FAQs about Franchises

There are many questions that go along with getting yourself into a franchise operation. If you are the owner of the franchise then you particularly want to know all the specifics about owning a franchise, so here are some questions and answer that many people will typically ask the company directly in order to know where to begin first.

Franchise Question #1: How Much Capital Do You Need?
Answer: The most obvious concern that one should think about before approaching a company for one of their franchise businesses is how much startup capital they will need. Most of the time this answer will be laying right out in the open, but it's okay too if one decides to approach the company directly and ask how much he or she will need.
Many times the company will have a startup capital requirement, but then again some companies are only concerned about getting their fees that are associated with a franchise being able to use the company name, logo, and reputation. On the same note, it would be a good plan to pay the startup or initial fees of the company with cash instead of relying on a business loan for the money. Considering the fact that many franchises will need to get business loans anyway for all types of supplies and other necessary furnishings the best route to take would be to essentially pay for your franchise with cash!

Franchise Question #2: Where Will You Get Supplies?
Answer: Perhaps the next thing that a franchise owner will want to know before he or she actually starts opening the business is where the supplies will come from. When dealing with company headquarters there are many different rules and regulations that are associated with each type of franchise. Some companies will require the franchise owner to purchase the supplies, such as seating, chairs, and cash registers from a specific company that furnishes all of their company's store branches, but there may be other companies that have real loose guidelines about the whole issue. One must make sure, though, that he or she knows all the ins and outs of furnishing the store with supplies before any agreement is ever made!

Franchise Question #3: Am I required to Advertise?
Answer: This is a very important issue in and of itself. Many would-be franchise owners don't realize this, but the advertising that is done for the franchise is actually done by the company itself! Some of the fees that are required to be paid by the franchise include advertising fees, and these advertising costs and fees are supposed to be used by the company in order to generate advertising and marketing for the franchise itself.
Such advertising methods may include special discounts that are given on a monthly basis, coupons that are placed in newspapers, and customer appreciation days. Of course, if the franchise is allowed to advertise in whatever way the owner sees fit then no advertising fees may have to be paid, but knowing what exactly is required is of utmost importance before advertising for the franchise itself! …Read more >>

Choosing a Franchise

There are hundreds of options to choose from when it comes time for you to decide to open up a franchise of your own, but there are some important considerations that one must think about prior to doing so. Even though it may seem important to you to jump right into a franchise opportunity with both hands tied behind your back, being so careless about owning a franchise is just one way to enable a failing franchise from the outset!

Nevertheless, many people do jump into purchasing a franchise of a company before they really think about what type of a franchise they truly should be running. If you are one that is prone to quick thinking decisions then here are some things about choosing a franchise that you should consider:

Your Interests

Even though you've probably heard over and time again that it is very important to think about your interests when opening a franchise, this could very well be an indicator and predictor of whether or not your chosen franchise will sink or swim! Do you want to own a restaurant franchise? Is opening up a restaurant franchise something that you will be able to keep up for years on end? Even though franchise opportunities, such as upscale restaurants like The Olive Garden, The Golden Corral or another company may seem like a very profitable direction to take, you may not feel like owning the franchise is ten to fifteen years, although many franchise contracts usually require a minimum of twenty years.

Indeed, then, it is truly important to think about what you like doing in your spare time that should lead you to what types of franchise opportunity that you want to open up. For example, if you love watching sports games on television than you may just think about opening up your own sports memorabilia franchise so that you'll be able to watch and be surrounded by the things you love all day long. On the other hand, if you love working with cars then perhaps opening an automobile accessory franchise is the thing for you. In the end, spending time with things that you are passionate about is very important so as not to get too burnt out on the work that you have to do each day in order to make the franchise survive!

Opening your own Store!

Even though owning a franchise can seem like a tempting option to choose, another avenue that many people overlook before heading to the franchise aisle is to open up their own business. There are many advantages to owning your own business rather than having a company franchise, and some of the benefits include being able to dictate what you will do with your own store, as well as how you'll decorate the company store you've created!

All in all, these are some of the most important things to think about when it comes to opening up your own franchise and possibly starting a company of your own. Many people open up franchises everyday with the intent to succeed only to find out later that they are about to close up shop! Finding a franchise opportunity that is good for you will definitely help you in the long run!
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Popular Franchise Companies

Owning franchises in the United States is just one way to raise capital for yourself and for your business. There are all sorts of reasons why one might want to invest in a franchise on their own, and there definitely are some popular franchises in the United States. If you have ever wanted to know about what's required when owning a franchise of a certain company then here is the information that you need.

Here's a trivia question that you can take home to your family, though: what franchise has been ranked #1 many times over? You probably could very well guess what it is, and if you were thinking McDonald's Restaurant you were exactly right. There have several times when McDonald’s Restaurant has been ranked #1 for the food category it's been placed in, but here are some other interesting facts about owning a McDonald's franchise:

The McDonald's Franchise

Did you know that there are more than 11,000 McDonald's franchises all over the United States? Indeed, McDonald's has seen tremendous growth in the restaurant level over dozens of years and it has essentially created a world filled with Chicken McNuggets, Big Macs, and Ronald McDonald characters. But it's actually easy to see why owning a McDonald's franchise is popular, and it's actually not as expensive as everyone would have thought.

In order to have a McDonald's franchise about the only thing that is required of the franchisee is to have a cash liquidity value of about $100,000. In addition, the franchise fee for owning a McDonald's is set right at about $45,000 and the total investment that one is required to put forth when creating a McDonald's franchise restaurant altogether is somewhere between half-a-million dollars and one-and-a-half million dollars!

On the other hand, owning a McDonald's franchise restaurant is well worth the opportunity, which is why many franchisees see it as a golden opportunity. Considering the fact that many McDonald's franchises make well over $1 million per year, having a McDonald's franchise under your belt may be just the thing you need. In return, though, be prepared to pay a hefty royalty fee to the McDonald's headquarters, which is currently set right at about twelve percent!

Burger King is Much More

You may be surprised to find out, however, that when it comes to owning a franchise, Burger King is more all over. The franchise fee is more, the total franchise investment is more, but the only thing that is less is actually the royalty fee, which is just around five percent! Who would have thought that owning a Burger King, though, would be more expensive than a McDonald's franchise? In fact, a Burger King franchise costs just about double what a McDonald's franchisee is required to have available and pay.

Nevertheless, these are two of the most popular franchises throughout the United States. The McDonald's Corporation is definitely raking in the dough, but the comparison up against their fast food restaurant rival, Burger King, is interesting as well.
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