Do your homework before leaping into a franchise business model. by Sherron Lumley. “I didn’t want to start from scratch,” says Ann Bell who bought a Subway sandwich-shop franchise in 2010 with her husband Steve. “I was a stay-at-home mom and our kids are older now and off to college, so I decided it was time to go back to work,” she says. Although her husband had small business experience, Bell was more of an entrepreneurial beginner, so buying a franchise appealed to her as a safe way...

Online Franchising Tools: Interested in franchising? Peruse these web resources first. by Reed Richardson From blogs to wikis to encyclopedias to lists of hot business opportunities, the Internet offers a vast treasure trove of knowledge and insight previously unavailable to budding franchisees, of which we're offering but a sampling below. Of course, like much of what can be found on the Web, the information found on these sites is sometimes anecdotal, frequently incomplete, and often...

by Christopher Freeburn Many people want to own their own business. There is an undeniable allure to the idea of working for yourself and not someone else, of calling the shots and having people answer to you and not the other way around. But not everyone who wants to be an entrepreneur has a great idea with which to launch a business. Fortunately, having the next big idea isn't necessary to start your own business, or to become a success. In fact, many highly successful entrepreneurs simply...

Know the Costs A franchise offers the security of an established brand, but it may come at a steep price You've decided to step up and become your own boss, but you still want a well-established corporate name to provide your new business a little extra security. So you've decided to purchase a franchise. But how much will that cost you? The answer depends largely on what will be required to get the franchise up and running. For example, some franchise operations can be run from your home,...

If you like the idea of running your own business, but don’t want to take the risk of a pure start-up, consider becoming a franchisee By Max Berry Dorothy and Paul Thompson of Atlanta, Georgia, wanted to start their own business, but were concerned about the potential problems that new small businesses often encounter. “We’ve always desired the independence that comes from owning our own business,” says Dorothy, “but we wanted to avoid the trial and error of a start-up business.” The...