Childrens Feature Articles

Childrens Feature Articles

Franchise Sector Showcase

Informative Childrens franchise articles to support business buyers, franchisees, and franchisors.

At 17, Victor Chapron was just another boy in the 'hood facing one of three probable futures: drugs, jail, or death. Instead, he was rescued from his high-risk life in Los Angeles and sent to live with his aunt in Chicago. That's where he caught a break and turned his life around... maybe even saved it. Today, at 40 years old, he's come full circle. He's back in LA--this time at the top of his game.
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 8,549 Reads 105 Shares
The numbers vary, depending on who you ask, but the result is the same: The outlook for the continuity of family-owned businesses is bleak. So where's the disconnect? What goes wrong? With all the years of hard work and sacrifice that go into building a family-owned business, why don't more founders succeed in passing it on to the next generation--and the next? And what can a founder do to increase the odds the business will survive?
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 6,203 Reads
Care-giving for baby-boomers is a rapidly growing concern and quickly escalating need in this country. In the next two decades, there will be more than 70 million people over the age of 65. Furthermore, the average life expectancy has increased 15 years since the 1930's. Nearly one out of every four U.S. households provides care to a relative or friend aged 50 or older and about 15 percent of adults care for a seriously ill or disabled family member. In hard numbers, about 13 million people are spouses or adult children of disabled older people and have the potential responsibility for their care.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 5,879 Reads 535 Shares
When Mike Willett was looking for creative ways to finance the growth of his franchise plans in the Houston area, he looked no further than his existing retirement plan. With a program known as a BORSA (Business Owner's Retirement Savings Account) Plan, he recently tapped his 401(k) holdings to launch the regional development of Synergy HomeCare. The BORSA program is structured so that retirement funds can be used for business development without distributions, taxes, penalties, or loans.
  • Joan Szabo
  • 4,732 Reads 82 Shares
National marketing efforts on behalf of franchisees have always been one of the benefits of operating within a franchise system. Generally, you sign on, open a store, and you get brand support and marketing from the franchise system. That’s a great advantage, but some multi-unit operators like to take matters a step further... or even several steps further by taking local marketing into their own hands. There are many unique and creative ways for multi-unit operators to approach local marketing. Done right, it’s much more creative and involved than direct mail or coupons, and the results can be taken to the bank. Here are a few twists and tips we uncovered.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 3,500 Reads 12 Shares
One-third of the nation's population is "minority" (U.S. Census), but only about 10 percent of franchises are minority-owned (National Minority Franchise Initiative). Or, to look at it another way, 90 percent of franchises are not minority-owned.
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 5,722 Reads 25 Shares
If someone had told Heidi Morrissey 20 years ago that she'd wind up as heir apparent to the family business, Kitchen Tune-Up, she would have probably rolled her eyes in that way that only a teenager can. And if her four siblings had dared to suggest that she, of them all, was most like their master-salesman father, she'd have repeated the eye roll and added an indignant snort.
  • Debbie Selinsky
  • 3,935 Reads 10 Shares
Wouldn't it be great if you could call a home repair service, book an appointment, and be guaranteed they'd show up on time (and not within a four-hour window!), be courteous and respectful, and perform a reliable, professional job?
  • 3,415 Reads 11 Shares
Franchising could be described as the process of taking one success story and translating and multiplying it into many. Whether through genius or pure luck (usually a combination of both) someone created something that worked once. Naturally, the entrepreneurial thought is; if it worked once it can work again, and again, and again. There begins the seed of the franchising journey that can ultimately lead to great success or unfortunately sometimes great failure. The path to either ending is sometimes determined by the first step taken.
  • Jeffrey Davis
  • 11,248 Reads 307 Shares
When doing business in Mexico, it is essential to establish relationships with associates who are well connected. This requires checking their backgrounds and reputations to determine the depth and breadth of their personal and professional networks. Joining local social clubs and business organizations, participating in the American Chamber of Commerce in Mexico, and visiting the nearest U.S. consulate and the Commercial Attaché at the U.S. Embassy are useful ways to obtain such information. Cultivating personal relationships with your Mexican banker and local executives of your joint venture partnership also provides access to this kind of business intelligence.
  • Richard Hill
  • 3,310 Reads 5 Shares
Americans love to have fun--and despite their bulging waistlines, they also like to keep fit--or spend money trying! Between these two trends there's a lot of room for franchise growth--whether for seniors, juniors, or in-betweens!
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 2,649 Reads 9 Shares
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In 1963, women's advocate Betty Friedan wrote in her book, The Feminine Mystique, that women were preparing to break new barriers. Friedan lived to see her prophecies come true before her death earlier this year. And nowhere are the broken barriers more apparent than in multi-unit franchising.
  • Linda C. Ray
  • 4,125 Reads 1 Shares
"To get a good job, get a good education." How many millions of kids have heard that from a concerned parent? And in that simple statement lies boundless opportunity for educational and tutoring franchises worldwide.
  • 10,306 Reads 440 Shares
There are a lot of ties in life. In baseball, a tie goes to the runner. In the hiring process, a tie goes to the boss's son. Well, for customers choosing between competing stores, a tie often goes to the graphics.
  • Bruce Olans
  • 5,377 Reads 1,023 Shares
When doing business in Mexico, it is essential to establish relationships with associates who are well connected. This requires checking their backgrounds and reputations to determine the depth and breadth of their personal and professional networks. Joining local social clubs and business organizations, participating in the American Chamber of Commerce in Mexico, and visiting the nearest US consulate and the Commercial Attaché at the US Embassy are useful ways to obtain such information. Cultivating personal relationships with your Mexican banker and local executives of your joint venture partnership also provides access to this kind of business intelligence.
  • Alberto de la Pena
  • 5,626 Reads 2 Shares
There's nothing mysterious about what investors and franchisors want from one another: a reliable partner who can help them achieve their goals. For the franchisor, it's all about brand and unit growth; for the investor, it's return on investment.
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 3,802 Reads 5 Shares
The do-it-yourself (DIY) handyman trend boosted the fortunes of home supply stores for decades. But as baby boomers aged and time became more precious than money for this generation, "do-it-for-me" (DIFM) handyman services have blossomed - and franchise companies have been quick to take advantage.
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 8,087 Reads 1 Shares
Chew on the numbers presented in this article and consider the implications for you and your organization from the perspective of your customers and employees--the people you hire and the people you sell to. You will see great numbers to keep in mind when positioning your company, looking for your next location, and developing your next marketing push.
  • Mauricio Velasquez
  • 4,330 Reads 3 Shares
Chew on these numbers and take into consideration the implications for you and your organization from the perspective of your customers and your employees - who you hire and whom you sell to. You will see great numbers to keep in mind when positioning your company, your next office and your next marketing push. Many of these numbers come from my work in the construction, landscape, and business-to-consumer industries, which understood these numbers many years ago. Construction, landscaping, manufacturing, and related industries are in the trenches and don't understand why so many other industries are not getting it.
  • Mauricio Velasquez
  • 2,785 Reads
It's all her son's fault! Twenty-eight years ago, says Alice Schleicher (pronounced "Slisher"), her then 16-year-old, Rick, came home and said, "'Mom and Dad, I saw a restaurant and I want to buy it.'" It was a KFC in Sellersburg, Indiana. "We kind of looked at each other and said, 'Okay, well, we'll buy it.'" She envisioned having four someday. So far, she's exceeded that by 50.
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 9,664 Reads 1 Shares
Gina Mehr has experienced success; now she wants to be effective.
  • Linda Ray
  • 4,376 Reads 1,014 Shares
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Tom Hofer has always been tuned into his own drive and sense of where he belonged. "I did real well in a retail environment after college, but I always knew it wasn't me," Hofer says. "I definitely knew I wanted to own my own business, but wasn't sure what to do. So when the opportunity came up for me to buy a territory with Spring Green, it felt right."
  • Linda Ray
  • 3,574 Reads 9 Shares
Todd Watkins may look like a type-A power franchisee with 22 Martinizing locations and the title of largest franchisee in the system. But the 41-year-old Michigan father has other priorities.
  • Linda Ray
  • 4,714 Reads 25 Shares
Child care-related franchising is hot-and has been for several years. No wonder: the continuing trend of working mothers, as reflected in U.S. Census data. In 2003, about 65 percent of mothers with at least one child under age six worked year-round, compared with 56.8 percent in 1993. More than 70 percent of single mothers have jobs outside the home, and 59 percent of mothers with children under one year of age work outside the home. Furthermore, with rising birth trends showing about four million babies are born every year in the U.S., the population of children under age five is expected to grow from almost 19 million today to more than 21 million in 2015, and close to 30 million in 2050.
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 4,732 Reads 330 Shares
When Linda Burzynski was offered the CEO slot at Liberty Fitness, the franchising veteran says she hesitated, in part because she didn't feel she was in the best shape, physically, to head up a health and fitness organization.
  • Debbie Selinsky
  • 5,391 Reads 23 Shares
The quest for knowledge. That, and an increasingly competitive world, coupled with parent demand, is driving the tutoring and learning center industry. It's another growing opportunity in franchising. The Education Industry Association projected growth of 15 percent in this sector last year. Higher expectations, low test scores, and mounting competition for admission to top-tier universities are boosting student enrollment at tutoring and learning centers across the country. Facilities like Sylvan, Huntington, and Kumon are witnessing this exploding growth firsthand.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 1,942 Reads 5 Shares
Franchise organizations cite these conventions as a vitally important part of their success. Traditionally, the meetings have provided an opportunity to bring franchisees together regularly to share system information and offer training. But these "family" get-togethers are continuing to evolve as franchisors look for new and refreshing ways to attract, motivate, and energize their franchise operators and send them back to their stores full of information and inspiration.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 3,831 Reads 1,023 Shares
A family-oriented bar? Imagine children playing and laughing as football games are broadcast on big-screen TVs, while parents and patrons have a cold one. It's not as strange a concept as you might think.
  • 3,052 Reads
Australian companies looking to expand beyond their borders are casting a hungry eye on the U.S. market. Physically Australia is over ¾ the size of the United States but there are only 19.9 million people in the country compared to a population of over 293 million in the U.S. What's more, high household and disposable incomes and the almost competitive desire to be the first on their block to try something new give American consumers both the means and the propensity to buy Australian products and services.
  • Kay Ainsley
  • 3,570 Reads
Mary Carol McDaniel and her husband Frank own three (soon to be four) Pump It Up franchises in Alabama and Tennessee. But unlike most multiple unit franchisees, they didn't do a lot of research or planning or interviewing of franchisors to decide on a concept. It walked up to them.
  • 4,713 Reads 177 Shares
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