Boroian, Francorp eye more clients in India

Francorp eyes more clients in India; to bring global brands
New Delhi, Nov 26 (PTI):
Deccan Herald
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/37997/francorp-eyes-more-clients-india.html

US-based franchise consultant Francorp International on Thursday said it expects to secure 40-50 clients in India by next year-end, besides introducing 10 global brands here.


"We expect to have at least 40-50 domestic clients, specially from the education, retail and food and beverages segments in the next one year," Francorp Chairman and CEO Donald Boroian said on the sidelines of the Franchise India 2009 summit here.

The company, he said, is eyeing a revenue of up to USD 5 million as franchise consultancy fee from the deals.

The firm is also working with some international brands and hopes to bring in at least 10 of them to India next year.

"Many firms from US and other countries, who are our clients overseas, are exploring options to foray into India and we expect at least 10 of them will launch operations here during 2010 under franchise arrangements with local partners," Boroian said.

He, however, refused to divulge the name of brands citing confidentiality but said each international client would bring bring up to USD one million as fee.


The company, which has a 40 per cent share in the US franchise consultancy market, last year formed a strategic partnership and licensing arrangement with the Franchise India Holdings Ltd (FIHL) under the name of Francorp India.

According to experts, the USD 7 billion Indian franchise market is growing at 25-30 per cent annually.

"We want to tap its immense scope, basically in franchise consulting and sales. Besides, helping Indian firms to grow and brining international ones to the country, we will also offer Indian firms to venture abroad but it will take some time," Boroian said.

The company is also looking to expand its footprints by opening offices in all four metros.

"Currently, we have only just one office, located in Delhi. Next year, we plan to open our office in Mumbai and then venture to Kolkata and Chennai," he said.

Francorp, which operates in 45 countries across the world, has global client base which include companies like American Express, Du Pont, Kodak, Ford Motor Company, Hall Mark cards, Shell Oil and KFC among others.

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/37997/francorp-eyes-more-clients-india.html

Don Boroian, The Gobal Franchise Tycoon Visits Franchise India 2009D

Don Boroian, The Gobal Franchise Tycoon Visits Franchise India 2009

Don Boroian, the global franchise tycoon and the Chairman of Chicago based Francorp Inc confirms his presence at Franchise India 2009, the 7th edition of Asia's Biggest Franchise & Retail Opportunity Show to be held on 26th & 27th November 2009 at Ashoka Hotel, New Delhi.

New Delhi, Delhi, November 11, 2009 /India PRwire/ -- Don Boroian, the global franchise tycoon and the Chairman of Chicago based Francorp Inc confirms his presence at Franchise India 2009, the 7th edition of Asia's Biggest Franchise & Retail Opportunity Show to be held on 26th & 27th November 2009 at Ashoka Hotel, New Delhi. Organized by the Asia's largest integrated franchise and retail Solution Company, Franchise India, the show displays Indian and global brands and is an "Opportunity Show" for liasioning with brands and a pool of out-of-box business ideas and practices.

Don Boroian is the most widely read author, speaker and highly sought after consultant in the field of franchise strategy and business expansion. Being the biggest name in the franchise industry, his views are valued across business geographies. In 1976, Boroian founded Francorp Inc, the world's largest and oldest franchise consulting company. Providing strategic planning, legal, operations and marketing consultancy, Francorp was the first and only firm to offer its clients comprehensive franchise consulting and development services under one roof.

With over three decades of experience in the consulting space, Don Boroian has been instrumental in developing the franchise strategy for more than 10,000 companies across industry verticals and has created full franchise development programs for more than 2000 organizations worldwide. Francorp's belief in the robustness of the Indian market is backed by statistics, which highlight the fact that the Indian Franchise market is estimated to be around USD 7 billion and is growing at a steady rate 30-35 per cent annually offering a fertile market for international franchisors to expand into.

Francorp Inc. partnered with Franchise India early this year to offer end to end franchise solutions under the banner of Francorp India. Presently based in New Delhi, Francorp India is planning to set up offices in various cities in the near future. The corporation between Francorp Inc and Franchise India would help Indian franchise brands to expand their franchise network into the international markets as well.

Franchisors across the globe stand to gain immensely from this joint venture as it offers investors a deep knowledge pool to tap into. On 27th November 2009, Don Boroian would address a special "Power Breakfast" which will be attended by select group of national and international business leaders. The Breakfast meeting will be immensely useful to provide unique insights on the franchise business globally. This will be followed by a 'Conference' where Don Boroian would elucidate his views along with other eminent CEOs addressing the challenges in the franchise industry.'

Explaining the significance of these developments, Mr. Gaurav Marya, President Francorp said, "Don Boroian's visit to India is considered highly significant in the context of India's growing importance in today's globalized economy. The franchise industry has witnessed high growth rates in the Indian sub-continent since its beginning in the early 90s and there is still enormous scope for growth. India has the highest retail density in the world and franchise brands experience an 85% success rate, while start up ventures experience a 90% failure rate. This stark difference in success rates highlights the importance of franchise consulting in today's scenario. In India, Francorp is the undisputed market leader in franchise consulting domain due to its unmatched expertise and unique business approach. Our proven business strategies have helped small format businesses to chart a new trajectory of growth. By educating the industry about the inherent potential of the franchise model of business expansion our mission is to propel Industry to the next level of growth and make India a force to reckon with in the global economy."

Notes to Editor

About Francorp

For over 30 years, Francorp has been the leader in the franchise consulting industry. Globally Francorp has assisted more than 10,000 companies for expansion, and has developed more than 2,000 franchise programmes throughout the US, Japan, South Africa, Middle East, Central America, Malaysia, Philippines, Argentina, Chile and Mexico. Its notable clients include companies like Bridgestone, XEROX, Shell Oil, Hallmark Cards, Encyclopedia Britanica, Mad Science Group, Pollo Camperio, Ace Hardware, BP, Fruehauf, and Gant, to name a few.

About Franchise India

Franchise India Holding Ltd. is Asia's largest integrated franchise solution company since 1999, with an absolute authority on Franchising, Licensing, Retailing, Real estate and Marketing. The firm has already consulted numerous brands in past few years like Videocon, HP, Reebok, Store 99, Pidilite, Hauck, Xenos, HCL, MGF, Kwality Walls, Tata, Gitanjali, HSBC, Levis, JK Tyres, Lakme, D'damas, Euro Kidz, The Apollo Clinic, Chhabra 555, Kidzee, Motilal Oswal, Rosebys, Next, Welhome and many more through its media initiatives, advisory services and exhibitions. With its strategically formed divisions, FIHL has created its own niche as the pioneers of franchise industry and a small business authority.

Link to article

Don Boroian - Francorp at the Seattle Coffee Fest

Francorp to Present at the Seattle Coffee Fest on Expansion Options

Francorp, the world leader in franchise development and new franchise system launches will be at the Seattle Coffee Fest this coming weekend. The Show is the largest of its kind catering to business owners in the coffee industry.

Francorp has been asked to present and run workshops in order to help educate and provide a resource to the show's attendees on franchising a business.

Francorp works closely with most major tradeshows and business sectors around the globe. Don Boroian founded Francorp in 1976 as the only full service, in-house franchise development firm, to this day Francorp is unique in that they continue to be the only franchise consulting firm that has a full time staff and "all under one roof" approach.

Mr. Tom DuFore, Executive Vice President for Francorp Consulting, will be in attendance for the show this weekend. Below are details:

Washington State Convention & Trade Center
800 Convention Place
Seattle, WA 98101-2350

Phone: 206-694-5000
Fax: 206-694-5399
Email: info@wsctc.com
Website: www.wsctc.com

Exhibition Hours:
Friday & Saturday: 12:00pm - 5:00pm, Sunday: 12:00pm - 4:00pm

Educational Training: Exhibition Hours:
Friday & Saturday: 12:00pm - 5:00pm, Sunday: 12:00pm - 4:00pm

Educational Training:
Friday & Saturday: 8:00am - 5:00pm, Sunday: 8:00pm - 4:00pm
Friday & Saturday: 8:00am - 5:00pm, Sunday: 8:00pm - 4:00pm

For more information on franchising or how to franchise, visit the Francorp corporate site, www.francorp.com

Don Boroian: Francorp

Francorp has worked with 112 of the most recent Franchise 500 companies. This is important from the perspective that Francorp as a consulting firm has done work with these franchise systems, many of which Francorp developed from the ground up. Francorp is renowned as the world leader in franchise development and new franchise launches. The firm continues to develop successful franchise systems today after 34 years of franchise consulting work. Look over the Francorp corporate site for more information on the firm and the clients Francorp has developed.

www.Francorp.com

Should I Franchise?

Should I Franchise?
Whether you have a totally new concept or an established business in need of faster growth that is lacking the capital, time and people to expand the question is, “Should I franchise?”
Today more Businesses and greater variety of businesses are implementing franchising to distribute their products and services. Virtually any business can be expanded through franchising. Franchising a business is often the only viable source of capital available for expansion especially in today’s tight credit markets. In most instances, the cost of franchising is often a smaller investment that the cost of establishing just one new location.

After paying the initial cost of developing your franchise program, the remaining cost of expansion along with most of the business risk is assumed by the franchisees. Because the franchisee pays an upfront franchisee fee the franchisor is often able to recoup the total cost of franchise program development rather quickly while establishing a monthly revenue stream from royalties paid by the franchisees.

Franchising can provide the capital for rapid growth when your business doesn’t have the capital, the people, or even the time to establish a company owned growth program. Franchising solves the problems of slow growth, the problems of finding outside capital and the problems of finding the right employees associated with company owned units. Franchising a business is the solution for the problems of money, time and people.

Money

Franchising transfers almost the entire cost of expansion to the franchisees. Franchisees build the building or pay the rent, buy the inventory, pay the employees, do the marketing and provide the working capital until sales make the business profitable. In reality, the growth of a franchise system is limited only by the number of people willing to buy the franchise and the number of locations that can be sold.

Time

If you’re anxious to move quickly before the competition catches on with a hot new concept franchising provides solution. Franchising is the one growth system that allows businesses to expand exponentially. A franchise can grow rapidly simply by selling individual units. Some franchises can grow even faster by selling multiple units or territories to sub franchises. Either way, it is almost always faster to open franchises than company-owned units.

People
Franchisees make excellent employees and managers. They have a vested interested in making the business successful. They own it. A franchisor not only gets a dedicated manager they are relieved from the daily problems associated with hiring, firing and managing employees.

In summary, if you are looking to expand your business and lack capital, time or people, franchising is a viable solution to all three problems. If this scenario applies to you and your business the answer to the question, “Should I franchise?” is definitely yes.

Don Boroian - Francorp Mexico

Francorp Mexico talks to the Central American franchise community about Francorp's work with Ed Rensi.

Francorp Mexico is headed by Ramon Vinay and has been operating out of Mexico City for almost 20 years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHn7PG6ZlLY

www.francorp.com

Don Boroian - Franchise Training Systems

Franchising is about replication of systems. The best franchise systems in the world have the most efficient service delivery systems in place. They deliver a product to a customer and collect payment systematically and efficiently. The essence of a solid franchise organization lies in the consistency of their ability to provide this model of operation to their franchisees and to teach them the complexities of offering a service or product in a professional and quality manner. Therefore it is no surprise that great franchise companies have wonderful training systems! Francorp works with clients to try to ensure that their franchisees will receive the benefit of world class training programs. A good reference would be the coach/player relationship. A franchisor needs to be able to assume the position of coach once they begin working with franchisees. Typically a solid business is founded and operated by a star "player", the successful transition to franchising now requires that the player becomes the coach. The ability to delegate and nurture others so that they can be successful lies at the root of this transformation from business owner to franchisor.

Francorp has worked with thousands of business owners who have successfully made this transition from a one location operation into a hundred unit franchise chain. How do we begin? It starts with getting your hands dirty. The franchisee in training needs to know and completely understand every element of running the business. They should know the bathroom, supply closet, cash register, cooking operations and every bit of detail we can cram into their heads. Training programs are like boot camp, they don't pass a section until they master the finite details of each stage. When a franchise system is first built, Francorp doesn't expect clients to have or build a Hamburger University during the first stages of growth. This comes with time and revenue from the franchise growth. Even Ray Kroc didn't have a substantial operation until 30 some years into McDondald's growth. Up to that point, he ran training classes out his basement in Elk Grove Illinois. It can be done, the franchisor has to be ready to put in the time and energy needed to completely transform a "regular person" into an efficient "operator".

Training is typically held at the franchisor's corporate location for 2 to 4 weeks at a time. After these sessions are completed and the franchisee has "Graduated" then the training goes to "onsite". This stage is where the franchisor goes to the location of the franchisee and helps them get their feet wet in the field. If a location is required they might help them find the spot for the business and get the initial build out taken care of. If the franchise is a sales system, which more and more Francorp clients have, then the franchise training will largely be to make the initial sales calls with the franchise operator. The goal of the franchisor is to make successful, independent operators who make money and don't need assistance outside of a regularly scheduled support regimen.

Franchising can be a wonderful way to grow a business, but it is imperative that the proper training programs and systems are in place. Francorp has been developing these training programs for new franchise systems for over 34 years now and continues to refine and work with the newest technology available. For more information on franchise development please visit the corporate site at www.francorp.com

Don Boroian - Francorp to Exhibit at the Atlanta Franchise Exposition

Francorp, the worlds oldest and most experienced franchise consulting and development firm will be exhibiting at the Atlanta Franchise and Financing Exposition on May 2nd and 3rd at the Cobb Galleria Center in Atlanta, GA.

Show Dates & Hours
Saturday, May 2, 2009
11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Sunday, May 3, 2009
11:00 am to 5:00 pm

Location: Cobb Galleria Centre
Two Galleria Pkwy Atlanta, GA 30339
(770) 953-4099
www.cobbgalleria.com
Hall D
Booth # 215

Francorp has been developing successful franchise organizations for over 33 years and has a client list of over 2,000 franchise systems. Francorp is heavily involved with franchise exhibitions around the world including India, the Middle East and Latin America. Atlanta is a wonderful franchise market place and the Atlanta Franchise and Finance Exposition should be a great show.

Francorp has five clients exhibiting at the Atlanta show also including European Wax Centers, Monster Mini Golf, Patrice and Associates, Omega Learning Centers and Froots Fresh Smoothies. All of these companies are exciting brands that have continued to grow and work with new franchisees over the past year. European Wax Centers now has almost 100 locations in just under two years of franchising, Froots continues to set the trend for the smoothie industry with almost 100 locations as well and Monster Mini Golf has almost 30 locations in only a couple of years in the franchise business.

Froots
www.froots.com
Omega Learning Center
www.omegalearningcenter.com
Patrice And Associates
www.patriceandassociates.com
Monster Mini Golf
www.monsterminigolf.com
European Wax Centers
www.waxcenter.com

Here is a great excerpt from the Atlanta show's site that explains the value and opportunity that the show brings to its attendees.
http://www.localfranchiseshow.com/atlanta/indexatt.cfm

The Franchise and Financing Expo is the perfect event for exploring and investing in opportunities that put you in business for yourself – but not by yourself. Because when you purchase a franchise, you're purchasing a proven business concept designed to help ensure your financial success. The Atlanta Franchise & Financing Expo will give you the opportunity to meet face-to-face with representatives from many of the top franchise concepts, at every investment level – looking to expand throughout Atlanta. All in one place, and at one time, you'll be able to learn about franchises in virtually every industry. Sample products. Attend educational conference tracks. And get all the information you need to find the franchise that matches you skills, interests and budget. Lenders will be on hand to answer questions about financing your venture, or you can start the financial qualification process now when you pre-register for the event. For More Information request to be contacted by the Lender(s) of your choice after Pre-Registering. If you want more information or have questions before you arrive at the Atlanta Franchise & Financing Expo please contact Rick Brunsman.

Attend These Informative Conference Tracks The A to Z's of Buying a Franchise How to Franchise Your Business Financing Your Franchise Opportunities in Franchising for Minorities & Women

For more information on Francorp please visit the corporate site, www.francorp.com

Little People's Creative Workshops

A Franchise that Celebrates Children and the Arts!

Filling the Gap
Early exposure to dance and theatre can have lasting benefits, including acquiring social and physical skills that will help children throughout their lives. Yet, dance professional Daune Pitman noticed two disturbing trends in dance classes for young children: either the little ones were being taught strict ballet, which was beyond their physical capabilities, or the classes were treated as playtime.
Seeking to establish a meaningful program, Daune developed Little People’s Creative Workshop (LPCW). LPCW classes are age-appropriate and taught by trained professionals. They are largely held in daycare centers and preschools, which puts them within reach of children who may not otherwise be able to take them.
Established in 1991, Little People’s Creative Workshop is now the largest organization teaching dance to children in the U.S. We’re augmenting our steady growth with expansion, via franchising. Our turnkey franchise program provides all you need to establish and grow a home-based business with multiple growth avenues!

How to Franchise a Sales Organization

How to Franchise a Sales Organization.
Franchising is a unique entity. It is regarded as an industry, but is defined as a method of distribution. Most of franchising is associated with food oriented businesses, you know, the ones that line every street corner and you probably bought lunch from the other day. But franchising as permeated all industries today, we now see franchise companies in all industries that are successfully duplicating themselves across the country and around the world. Franchising is a dynamic, aggressive way to grow a business, there is no question about that. But what is the process? How do you franchise a business that typically is not associated with franchising?
In this article I will discuss How to Franchise a Sales organization and the process involved. Francorp is the world’s largest and most experienced franchise development and consulting firm. The company has franchised over 2,000 different businesses in it’s 33 year history. So needless to say I hear from plenty of business owners, many of which have products or services that they wish to sell more of to a larger customer base. Franchising can be a way to do this effectively and control the quality and effectiveness of the sales team. When discussing How to Franchise a Sales Team it is important to understand that franchising is a controlled mode of growth. The franchisor can control the quality, consistency and overall brand image of the company if a franchise system is managed correctly.
So, How to Franchise a Sales Team begins with setting the system. As a sales oriented franchisor your most valued asset is the sales system. The process you use to sell the product or service. That needs to be clearly defined, documented and tested. Once that system is in place, the marketing process makes sense, scripts have been put together, sales call procedures have been mapped, technology has been identified and all of the above is on paper and ready to go, then the franchise is ready. A Franchise system is only as strong as the system that is replicated through it. So if you’ve ever heard of the saying, “Garbage in, Garbage out, or GIGO”, that would apply here when considering How to Franchise a sales territory.
An interesting misconception about franchising is that the success depends on the quality of the product or service more than the surrounding business model. In fact, most franchise systems don’t have overly astounding products to offer, but the good ones always have great business models and ways of doing business. The product obviously should be a good one, but what will make a Sales Oriented franchise successful is the process to market the offer and close the deal.
The key for How to Franchise a sales business to think about how to replicate the sale, the pitch, the marketing, the lead generation all the way to the payment. That is where the secret lies. Many great sales organizations have been built through franchise systems, it is worth investigating if you are looking to sell something across larger territories or areas.

The Strength of Franchising

Unlike the exciting cliff hanger football game that is a Mecca for mass-marketers,
franchised businesses again dominated in advertising buys in 2009. During
Super Bowl XLIII, companies engaged in franchising outspent all other
combined enterprises by an estimated $14 million dollars.

These numbers are even more dramatic when 23 NBC network promotional spots
and 7.5 NFL spots are added to the mix. Both NBC and the NFL have
franchised affiliates, and if the value of these 30+ ads are factored in the
amount balloons to more than $100 million. In all, 64% (81.5 ads) of some
128 ads that aired during the 4 hour game broadcast came from businesses
engaged in franchising.

According to American Association of Franchisees and Dealers (AAFD) Chairman
Robert Purvin, who launched the organization?s Advertising Super Bowl survey
22 years ago, ?Super Bowl advertising continues to demonstrate the power of
franchising. How else can small business owners afford to share their
messages with almost 100 million households at one time??

Financial markets have been paying close attention to the willingness of
advertisers to embrace the high ticket cost of advertising on network
television?s grandest stage, with many concerned the Super Bowl advertising
would be yet one more victim of an economic meltdown. If anything,
franchisors have seemed to ratchet up marketing efforts to fight back
against slowing sales.

NBC reportedly charged a record average price of almost $3 million per
30-second spot ($100,000 per second). The higher cost didn't seem to impact
advertiser demand as NBC reported it sold out the available 69 national
network spots. (Each local network affiliate franchise sold about 30 local
spots). The total number of spots played during the game earned NBC an
estimated $270 million dollars.

Yet for a single 30 second spot of $1.5 million, the advertising cost for a
ubiquitous franchise such as McDonald's (who aired two ads this year) breaks
down to under $100 per store when divided among the approximate 15,000 US
restaurants in the chain. ?The collective marketing power among franchised
businesses is formidable,? adds Purvin.

Among companies that market through franchising, those companies that
manufacture products that are distributed through independent dealer
networks (called ?product franchisors? in the trade) easily dominated the ad
buys. A robust 37 ads were placed by companies who sell cars, beverages,
cosmetics and insurance through independent networks.

Business format franchisors -- those businesses that consumers traditionally
associate with franchising ? accounted for 21 commercials (double the number
from 2008), including spots from McDonald's, Taco Bell, Cars.com, and
regional entries (on the West Coast where the survey was conducted) from
Jack-in-the Box. The business format segment was even more active in the
pre and post-game markets.

Budweiser again led all advertisers with 4 minutes of air time (about 8
spots), earning it exclusive rights to broadcast during the game and
shutting out competitors Miller Brewing and Coors (both of which advertised
in the pre-game).

After Anheuser-Busch, only six advertisers ran more than one or two
commercial spots. Pepsi was second to Budweiser, buying several minutes of
ad time among its franchised soft drink brands and its non-franchised
Frito-Lay brands (primarily Doritos). Hyundai ran several spots during the
game as well during the Pre-game show. Honda and Toyota each ran multiple
spots for various brands.

American car manufacturers were missing from the prime time telecast. For
the first time in years, cooperative networks such as the California Cheese
Association, Ace Hardware and the Almond Growers Association all stayed
away.

Between 2:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. Eastern time, consumers were ?treated? to
almost 2 hours and fifteen minutes of thirty-second ads (approximately 270),
64% of which were placed by companies engaged in franchising. This was
about the same ratio as 2007 and 2008.

Entertainment related ads, primarily motion picture promos, led the
non-franchised segment with 16 spots. Manufacturers slid to second place
with 13 ads, including electronics, food producers and pharmaceuticals.
Retailers fell off dramatically, with one ad each from Best Buy and Kay
Jewelers, as compared to 9 spots placed in 2008. On the flip side, on-line
retailers showed a dramatic increase, with multiple spots run by
Monster.com, GoDaddy.com and E-Trade, among several others.

During the game approximately 67 different companies advertised. In
addition there were two public service announcements.

This year?s crop of ads were less striking than past years, with no
candidate seemingly destined for the Super Bowl Ad Hall of Fame, although
E-Trade?s infant stock trader was quite clever. Three other memorable ads
were delivered by Budweiser (with a Clydesdale pursuing love and the
American Dream) and an office mate being thrown out of a third story
building for suggesting that his company save money by no longer providing
free Bud Light. Coca-Cola offered a clever ?reincarnation? of the famous
Mean Joe Green encounter with a young fan, with All Pro defensive back, Troy
Polamalu, tackling a Coca-Cola executive to avenge his young fan.

About the AAFD

The American Association of Franchisees and Dealers is the oldest and
largest direct member non-profit trade association representing the
interests of franchisees and independent dealer networks throughout the
United States. The AAFD was formed in 1992 with a mission to define and
promote collaborative franchise cultures that the AAFD describes as Total
Quality Franchising. Stressing market solutions and franchisee empowerment
through independent franchisee associations, the AAFD has grown to represent
more than 50,000 franchised businesses nationwide, with members in all 50
states.

The AAFD's Fair Franchising Standards, Fair Franchising Seal, Trademark
Chapters, and emphasis on marketplace solutions led to the Association's
recognition as a growing force in franchising. The AAFD?s Branded Partner
programs add a new dimension to the value of AAFD membership. The AAFD
provides a broad range of member services designed to help franchisees build
market power, create legislative support of interest to franchisees, provide
legal and financial support, and provide a wide range of general member
benefits.

For more information about the conference or the AAFD, please call toll free
? 610-209-3775 or visit www.AAFD.org.

Francorp to Present at the Franchise Middle East Show

Franchising Middle East expo opens
Dubai: Mon, 2 Mar 2009

Franchising Middle East (FME), the region’s leading exhibition for the franchise sector, opened at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre, with 72 exhibitors from 22 countries.

The exhibition, now in its sixth year, aims to provide an injection of business ideas to the Middle East market as international brands come to Dubai with a view to expanding across the Middle East with local partners, said organisrs.

'Never has the franchise concept been more vital to business growth than in today’s economic environment,' stated Abdul Rehman Falaknaz, president of International Expo Consults (IEC), organisers of FME.

'Franchising offers local entrepreneurs access to established brands and business models, while international players are provided with a chance to tap into new markets at relatively low set-up costs.'

Big names from Europe, Asia and the Middle East are exhibiting at the show this week, including participation from Cremeria Vienna, Subway, London Dairy Café and Tom Tailor.

Master Franchisers from Jebel Ali Free Zone is leading a delegation of international brands, many of whom are debuting at the show. These include Zerga, Bed + Bath, Padini Authentics, Trio and New Zealand Naturals.

Franchise consultants such as FranExcel and FranCorp will be on hand to offer would-be entrepreneurs advice on how to set up franchise operations in the region.

FME is the region’s only exhibition that offers a world of exciting opportunities to international franchisers to access the thriving Middle East and North Africa (Mena) market and launch their franchise concepts.

The exhibition facilitates direct communication between entrepreneurs and potential franchise buyers from the region and beyond.

The show has earned a name for providing an ideal networking opportunity for the franchising industry in the Middle East, which industry analysts have estimated is worth $30 billion.

'With the franchise industry already growing at 25 per cent per annum, the UAE and the rest of the GCC region is a fertile market for franchise companies to expand into,' Falaknaz added.

'With approximately 85 per cent of the UAE population comprising expatriates, this is the market that needs to be catered for.'

FME 2009 takes place from March 2 to 4.-TradeArabia News Service

Francorp Middle East

Franchise demand in UAE to expand
Armina Ligaya

Last Updated: March 02. 2009 10:12PM UAE / March 2. 2009 6:12PM GMT
Customers line up at Popeye's, a fast food outlets. Experts say franchising is likely to expand this year as people seek alternative forms of income. Jaime Puebla / The National
DUBAI // The franchising industry in the UAE will continue to grow in the coming year as regional investors shift away from property and financial markets, and out-of-work executives seek new forms of employment, industry insiders say.

“The potential for growth is there,” said Matthew Shay, president and chief executive of the International Franchise Association, on the sidelines of the Franchise Middle East Exhibition in Dubai. “From what we’re hearing from our members, [the UAE] is still a positive climate.”

The US market, valued at US$1 trillion (Dh3.67tn), was forecasted to see declines of 1 to 2 per cent in 2009, according to a study conducted by the IFA and Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Mr Shay said.

However, he expects the UAE market to have a brighter outlook due to relatively easier access to credit and its role as the gateway to the region. Mr Shay estimates the UAE franchising industry, valued at about $30 billion, will grow between 5 and 8 per cent.

“This is one of those places that you can’t skip; you have to do business here,” he said.

Local investors are also looking to get into the franchising game as the traditional investment avenues such as property and the financial markets are less stable, said Imad Charafeddine, managing partner of the UAE branch of Francorp, a franchise consultant.

He said franchise inquiries have increased by 20 per cent in the past two months.

It is a similar pattern at the Kuwait-based Middle East Franchising consultancy, which has seen a 25 per cent jump in inquiries, according to its deputy chief executive, Barrak Al Homaisi.

“A lot of people who have lost their jobs and have a good amount of savings are looking to start their own business,” he said.

Mr Shay said typically in economic downturns, as unemployment rates go up, more people look to start their own business, and franchises are an easy option. However, he said recent studies in the US show access to financing will drop by 30 per cent in the next year.

“This [crisis] is an opportunity for franchises, but the rub is lack of access to credit.”

Mr Charafeddine said this is less of a problem in the UAE because Emiratis can secure funds from Government agencies and expatriates with a business background can still be granted start-up funds.

In the past five years, the UAE industry has grown by about 25 per cent to roughly 400 franchising systems, said Sary Hamway, the Dubai-based chief executive of FranExcel, a franchise consultancy that organised the World Franchise Forum alongside FME.

Franchise inquiries have gone up, he said, but investors were more hesitant to buy.

“It will continue to grow,” he said. “Retail franchises are good because it is medium-risk, and medium investment.”

Darren Smith, manager of retail and marketing support with Emarat’s coffee chain Bakeria, said the tightening credit markets have also helped to bring down the cost of rent. Outside of the major city centres, some rents have gone down from Dh350 a square foot to Dh150, he said.

“Now, suddenly, you’re hearing a word you haven’t heard before from landlords: negotiate.”

Global brands are now clamouring to enter the region to access the strong demand for international food brands, said Steve Rothenstein, the international operations manager for tasti D-lite, a US chain of low-fat yogurt stores.

“In the UAE, the people like their food brands from around the world,” he said. “It’s a great area to do business — friendly, ease of entry, and they know what they’re doing here in terms of infrastructure.”

Francorp to Present at the New York Restaurant Show on How to Franchise

Francorp International Consulting firm to present on franchising and how to franchise at the New York International Foodservice Show. Francorp works closely with the New York Foodservice show to educate and assist restaurant owners and business owners in the evaluation of franchising as an expansion option.

Several Francorp clients and former clients will also be taking part in the show including Uno Chicago Grill, Buffalo Wild Wings and McDonald's . Francorp Executive Vice President Thomas DuFore will be handling the workshops and presentations during the week in New York.

Francorp is headquartered in Chicago, IL but operates out of 22 offices globally and does work for franchise companies in over 40 countries around the world.

Below are the details and featured events during the show. For more information on Francorp and Francorp's development work visit the corporate site, www.francorp.com.

Intl. Foodservice Show of NY opens today
01 Mar 2009
The International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York starts today at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. The show runs March 1-3 and features National Restaurant Association chairman Michael Kaufman as the keynote speaker. Kaufman's address, America's Restaurants - Serving our Nation, will be held at 1 p.m.

Educational sessions for the day include:
"Menu Targeting Trends: See what Generation Y and the Millenials are Eating Before they Hit Your Market," presented by Rob Harison, a chef with Princeton University Dining Services - 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
"Fast Casual - Changing the Way America Eats," a panel discussion hosted by Linda Duke, CEO of Duke Marketing. Panelists include Paul Barron, publisher of Fast Casual magazine; Ed Frechette, senior vice president of Au Bon Pain; Louis Basille, CEO of Wildflower Bread Company; and James Strobino, SVP, new concept development, Uno Chicago Grill - 2:30 p.m. - 4 p.m.
"6 Reasons Why You Should Franchise Your Restaurant," presented by Tom Dufore, executive vice president, Francorp - 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Co-located with this year's event is the New York Pizza Showcase. The showcase features performances by the U.S. Pizza Team and the Hall of Fame Award presentation. Dom DeMarco of Di Fara's Pizza and chef Santo Bruno of Marsal & Sons are recipients of this year's awards.

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Don Boroian - Francorp Consulting

Francorp is the world's largest and most experienced franchise develpment and consulting firm. Francorp has a responsibility to work with all of the world's small and medium sized businesses to help them understand and explore the concept of franchising their businesses as a way to grow.
Francorp is the largest franchise consulting firm in the world and has the resources to be at all of the world's major franchise and small business exihibitions. This weekend Francorp is working with the New York Restaurant Show and convention to educate the successful restauranteurs in the North East about franchising and help them evaluate the concept of franchise development.

Francorp will be presenting to the restaurant owners at the show on how franchising works and whether the expansion vehicle could be an opportunity for some of the business owners at the show. Francorp has done business in the northeast with many of the successful food franchise concepts and restaurants. For more information on Francorp and the work that the global firm has done please visit the Francorp site, www.francorp.com

Francorp was founded in 1976 and has worked with most of the world's largest and most successful franchise systems. Francorp was founded by Don Boroian and continues to lead the franchise marketplace through the United States and around the globe.

Francorp - How to Market a Franchise

How to Market a Franchise:

The perpetual question on every franchisor's mind today is how do I keep generating good quality leads for franchise sales in this economy? When the going gets tough, the franchisor needs to get creative. The great thing about franchise marketing is that it is very targeted and specific. When was the last time you saw a Super Bowl Ad marketing for new franchisees? It's just not that likely. The reason is simple, the consumer advertising we see every day is expensive because of the reach and coverage. It is worthwhile for a company to advertise for car insurance when almost anyone who sees the TV commercial could be a potential client. That is not the case when advertising for a franchisee, the franchisee is a clearly defined candidate. The demographics have hopefully been defined ahead of time, the areas of interest are predetermined, the capital requirements and all other attributes are clearly defined. Thus, the advertising is much more focused and generally speaking less expensive.The different avenues that franchisors use for franchise marketing run the gambit. The Internet of course is the most widely used medium, about 74% of all franchise leads today come from the web. Print Media can be effective based on the readership and specificity of a publication. Direct Mailings can work in some instances as well as Email Marketing Campaigns. Tradeshows are the most showy and grand of the marketing mediums for franchise lead generation and can also be a wonderful way to market a franchise. When it comes down to it there are a lot of avenues...but how does a franchisor know where to spend their ad budget? How do they determine where they will get the most "bang for their buck"? There are several keys that my firm has lived by when it comes to franchise marketing, if these key issues are clearly and completely defined and addressed, the franchise marketing process can be a lot of fun and generate great leads. If these key points are ignored or only briefly addressed, the franchise marketing process can drive a franchisor mad!1. Define your Buyer. Have you ever heard the phrase, "Ready, Fire, Aim!" It sounds funny, that's because it doesn't make sense! The first goal of the franchise marketing effort should be to clearly define the buyer. I don't mean "salesperson with a desire to succeed".....I mean, "Female, ages 28-37, Midwest and Southeastern US, Household income between $75k-100k, work experience with kitchen products, married, preferably with children." We want specifics, down to every last detail. Once we completely figure out who this franchisee is, then we can more effectively plan our marketing.2. Establish franchise sales goals. Clearly identify the marketing approach. Start first with how many franchises you plan on selling into the system within the next 6 months and year. Don't plan much further than that, because beyond that point you will most likely have to redo this plan based on then current circumstances. Once we have the goals set, we then can back out of that equation. Typically we are looking at around 1000 qualified leads for every 50-100 meetings with prospective franchisees. From those meetings the closing percentage is typically around 5%. So if we determine that we would like 5 franchises to open during the first 12 months of rolling out the franchise, we need to plan on generating 1000 leads during those first 12 months. The beauty of franchise marketing is that it is very measureable and much easier to track then consumer marketing...we can actually tell how effective it is!3. Determine the advertising mediums. Different buyers can be reached via different advertising avenues. In some franchises all of the marketing can be done over the Internet, in others the marketing has to be done through direct mailers to specified candidates....like doctors in the case of a rapid care facility. Outline the pros and cons of each medium and establish the most effective based on the cost. This is where the importance of the defined franchise buyer comes through.4. Establish the Budget. The average cost per lead on the Internet is around $30, the average cost from a tradeshow can be as much as $200 when factoring in travel, time, booth set up and other costs. So take into account some kind of an average cost based on the advertising venues you have determined will be most effective at reaching the target audience. For those thousand leads you may need $10,000 in advertising dollars for that first year to hit the 5 franchises sold.5. Create the Collateral materials. A Franchise is a big investment for most franchisees, in fact for many of the buyers it is literally everything they have. The franchise offering should look extremely professional and really has to be buttoned up. This means that the brochure should be top quality, there should be a sales video to present to the buyer what the business entails and helps create excitement in the franchise. Pamphlets and handouts should be put together. All of this built around creating value in the business offering, not the product or service that the business offers. The overall theme should be "Mr. or Mrs. Franchisee, you can make a great living doing this, and have fun while you're at it." Franchise buyers fall in love with franchise concepts because they envision themselves running a business doing what the franchisor does. The collateral materials should be the vehicle that sparks that interest in the franchisee's mind.6. Put together a comprehensive application form. There should be two forms in the end...one that the franchisee fills out initially to give the franchisor initial information from which the franchisor can make a decision if they want to follow up with the prospect any further. This should be basic information that the franchisor should know up front as soon as possible in the sales process, like how much capital do you have to invest! The second form will go into much more detail and would be sent with the brochure and information packet. This form should go into work history and personal background, so that the franchisor can really get to know who this prospect is and what they are all about.7. Execution. Franchise marketing is like all advertising and marketing, it isn't a science, although it is much closer to one than consumer marketing, it still varies a great deal in its effectiveness and results. Some times, just when things are getting to the point where a franchisor is thinking they should throw in the towel and call it quits is when they really should do some MORE advertising! It takes consistency. The franchise buyers can be fickle, lots of time it has nothing to do with the franchise offering or the marketing, but rather with the franchisees life and circumstances. They do come back and look again, we want to be there when that prospect makes the buying decision.8. Excellent Follow Up. Great franchisors have wonderful salesmanship in the sales process. Leads should be followed up with immediately upon contact. Phone calls are important and there should be high frequency between calls until a contact is made. The franchise sales process isn't rocket science, it just takes hard work and good planning.

Christopher Conner
Vice President
Francorp, Inc.
http://www.francorp.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christopher_Conner

Don Boroian - Client Success in 2009

Francorp Clients Continue to have Success in 2009.
Francorp clients continue to drive forward through "interesting" economy.

Francorp Client Updates:Real Property Management: Currently have 42 locations across the country. Real Property Management is an industry leader in property management and has a wonderful system for teaching and training franchisees how succeed in this business.Here is an excerpt from the Real Property Management Website:Real Property ManagementThe Leading Property Management Companyin the United States and CanadaFeaturing Over 200 LocationsProperty OwnersReal Property Management is the one property management company that can offer high quality, standardized property management services in all major markets. Real Property Management has managed thousands of properties for over 20 years.Franchise OpportunitiesReal Property Management provides each franchise with a competitive edge through training, innovative and proven business systems, lead-generating marketing methods, Internet-based property management software, and on-going support.

Click here to learn more about Real Property Management franchise opportunites.Francorp Client Deck Rescue currently has 12 franchises openned currently!Deck Rescue is an industry leader in the deck powerwashing industry.Here is an excerpt from the Deck Rescue Website:About deck rescueSince 1995, Deck Rescue has been professionally servicing decks. We care for over 1,500 commercial and residential decks, fences, gazebos and other wood structures each year.President of Deck Rescue, Dave Hydock, was appointed to Wolman's seven-member National Contractor Advisory Board in the fall of 2006. Then, in the winter of 2007 upon learning of Deck Rescue's plans to franchise, Wolman agreed to support the franchising endeavor. Wolman has been with us since the beginning and will continue to support us into the future.Licensed, bonded and insured, our professional staff has been recognized for our outstanding services. Most notably by the Cleveland Plain Dealer, The Columbus Dispatch and WEWS News Channel 5.Also, Angie's List awarded Deck Rescue the Super Service Award for Northeast Ohio in 2008 - that's SEVEN awards in the past eight years!We are also the proud recipients of the Torch Award from the Better Business Bureau - only 11 other companies in the area were nominated for this award in 2003, and we were one of only four winners! Deck Rescue also received Honorable Mention in the 2005 biennial competition.We look forward to bringing you our impeccable service!

For more information on franchising and Francorp's clients visit the corporate site:http://www.francorp.com/

How to Franchise?

Can You Franchise Your Business?
Whether or not to franchise isn't an easy decision. You'll need to consider the business issues and weigh the pros and cons from an informed perspective.
Franchising as a rapid expansion tactic is one of several options you should consider for it's tremendous potential to grow your business quickly.
How does franchising work? The key is in the creation of systems which can be duplicated through training and support.
Other characteristics attractive to potential franchisees include businesses:
with a good track record of profitability.
built around a unique or unusual concept.
with broad geographic appeal.
which are relatively easy to operate.
which are relatively inexpensive to operate.
which are easily duplicated.
A good place to start is our overview of franchising. You may also access comprehensive information on how to franchise.
Despite the impressive merits, franchising is not for every business.
There is high risk in franchising any new, unproven business.
Established companies that should probably not franchise include businesses:
difficult to monitor from long distances.
requiring large numbers of employees.
with complex operations.
with low profit margins.
And being franchisable doesn't guarantee your success. Franchising the right way will help you to avoid a number of costly mistakes.
How to tell if your small business (or large business) is a prime franchise candidate.
You can quickly assess whether you are ready to franchise by taking our basic online quiz. Or, you can download our comprehensive worksheet and determine your company's franchisability for yourself at your convenience.
If you're ready to franchise, our checklist will guide you through the process.
If you're still not sure, a Francorp Franchise Analyst will discuss with you the franchisability of your business.
Other frequently asked questions about how to franchise a business:
How much time should you reasonably expect to spend in order to successfully build your franchise?
How much should you expect to pay to build a successful franchise?
What other resources are available to educate yourself about franchising?
Why Francorp? Our track record is solid. We've consulted with and provided franchising information to over 10,000 companies. We’ve helped more than 2,000 companies to successfully franchise their businesses.

Francorp Process

Our Proven Franchising Method
Franchise Your Business Seminars
Want to know how franchising works? Want to know how it stacks up to other forms of expansion and what controls are in place to protect you? Attend a Franchise Your Business Seminar, held in cities across the country. Conducted by a Francorp Senior Consultant, this seminar is designed to answer your questions and provide you with a better understanding of costs, time frames and working capital typically needed to grow through franchising.
The Francorp Tour
As business owners and executives examining franchising as an expansion strategy, you are encouraged to visit Francorp's headquarters in Olympia Fields, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. Here, you are invited to tour through all of our departments, meet our staff and senior officers, and review the documents needed in effective franchise growth. Your time spent with us will allow you to gain a detailed understanding of Francorp's unique process and how this process fits your needs for expansion.
Consultation
Is franchising right for your business? How long will it take to transition your business into a franchise? What kind of costs should you expect? These are just a few of the questions that are answered when you meet with a Senior Consultant. The Francorp consultation is typically a face-to-face meeting that allows you the opportunity to obtain an impartial evaluation of your business and its readiness for franchising from a professional with strong business experience and exceptional expertise in franchising.
Franchise Development
Franchise Development is our area of expertise. Whether you are developing a brand new franchise, reworking an existing one, or converting company-owned operations, Francorp has extensive experience across a wide variety of industries. Franchise Development includes designing a strategy for expansion, legal documents, operations manuals and marketing materials. These documents are created by a team assigned to your program that works closely with your company and staff to create materials that meet your expectations and deliver franchise sales.
Franchise Sales Training
While Francorp doesn't function as a broker for our clients, as part of our Franchise services, Francorp provides franchise sales training to new and existing franchisors. Attendees are taught by industry experts with numerous years of franchise sales experience, receive a "how to" manual and personalized instruction on how to sell effectively. On an ongoing basis, Francorp provides implementation consulting to ensure that the lessons learned in the classroom work effectively in achieving sales.
Franchise Management Training
Francorp conducts a two-day Franchise Management Training course designed to educate the Client's management team on the complexities of operating and managing a growing franchise organization. Detailed and comprehensive manuals are provided to all attendees on all course segments:
Building the Franchise Organization
Training Your Franchisees
Providing Effective Field Support
Marketing as a Franchisor
Franchisor Compliance
Franchisee Relations
Franchisor Services
While franchisors have specific needs that differ from one company to another, there are some basic needs that remain the same for all franchise organizations. Franchisors need both speed and accuracy in keeping their documents in step with the current marketplace. Experience and flexibility are critical. Francorp is structured perfectly to meet these needs. From a singular document revision to a whole system audit, Francorp adapts to meet the needs of each of our clients. We have the resources and experience to assess a problem, offer solutions and implement them in a timely manner.

The Francorp Difference

The Francorp Difference
Our first step is always to determine your franchisability. Francorp differs from other companies that are focused on selling their services. It's important to us that we work only with companies that are franchisable . We want you to be educated about the franchising process, and about how long you should expect the successful franchise offering to take .
Do you own one of those companies? Is your company ready to succeed? We can fast track the process without interfering with your potential to succeed.
And if you don't yet have a company, but do have the necessary funds, Francorp can help you develop a franchisable idea from the ground up.
All Under One Roof
Successful systems create successful franchises, and our unique Proven Method maximizes your chances of success and minimizes costly mistakes. We also offer an array of resources that speak to our leadership in the industry.
In franchising as in so many other fields, there is no substitute for experience. Francorp's professional staff is the largest and most experienced in franchising, and you get the benefit of our collective credentials. It's no accident we're considered the industry leader.
As a result, your services and franchise help are performed "in-house," not delegated to outside contractors who may have no expertise in franchising. We employ a full-time staff of professionals to create franchise structure, franchise documents, marketing strategies and materials, operations manuals, sales training, video presentations, and general consulting.
Information about each client is shared among the professionals involved in order to keep the work product consistent from department to department.
A Comprehensive Franchise Program
It's normal to be nervous about what to expect when you've never done this before. Francorp has developed a step-by-step procedure to support you through the franchising process.
When you first contact Francorp, you won't get a sales pitch. You won't be pressured at all. But by time you leave your first meeting with one of our consultants, you'll walk out with an action plan to either become more franchisable, or to start the franchising process.
Franchise structure - As a first step in creating a franchise program, Francorp consultants prepare a written franchise analysis based upon your business, its competition, and the franchise industry at large.
Franchise agreement - Francorp's in-house attorneys, with input from Francorp's operations, marketing, and strategic consultants, will draft the principal agreement that binds you to your franchisees.
Franchise offering circular - Francorp's legal department will draft an offering circular which will meet both Federal Trade Commission requirements and those of the states in which you intend to sell franchises.
State registration materials - Requirements of the states differ, and Francorp personnel will gather the proper materials and prepare the necessary forms required by each state where you wish to sell franchises.
Operations manual - Everything from company philosophy to advertising, from franchisee reporting to employee recruitment, from inventory acquisition to day-to-day operating procedures is included in your operations manual.
Marketing plan - To aid your franchise sales lead generation, Francorp's marketing department provides the media strategy, media budget, and media schedule. We also develop advertising copy and layouts, and/or direct mail materials, to generate interest among your target franchise prospects.
Franchise brochure - Because the prospect's first impression of your franchise is often created by a brochure, Francorp will design a brochure with special emphasis on exciting graphic design, and will describe in detail the elements of your franchise which make it attractive to prospective franchises.
Franchise sales training - During a two-day seminar, Francorp will instruct your franchise sales staff on all elements of the process, from legal considerations to closing techniques.
Implementation consulting – you'll always have ready access to professional assistance in all of Francorp's specialties during the critical period of franchise development.
Whenever problems or questions arise during this period, you may consult at no charge with any member of our project team.
Plus, you'll also receive a copyrighted 400-page manual covering all topics introduced in the franchise sales seminar in even greater detail.
Francorp's Track Record Of Success
Francorp has the most success stories of any franchise consultant. See our proven track record of client references who've succeeded with Francorp, and how we made a difference in their success. Learn the story behind our success to understand how Francorp came to be the franchising leader, and why it matters to you.
Attend an upcoming event to spend some time with Francorp's consultants. Or, visit our Chicago headquarters to see where it all takes place.
Every company is different, so we give you options for getting the process started. If you think you are franchisable, and that we can make a difference for you, call us to speak directly with one of Francorp's senior consultants. Perhaps you'd prefer to ask a question or inquire about our services online. Contact us and see how Francorp can assist your franchising efforts.
Francorp's difference can also be seen in our pricing structure. We understand the financial concerns of owner-operated companies, and offer you pricing and payment options to fund the future.

Franchising in India

Franchising in most parts of the world is well established and part of everyday life. In the U.S. over $1 trillion is spent per year in franchised outlets, 1 out of every 12 retail locations is a franchised operation. Now franchising is moving into other parts of the world, most notably India.
India now presents and enormous opportunity for franchise organizations. The country has over 12 million retailers which surpasses even China. This makes India the country with the highest retail outlet density in the world.
Indians have taken to franchising like the U.S. Already in this young and undeveloped franchise environment there are over 600 franchisors franchising in the Indian marketplace today. Along with that comes over 40,000 franchisees spread out across the country and across different sectors, over 300,000 Indian employees are employed directly by Indian franchise companies there. The market is enormous with almost unlimited potential. Currently the education sector of franchised businesses is the leading franchise model, but retail is catching up. The size of the consuming class means big opportunities for more franchise development.
The potential downsides of the new Indian market are what comes along with any developing market. For one the lack of regulation can still be an issue, real estate can be tricky and skewed in some cases and financing can be difficult. But if you can deal with those, this market has loads of potential.
There are a lot of companies in the services sector that are actively looking at India to set up their franchise operations today and will continue to be in the future. The growing popularity of the franchise model among Indian business men is evident in and around the country of India. The same issues that are taking place in the U.S. are also happening in India today. More people are losing their jobs, the big companies are downsizing with the slowing the economy in many sectors. This puts more people in the franchise market who would otherwise be working in a management position at a salary.
A franchise is a way for someone to earn a living without the risk of starting their own business. The other side of the equation is that as is the case in the U.S., investors are becoming more and more wary of putting their money into the stock market today. Earning the kinds of returns that were possible 2-5 years ago are extremely difficult today. This prompts more and more Indian business people to invest in themselves through a franchise model. Overall, the Indian franchise market represents one of the largest franchise opportunities in the world today.
Franchise organizations with applicable concepts and good planning will absolutely take India into account when planning their franchise system expansion for the coming years.
Christopher J. Conner
Vice President
Francorp, Inc.
708-481-2900
http://www.francorp.com

Don Boroian and Francorp to Hold Francorp Annual Conference in Washington D.C.

Dear Reader,

Francorp would like to invite you to our Annual Client Conference. This is an opportunity for you to get a "Behind the Scenes Look" at how we continue to coach and provide assistance to our clients.

This event will be held in Washington, DC at the Marriott at Metro Center, 775 12th Street NW, on Friday, March 20th from 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM. Our conference will be held in conjunction with the International Franchise Expo (IFE) held on March 20th, 21st, and 22nd. The IFE is the largest franchise show in the United States. The IFE show features nearly 300 franchisors who are set up in booths and who are presenting themselves to over 10,000 attendees and visitors who are intersted in buying franchises. We would suggest you plan on arriving in Washington, DC on Thursday evening, March 19th, attending the Francorp Annual Client Conference on Friday and then attending the IFE on Saturday and Sunday. When you notify us of your attendence, we will arrange for you to receive free admission tickets to the expo.

Our client conference will be featuring an outstanding presentation by our Executive Vice President, Tom DuFore, on "How to Exhibit in a Franchise Show or Tradeshow", and a presentation by Francorp's International offices on some of the exciting opportunities for U.S. companies to sell their master licenses in foreign countires. Represented in the program will be the heads of Francorp's operations in India, Argentina, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Middle East, and the Phillippines. There is no charge for your admittance to this meeting and you are free to send as many people as you like from your company.

Reservations for the event are required in order to reserve a seat to our annual conference and to allow the necessary time to send you the information for obtaining your tickets to the IFE. To reserve seats for your company, please contact one of our Franchise Anaylists at 1-800-372-6244 or tradeshow@francorp.com by March 11, 2009.

If you have not doen so already, please take a few moments to review our video on Selling Franchises in a Challenging Economy at www.francorp.com/economy.

We look forward to seeing you at the show!

Sincerely,

The Francorp Team

Own Your Own Business

"Own Your Own Business" SEMINAR
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MARKETCORP in 2009, presents the most powerful, educational Business Opportunity seminar nationwide! FREE ADMISSION to the public, with No Cost to attendees. Check below for schedules, cities, dates, location & time nearest you. There are 16 major cities (TBA), beginning in Atlanta, GA USA. Our Mission is to help people "GO TO WORK DOING WHAT THEY LOVE.......Creating more and more jobs". More on this page................OUR SEMINARS ARE RSVP ONLY. Due to the overwhelming popularity and availability, you will need to register well in advance, to reserve a FREE seat for these events. (REGISTER BELOW AT BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE)MarketCorp and Francorp, the largest Franchise Development Company worldwide, consulting over 10,000 companies, team up to bring you a (2) Hour, 100 Slide Video presentation, highlighting the Advantages and Disadvantages of the three major ways of owning a business: 1. Starting a Business from Scratch. 2. Buying an Existing Business. 3. Buying a Franchise Business. All critical components of running a business are covered, such as advertising, taxes, payroll, licenses, employees, state & local laws, financing, sales, accounting, vendors, market trends, business statistics and much more. This is the most powerful learning tool in the industry! Even people who've been in business for years, learn things they didn't know, from this presentation of material, given by well known experts with years of experience.Buy A Franchise Opportunity in your area and Own Your Own Business!Also, you'll be introduced to several successful Franchise Business Opportunities in the areas of Healthcare, Restaurant, Professional Services, Business Services, Auto Service, Home-Based businesses and more. Take advantage of SPECIAL INCENTIVES AND DISCOUNTS, that are available only during the seminar attendance. These aren't your normal opportunities!Opportunities range from $25k - 2 Million. We require that you have at least 25k in liquid cash and a Net Worth of at least 50k or more, in order to attend the seminar. If you're serious about owning your own successful business, then you'll need cash to get started. Financing may be available for some of the total investment, but in today's business climate, lenders require liquid cash and tangible assets to secure business loans.The caliber of this seminar IS NOT for the occasional tire kicker who doesn't have any money or isn't that serious about owning and running a successful business. Our Franchise Business Opportunities are successful businesses, searching for successful partners who want to grow and expand. These are NOT start-up companies - they have a successful track record.You'll meet Kent Boxberger, President & CEO of MarketCorp, with over 25 years experience in major business expansion, as well as, many other professionals who bring years of experience for your use. Please BE ON TIME, as you won't want to miss this presentation from beginning to end! Doors will close 15 minutes after start time.Don't miss this event! Remember, the seminar event is FREE at No Cost to You, but you MUST RSVP early in advance to get a reserved seat! Otherwise, you will be charged $125 per person, the day of the event, to attend. There are a limited number of seats and when these are filled, unfortunately there are no more reservations available.
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SEMINAR SCHEDULE
(16 Cities TBA)February 25, 2009
Atlanta, GA, 7:00 p.m. Evening,
Crowne Plaza Hotel - Ravinia
4355 Ashford Dunwoody Rd., Atlanta, GA 30346
Gardenia Room
888-444-0401

Don Boroian Client Success in 2009

Francorp Client Success in 2009.

Francorp Clients continue with great success through difficult economic times! Recently in the past months Entreprenuer has again released the coveted Franchise 500 list, which is a documented list of the fastest growing 500 franchise systems in the U.S. Each year companies and professionals in the franchise industry wait anxciously to see who has made the list, which industries are growing quickly and how all the top franchise companies are doing currently.

Francorp is acknowledged as the industry leader in franchise development and consulting work in launching and developing new and existing franchise concepts and organizations. Francorp has been in business for over 33 years with almost 20 offices around the world. Clients have included McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Auntie Anne's, Omni Hotels, Jimmy Johns, 800-Flowers and many others. This year on the Franchise 500 list, Francorp has 112 clients with whom the firm has worked with at some point, or continues to work with.

112 of the top 500 fastest growing franchise systems have worked with Francorp Consulting.

Francorp works with companies of all sizes and years in the franchise business. Here are some of Francorp's more recent clients who are experienceing success right now in 2009. These are franchise systems that will in the years to come gain more and more exposure, but for right now are just getting a foothold in the market.

Patrice and Associates, www.PatriceandAssociates.com - 3 franchises sold in 2009
Hot Box Pizza, www.gethotboxpizza.com – first franchise sold
Play Party, www.playparty.net – first franchiseAdvanced Maintenance, www.advancedmaint.com – 7th location
Sofi’s Crepes, www.sofiscrepes.com – 3rd location -1st franchise in 2009
Al’s Beef and Nancy’s Pizza, www.alsbeef.com - 6 Franchises sold in 2009

For more information on other great franchise concepts and on how to franchise a business, visit Francorp's corporate site, www.francorp.com.

Don Boroian - Franchising and The Economy

In November, Francorp's Chairman, Don Boroian, did a presentation on the economy and its effect on franchising. Here is the transcript from that presentation and what was said about how franchising would be affected by our current economic downturn.

Hi, I am Don Boroian, Chairman of Francorp. I’d like to talk to you today about a couple of things that are very important to us as we meet this challenging economy right now that is raising havoc with a lot of the financial markets. It will definitely have an effect on franchising as well. However, contrary to what you might think, it is going to have a positive effect. For example, the biggest growth of franchising has occurred during these downturns in the economy. And we are going to look at it in two ways. First of all, why it makes sense, for you as a franchisor to expand during this particular time. And secondly, why you need to change your message to prospective franchise buyers to meet the economic perceptions that people have about whether or not it is a good time for them to buy a franchise.

First of all, as a franchisor, there’s a lot of uncertainty in the market. Many companies, right now, as they hear all of the economic woes and credit issues and so on are pulling in their horns. They’re not expanding, particularly companies who are looking to expand with borrowed money or looking for investors to open operating units. First of all, we all know that investors don’t invest in companies to open ten stores. The return on investment to venture capitalists is not sufficient to justify that kind of investment. They don’t want to be in a situation where their money is tied up for three or four years before they begin to turn a profit. By the time you open operating units and put managers in them and the amount of return on invested capital at the unit level, which generally, is about fifteen percent, has to be split between the investor and you. It’s just not a sufficient amount of money. In addition, during times like this, investors are investing their money in distressed merchandise. Depleted value of stocks are a bargain for investors. And the money from the venture capital people is not going into start ups or development into relatively new companies. However, there’s a silver lining to all of this. And that is, that as a franchisor, your ability to move out into the marketplace is going to be enhanced by the availability of opportunity for you. For example, if you are in retailing or in restaurants or any business that needs to go into a shopping center or into inline stores, there are going to be more vacancies in areas now that you might not be able to get into when times are good and business is booming. Those stores were already filled. Right now, some of those stores will become available. Even though you may not have the capital to go into those stores personally, this is where franchisees come in. And while we hear all the talk about credit and difficulty in getting credit, remember, we’re dealing with a different buyer. For example, if you have a retail store or if you have a restaurant, you need hundreds of customers to come into your store, every day, every week.

But in franchising, we don’t have to sell hundreds of franchises every week or every day or every month. We only need to sell one or two, certainly, in a time like this, if you’re a new emerging franchisor. And the people that you’re going to be selling franchises to are more abundant now in quality. These are people that are being laid off, downsized, reengineered in companies that are laying off people or are going out of business. And these are the people that have been working in these companies for a number of years. They have good credit. They have a high credit score. They have equity in their homes; that can get refinanced at their local bank because they have longevity in their community and they are very good credit risks. In addition, these are people that have excellent job skills. Many of them are middle managers. These are people that always really would’ve liked to own their own business; were afraid to leave the job and risk their fortunes on starting a business. But now that, that decision has been made for them, they’re on the market. And many of these people have gone to job interviews only to find that companies in their same industry, that have just laid them off, are also laying off people. That’s when we get their interest in buying a franchise.

So that from your standpoint, as a franchisor, there are going to be a lot of opportunities because your competitors that are not franchising, are not going to be occupying more stores, borrowing money, opening more branches, opening more markets for their businesses. A good case in point right now is Starbucks. They’re closing 700 of their stores. Now for Starbucks, to put a manager in an outlet and to make the entire investment in the store and to be able to make a profit over and above the manager’s salary, is quite different than for a franchisee who is to buy a franchise and go into a business and work 60 hours a week. In many cases just making their salary, without even a profit over and above that, meets their needs. They just want to own their own business, be their own boss, be the captain of their own ship, master of their own destiny. And so many of these kinds of situations or companies that have corporate owned locations; those locations are going to be available. In retailing, in the food service industry, in anything that occupies a store, where someone has already done the leasehold improvements, in the restaurant business they have the walk in coolers, freezers, 3-compartment sinks, and grills and so on. And many of the landlords are bending over backwards giving free rents to get tenants in there to occupy these spaces. And in the service business as well, many of your competitors, those of you in service businesses; these companies are going to be cutting back on their expansion because it takes capital and not only just the start up capital but the burn rate. When we sell a franchise, a franchisee doesn’t expect to make money for the first two years. If they just barely take out a salary initially, to get the business going, that’s pretty much expected. They don’t expect to walk in on day one to be turning a salary and a profit.

But companies today can’t afford to do that if they’re borrowing a lot of money at their banks because, first of all, the bank financing isn’t available to that extent. And certainly, as the credit markets and standards tighten, it makes it more difficult for companies to expand with company owned units, where typically it takes two years to get to a breakeven point. And so those of us that are franchising our businesses have a great opportunity here because our competition is pulling in their horns.

You have three choices right now in this current challenging market. Number one, pulling your horns, hunker down, climb in a fox hole, wait until the storm blows over. If you do that, you’re going to miss a lot of opportunities. But companies that need capital in order to expand their own company owned units are going to have to do that because they don’t have the available capital.

A second strategy is to do what you’re doing right now. Just keep on going and keep on your current expansion strategy. But again, companies that are doing this with their own company units are inhibited by the inability to get capital and by their inability to move out into other markets and support these kinds of expansions.

A third option and this is an option great for franchisors, because this is an opportunity to look around and capture markets that are being abandoned or not expanded into by your competitors. And by franchising, you’re allowing yourself to go into these markets with the capital resources and the human resources of others. So from your standpoint, as a franchisor, this is the time to move out. And as we talk to prospective franchisors whether it’s through our regional director program, whether it’s through the people who contact us, whether it’s the seminars that we do, or the advertising that we do, and we talk to companies who are considering franchising. And looking at this as an optional strategy, we’re quick to point out to them that now is the time to expand your business into a market that’s weakened.

The time to attack the fort is when the walls are crumbling. And the walls in many of these companies today, which were well fortified, are crumbling because they are reliant totally upon bank financing that isn’t going to be there to the extent it has been in the past. And as franchising affords you the opportunity to expand, it does so by you finding those one or two or three people each month who do have good credit, high credit scores, who are looking to own their own business, who will make that investment, who will be the human resource solution for you as well as a capital solution, as they invest in buying the land, building the business or developing their markets. And it gives you the opportunity to move into a market that is weakened. This is the time. The lions in the Serengeti always attack the weakest of the prey. And this is the time for us to move into the marketplace by franchising into these markets while the companies that are reliant totally on expansion capital in either internally generated, borrowing money, bringing in investors or through other means. And we have an added opportunity here to raise funds through the investment of individuals. And we don’t have to get 300 of them a month or a hundred a day.

We only need to get 2 or 3 or 4 people to buy a franchise each month. These are people with good credit. These are people with equity. These are people with 401(k)s. These are people with savings. These are people with family and friends that will help them get started. So, take advantage of this opportunity now. And from the franchise buyer’s point of view, let’s take a look also at why we need to adjust our message. In the past our message was be your own boss, be master of your own destiny, captain of your own ship. Now is the time to get into this expanding world of whatever your concept is. But that message is changing now because now people have a perception that this may not be a good time to go into their own business. Because you know already how to run that business, they’re getting a jump start. And so this is an opportune time for you to look over the marketplace at a much better qualified group of people, who are desperately seeking either a job, which is very difficult to replace, similar to the one they’ve had or to start their own business. And because these are not people that are high risk, they’re not as likely to start their own business from scratch because they know the rate of business failures is about 95 percent of all new businesses that start. According to the Department of Commerce 95 businesses, 95 percent of all start ups from scratch fail within the first 5 years. And so with a franchise, the odds are in their favor and these are people who are more conservative, who are comfortable following the plan. And now that decision has been made for them, that they’re out in the marketplace without a job, they’re taking a look at you, as a franchisor, and what you offer. So what we can tell the prospective buyers today is that we have a system, we have it worked out. We have a complete business model. We have the opportunity for you to learn. We will teach you everything you need to learn. You don’t have to know anything about our business. We’ll teach you, we’ll help you. There are available stores now. There are landlords that are giving free rent and doing leasehold improvements and tenant improvement allowances.

There are competitors that are on the ropes, some of them going under. Now is the time to buy a franchise, to get yourself established, to get yourself started with our assistance as franchisors helping you. Now is the time. So don’t hunker down, don’t crawl in the fox hole. Now is the time to move out. Take advantage of the weakened economy, the weakened market, your weakened competitors. Sell these franchises and help people get started. And show the prospective buyer why now is a good time for them to capitalize on this opportunity that this challenging economy has presented.

Don Boroian
Chairman
Francorp, Inc.
www.francorp.com

How to Effectively Work a Franchise Tradeshow

How to Effectively Work a Franchise Tradeshow
By: Christopher James Conner

Franchising is a fantastic way to grow a business. Many companies have utilized franchising as a way to grow their businesses across the United States and around the world. Hundreds and in some cases thousands of units have been opened in very short time periods by many different franchise brands. The basic premise, is that one company who has a good business model and understanding of how to run their type of business can teach other business owners how to be successful doing the same thing. In return the ones who learn from the credible business owners pay a franchise fee and royalty for that knowledge and training. It really can be an amazing thing when franchising successfully builds “win-win” relationships between so many different parties.
When a company decides to offer franchises of its business model, they begin to look for potential franchisees who will then open locations of their concept. It is with that principal that companies use tradeshows as a potential avenue for meeting new franchise buyers.
A Franchise sale is unique and different from most other sales. It is the formation of a long term relationship between two business parties. Unlike in the sale of a good or a short-term service, this transaction has a lasting relationship that in many franchise contracts extends to twenty years or longer. When a franchise company exhibits at a franchise tradeshow to meet new buyers they are in the first stages of forming a long partnership with those people. With that in mind the tradeshow takes on a new light. This decision has enormous consequences for both sides of the transaction. The buyers at a franchise tradeshow analyze everything about the franchisors and are carefully evaluating everything about the company. This is a very big decision for most franchise investors and they will be extremely cautious about who they get into business with. The Franchisors exhibiting at franchise shows must have their best presentation ready to go and be totally on top of their game in order to impress potential buyers.
This starts first with the booth. At any tradeshow the booth is an extension of a company’s office and home. It represents to the people at that tradeshow what and who that company is. Every piece of the booth and messaging displayed needs to be carefully and appropriately structured. There are many companies that do nothing but booth design and set up, I would recommend exploring their services. Because of the brevity inherent in a decision to invest in a franchise, the booth must look and be set up properly, it should represent a company extremely well. The best companies in the world at doing this are the commercial real estate organizations at the ICSC in Las Vegas each year. Their booths literally look like permanent office buildings they have constructed on the trade show floor. Booths to this extent can run in the hundreds of thousands of dollars and are not practical for most purposes, but it is critical to have a professional and well organized booth at a franchise tradeshow. It is also extremely important to understand how your booth and the materials will actually get TO and FROM the show. If pieces are missing when you go to set up your booth, it can ruin the structure and overall presentation.
The most critical aspect to a successful tradeshow is the Staffing. There is an old saying that describes the uselessness of an extremely expensive booth with all the bells and whistles and no one to staff the booth that cares enough to engage the prospects. Franchise buyers are wary, this is a big decision for them and they are very careful in their evaluation. That being said, most buyers do not know what they want to invest in. They come to franchise shows with the understanding that they could investigate the options and look around to meet potential franchisors. Very rarely does a buyer come to a show with an express intent to buy or meet with one particular franchise company. Keeping that in mind, it is absolutely essential that a franchise tradeshow booth be manned by aggressive and positive staff. The booth very quickly becomes an afterthought once a prospect is engaged. Then the attention is shifted to the person. Everyone at the booth should look professional, well dressed, clean shaven, positive and excited about what they have to offer. If the people at the booth are not excited about the franchise offering, why should the buyers be?
The key to a successful tradeshow for a franchise company is to leave with LEADS. Very rarely does a tradeshow attendee come to a show and buy a franchise there at the exhibition. In most cases they meet the franchisor and begin the information gathering process from that point, the franchise agreement and relationship begins in several weeks or months after continued follow up and interaction. As a result, the focus of a franchise tradeshow for the team and staff must be to generate leads. Once a prospect has been engaged and their information has been gathered, it is time to move on! Find the next potential buyer, the tradeshow floor is not a place for long conversations. It is short introductions where enough value is built to set up the next call. Good franchise tradeshow staffs will not get caught talking with vendors or unqualified prospects. They will be on their feet the entire show and will not eat or drink in the booth. You just never know when that next good buyer will walk around the corner, and if your booth staff is drinking smoothies or eating ice cream at the time, you just might miss out on a great opportunity.
After the smoke clears and the tradeshow activities come to an end, it is not time to rest. It is time for follow up. An amazing percentage of tradeshow meetings at franchise exhibitions are never followed up on. It is a travesty to spend money on a tradeshow, put in the hard hours, walk away with sore backs and knees and not give the follow up the attention and commitment it deserves. The leads that you meet at a franchise tradeshow should be followed up with the night after the meetings have happened. This may seem aggressive to some, but you are not the only company or person that the attendee met for the first time that day. It will be a very short time before they forget you even exist. The follow up should be continued until there is a substantive conversation. Ideally, a franchise company will arrange a follow up meeting, either at the location or in the form of a seminar or workshop about their franchise. These meetings are a great way to continue the franchisee’s buying process and information gathering.
Overall, franchise tradeshows are wonderful ways for buyers to learn more about franchises and meet firsthand with the owners and leaders of franchise companies. They are also extremely effective ways for franchisors to market their franchise offering and meet quality potential buyers for their franchise. If the show is managed correctly and the preceding points are taken into account, tradeshows can be the beginning of many wonderful franchise relationships!