. The NFIB Small Business Optimism index came in at 104.4 in December, virtually unchanged at -0.4 less than …
Franchise Prospect Data Shows Opportunity in Business-Hours Mismatch
If you work in new franchise development, you know how crucial the first phone call is – and how hard it is to make that phone connection. Year after year, contact rates for the franchising industry remain challenging, and now we know why. It boils down to this: There’s an eye-popping mismatch between typical business …
What’s Hot: Growth Categories for New Franchise Concepts
Fitness is surpassing Food as the franchising category generating the most new concepts, according to recent numbers from FranData, reflecting a shift in consumers’ time and dollars. It’s a common theme in several recent articles about this year’s hot new concepts: “Fitness” may be too narrow a label for all of the Health and Wellness …
Learn from Leaders: Franchise Recruitment STARS
Growing a network of local franchise owners takes a special kind of discipline and a lot of attention to detail. Some of the best in the business were honored recently at the 2018 Franchise Leadership & Development Conference in Atlanta. Here are a few that grabbed our attention: Best Overall Responsiveness – Home Care Assistance. “We …
15 Questions You MUST Ask Before Buying a Franchise
If you are thinking about buying a business, you probably have dozens of questions that seem like top priority right now. And if that business is a franchise, you will find many answers in the Franchise Disclosure Document, along with conversations with franchise development executives. But the bloggers at Franchise.com urge you to go one …
Franchisee Recruitment Starts With ‘Pre-Engagement’ Phase
So you want to grow your business – don’t we all? Internet marketing changes the franchise funnel, starting long before anyone talks on the phone or reads a contract. Industry consultant Art Coley sees a critical path he calls the pre-engagement phase, when a potential franchisee moves from being possibly interested to be a prospect …