Small Business Guide - Small Business Resources
    (Add to Favorites  |  View All Articles  |  Resource Directory)

Get Approved for a Franchise


Deciding to start your own franchise is just one of the first steps to getting started. Buying a franchise is a lot like dating. You and the company have to be a good fit. The company you are considering starting a franchise with must fit your needs, and you must meet the guidelines they have set up.

You may be thinking, "I have the money, I will just sign up and get started." It's just not that easy. The companies want to make sure you will be successful and a large part of that will come in the form of discussions, questions, paperwork, and if you're still both attracted to each other - FINAL APPROVAL!

Chances are if you're a true entrepreneurial spirit, your nature won't be right for most franchisors. Franchisors want you to be able to follow a system that they have proven to be successful. A good example of this is "the golden arches". You won't ever go into one that doesn't follow the rules and guidelines set down by the franchisors. They may for a little while, but they will and can lose their franchise license. There isn't room for innovation in franchise companies. They don't want someone to cause any trouble and rock the boat on their proven business systems. A great place to get some tips on Franchise Start ups is at startupsmarts.info.

If you're capable of following a PROVEN system for business success you will be a good franchise owner though. There will still be thousands of questions and they are looking for a specific type of person.

The franchisors want someone with an entrepreneurial spirit to be self sufficient, but with out enough free spirit to re-invent the wheel. The companies usually prefer you to have some management experience or extensive experience in the field.

Your personality is the next thing that will be reviewed on your "date" with the franchise company. If your wishy-washy and don't know what you want, you can probably count on this being your last date with that company.

Just like when you meet a new prospective person to date, you check out their outfits, car, etc... You don't want to end up dating a beach bum right? Well the franchisors don't want to be dating someone who doesn't meet their financial guidelines. If you're planning on borrowing the funds to start the franchise, you may have a rude awakening. Even if your credit is good, and you qualify for a home equity loan, you may find the bank will not lend it to you for starting a business.

Make sure you have your finances in order. Prepare a financial statement that includes your net worth, and what assets are able to be turned into cash in a decent amount of time. Franchisors are going to home in on your net worth and liquidity before anything else. Having cash on hand is much more important that having the ability to borrow funds. Financing debt on other debt is not attractive to many franchisors.

The franchisors will also look at your marketing skills, and your ability to work the schedule the franchise takes to run. If you are used to working a normal 8 to 4 job and suddenly find yourself having to be at "work" 7 days a week it WILL affect your life. Can you make that type of change?

You can find more information on Franchise Financing at: http://www.finance-franchise.info and place like http://www.entrepreneur.com/

Edward Charkow is the administrator for http://www.nichebiz.info and grants reprint rights for this article as long as this resource box remains intact.


MORE RESOURCES:

News provided by Yahoo! News and Google News

#1 Amazon Web Marketing Bestseller, Content Is Cash, Nominated For 2012 Small ... - PR Web (press release)

#1 Amazon Web Marketing Bestseller, Content Is Cash, Nominated For 2012 Small ...
PR Web (press release)
Content Is Cash, which hit #1 on the Amazon web marketing bestseller list in Sept. of 2011, was recently nominated for the 2012 Small Business Book Awards, by Small Biz Trends, celebrating the best books that small business people and entrepreneurs ...

Oh baby! Small biz scores huge Angry Birds deal - CNN

Cleveland News - Fox 8

Oh baby! Small biz scores huge Angry Birds deal
CNN
By Parija Kavilanz @CNNMoney February 2, 2012: 6:09 PM ET SwaddleDesigns, a Seattle-based small business, scored first-ever license to make baby products for the mega-popular Angry Birds brand. NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- A small Seattle-based company hit ...
Small Biz Scores Huge Angry Birds DealCleveland News - Fox 8

all 103 news articles »

Wilmington council considers small biz help along with ballpark - WWAY NewsChannel 3

WWAY NewsChannel 3

Wilmington council considers small biz help along with ballpark
WWAY NewsChannel 3
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) -- Spending money to make money. The City of Wilmington is looking for ways to spur economic development. Some council members believe a baseball stadium may do that. At the same time, the city also wants to help small business ...

and more »

Small Business Hiring Intentions Best Since January 2008
More U.S. small-business owners intend to increase (22%) than decrease (8%) the number of jobs at their company in the next year, the biggest margin in four years, according to the new Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index survey.

New Wells Fargo Survey: Small Business Owners Expect Increased Revenues, More Hiring for 2012
America’s small business owners are the most optimistic since July 2008, according to the latest findings from the Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index survey for the period Jan.

SBA 504 Loans Hit Record Low Interest Rate for February
The Small Business Administration's 504 loan program is providing stable, long-term, fixed rate financing for commercial real estate and the purchase of other capital fixed a

Small-Business Owners More Optimistic About Growth -Survey
DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

Home | Site Map | Privacy Statement | More Articles
© 2006