Could Franchising Be The Right Route For You?

Starting a business is an exciting but challenging time and the reality is that over 50% of startups fail within their first year of trading. This can be down to a number of factors including employing a weak business model, poor marketing and a lack of capital.

In contrast, franchises tend to have a far higher success rate than new businesses because they already have a proven business model and a strong marketing plan with a powerful brand behind them. As a result, it's well worth at least finding out a bit more information about franchising and whether or not it could be the right route for you if are considering setting up you own business.


What is a franchise?

If you aren't already familiar with franchising, the idea is quite straightforward; essentially a company grants an individual the right to sell their goods and services in an area and trade under their name. Many high street chains aren't 100% corporately owned and choose to operate franchise models, so it's not something that hasn't been around for a while. Popular franchises include McDonalds, Subway and Cash Converters.


The benefits of starting a franchise

There are a number of benefits to setting up as a franchise, most of which will differ slightly in different models, but generally speaking there are a number of benefits to starting a franchise. Express Accountancy, one of the UK's leading accountancy franchises have come up with the following benefits that being a franchisee can present.

• Raising finance can be easier - One of the toughest things about setting up you own can be raising the finance you need. You can find yourself being turned down by countless banks, even if you think that you have a full proof business model. Many franchisors have strong relationships with lenders and it can often be easier to obtain the required finance as you'll be operating under a proven business model.
  
  
• Franchisor usually handles sales and marketing - Sales and Marketing isn't the easiest thing as a startup, in fact, a lack of any real strategy in this area is a big reason why so many businesses tend to fail in the early stages. However, as a franchise owner, your franchisor will often take care of a lot of this. Say for example you choose to operate an accountancy franchise, the franchisor is likely to have established some successful lead generation channels already and you will benefit from this.
  
  
• A proven business model - Successful and sustainable business models can take years to fine tune and as a startup, you'll need to learn from your mistakes quickly to ensure that you are operating the right model. As a franchise, you'll already be part of a model that has been tried and tested, which means that you can focus more on the day to day running of your business and making it a success, rather than constantly tweaking with operations and processes.
  
  
• Franchisors will help and guide you - It's in the best interests of the franchisor for you to make a success of your franchise and many franchise models include training and unlimited support. Let's go back to that accountancy model, you could be the world's greatest accountant but have no experience of running a business whatsoever, well this is where the franchisor can help. Usually they'll offer training to prepare you for managing your business and if you need any help or guidance along the way they should have support systems in place. You aren't on your own!

Starting your own franchise

The process of starting your own franchise will vary greatly according to which franchise model you decide to adopt. Each franchisor will have different process and expectations of potential franchisees, so make sure you read through the franchisor's prospectus and website to get a better idea of the process from start to finish.

As was mentioned earlier, in terms of raising the finance required for your initial franchise fee and any other costs that need to be covered, make sure that you speak to your franchisor as they may have good relationships with certain lenders if you are struggling to raise the finance yourself.


Is franchising the right route for me?

Only you can answer this question, the facts are there, you get more support with a franchise and they have a higher success rate. However, maybe you are someone who is fascinated by building up a brand and really going it alone. Sit down, weigh up the pros and cons of both and take those initial steps to being your own boss.


Did you find this article helpful? Do you run a franchise business? Please let me know by leaving me your valued comments.

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Until my next post on Monday with five effortless things business owners can do to boost their social media presence, have a fabulous weekend! See you back here on Monday!

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What Makes Someone A Successful Contractor?

The contracting world can be a very lucrative one; however, it takes a certain type of person to succeed properly as a freelancer.

Contracting is not like full-time employment where you have a set routine for the week. You will be required to adapt to change on a regular basis and as a result of this it is important that you understand what is expected of you as a contractor.


Organisation

Perhaps the most important of all contractor traits is your ability to organise and manage your time. Working for yourself means having the ability to keep yourself on task and on time is very important.


Reliable and responsible

As a contractor the work you do is a reflection of yourself. You have been asked to take care of a project in a certain amount of time and it is your job to get it done in the most efficient and effective way possible.

Freelancing is not like the normal world of work, there is no one else to hide behind. If things are not going as they should, you will be solely responsible for this. As well as this, if a client is not happy with your work or the way you handle yourself then chances are you could lose the contract.

Not only does this mean you miss out on the earnings of the current job, but you may also find it difficult to find your next contract if you gain a reputation as being unreliable.


Adaptability

This is another crucial trait that a successful contractor must have. Depending on your line of work you may be required to visit numerous different sites and therefore familiarise yourself with new ways of working as fast as possible.


Personable

Moving from site to site will mean that you often work with many different people, therefore being personable is very important. The relationship you build with your client over a short period of time can not only help you in terms of your current contract, but it will ensure you get the best possible reference from that client when the project is over. Remember, as a contractor you must always keep some focus on your next job.


Networking skills

A good contractor must be able to network properly in order to forge new working links. The broader your network of contacts the easier it will be to find work and secure new contracts. Having a strong influence in your professional circle can also help you build a successful career in contracting.


Know what you want

Focus is essential for a successful freelancer. Knowing what your goals are and how to achieve them can help you to carry out your assignment in a fast and efficient manner.

Outside of your contract it is also necessary to have an idea about how you want to work. For example, will you choose to work through a limited company or an umbrella company? For those asking what is an umbrella company? These are the types of questions you must consider if you are to become a successful contractor.


Did you like this article? Please let me know by leaving me your valued comments in the comments section below.


If you found this or any of my other posts helpful, don't forget to share the posts to your favourite networks using the toolbar on the left-side of the screen or by using the "+1" and "Share" buttons located at the bottom of each post.

As ever, if you want to stay up to date with the latest blog posts, don't forget to follow via Google Friend Connect (button on sidebar), on NetworkedBlogs, via Email (maximum of one email per day), on Facebook and Google+ or by subscribing to our blog feed at:
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You can also follow me on Twitter @djones1509, Google+ and on Facebook at:
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Until my next post on Friday with information about franchising and whether or not it could be the right route for you, enjoy the rest of the week! See you back here on Friday!

© 2014. This article is DMCA protected. Republication is prohibited.

Competition Time! Nominate Your Office Hero To Win An iPad 2 #OurOfficeHero

** This competition is now closed. **

The winner of the competition was Toby from @bainbridgelewis who is running @BrightonMarathn for @CLIC_Sargent. For more details, tweet @Flexioffices.

Is there any particular colleague in your office that has helped you get through the grey winter months? It could be the office clown, or cheeky office junior, or inspiring line manager...anyone who has helped boost staff morale or done something extraordinary in aid of a good cause or your business could be up for a nomination.

If this sounds like someone in your workplace, nominate them to be named the "Flexioffices Office Hero" today! Flexioffices would like to celebrate the best bits of the working day and everyone who makes your office a fantastic place to work.

To nominate someone who brings something special to your daily grind, simply tweet @Flexioffices with the hashtag #OurOfficeHero - preferably along with a photo of your nominee!

You've got until the end of the month - Friday 28th February - to nominate your office hero and the winner will be announced on Monday 3rd March. Get nominating now!

Tweet using the hashtag #OurOfficeHero now!


Please see terms and conditions of the competition.

Flexioffices provides virtual and serviced office space. The database of office space includes thousands of properties which and can be searched online by postcode, street, town, stations, airports, and countries. Here is a selection of office spaces in Kings Cross, London for example.


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Leverage Infographics To Drive Content Marketing Success

Digital marketing has always been a fast-moving industry, starting as the result of ubiquitous Internet use and evolving amid a perpetually shifting consumer landscape. One of the arenas within modern advertising throughout the past several years that is particularly indicative of this trend has been content marketing, which started as just a simple process of publishing keyword-rich content and blossomed into one of the most popular ways in which companies cement themselves as thought leaders.

The biggest changes have undoubtedly related to quality and targeting, but now content marketing is beginning to converge with visual advertising efforts. Studies consistently find that images, infographics and videos can drive engagement with content, and further improve a firm's brand recognition, as well as its ability to reach new prospects through Internet channels.


Infographics have an impact

Regardless of which channel or method a business is using to enrich its digital marketing strategy, the best practices are fairly consistent. However, the real challenge is ensuring that all efforts work in orchestra toward brand goals and maintain a consistent, educated and unique voice that resonates with readers.

Here are some of the benefits of supporting marketing content with infographics:

• Bite-sized knowledge: The average attention span of adults in the United States and abroad continues to decrease, as one study published by the National Center for Biotechnology found this figure was at 12 seconds in 2000, dropping to 8 seconds in 2013. As such, infographics - when well made - can help capture and retain the attention of target consumers.
  
  
• Readability: The best infographics will always have a distinctive flow that takes the viewer from one information point to another in a structured and rapid fashion. Just as content marketing articles and blogs now must include lists, subheadings and other features that drive the ability to scan, infographics are founded on this ideal outcome.
  
  
• Shareability: As many digital marketers have learned in the past several years, the most successful advertisements will be shared by users autonomously. Twitter has stated that tweets with images are 94 percent more likely to be retweeted, and why not make the pictures themselves entirely informational?

The current trends in content marketing that relate to the popularity of infographics show no signs of slowing, and business leaders would do well to hop aboard this profitable wave.


What to consider when planning infographics

Alignment should always be the highest priority when starting to roll out a new marketing strategy, as the sheer novelty of the methods can quickly hinder brand consistency. The simplest way to ensure infographic efforts are intrinsically tied to the brand voice is to line them up with content marketing efforts, allowing one to support the other.

One might think that an infographic, or video, would simply expunge the need for written content, but this is not the case. Rather, users and consumers are looking for a comprehensive experience that includes a variety of mediums and channels. As such, content marketers should begin putting more focus into the creation and delivery of engaging infographics to accompany their blogs and other writing.


Did you like this article? Do you use infographics as part of your marketing strategy? Please let me know by leaving me your valued comments.

For more marketing tips, use this link:
http://www.derekjones.co/search/label/Marketing%20Tips


If you found this or any of my other posts helpful, don't forget to share the posts to your favourite networks using the toolbar on the left-side of the screen or by using the "+1" and "Share" buttons located at the bottom of each post.

As ever, if you want to stay up to date with the latest blog posts, don't forget to follow via Google Friend Connect (button on sidebar), on NetworkedBlogs, via Email (maximum of one email per day), on Facebook and Google+ or by subscribing to our blog feed at:
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You can also follow me on Twitter @djones1509, Google+ and on Facebook at:
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Until my next post on Wednesday on what makes someone a successful freelancer/contractor, have a great and productive week ahead! See you back here on Wednesday!

© 2014. This article is DMCA protected. Republication is prohibited.

Top Personal Skills That Will Stand You In Good Stead In Business

When it comes to business, there are certain personal skills that everybody should possess. If you are lacking in one area or another, you will find that you just don't get on as well in business as your colleagues do. These are basic personal skills that everybody should have, but some people need to work on.

We could all do with a little self improvement from time to time, and even if you feel that you are good at certain areas, for example time management, there are still plenty of ways that you could get even better at it. In this article we are going to look at some of the core personal skills that you need in business - how do you fare in these areas?


Organization

Everybody needs to be organized when they work. After all, as they say, a tidy desk is a tidy mind. Many people's organization skills fall a little bit short - and the days of having a secretary to mop up behind you are pretty much over. It is well worth attending a business course on how to be more organized if you want to improve the way you handle your day-to-day life. There is a lot to learn - for example how to file paper efficiently, how to manage your online files and how to set up administrative systems for your work. Have a look online and see if you can find an organization skill course near to you.


Inter-Personal Skills

Interacting with other people is something that comes more naturally to some people than others. If you are the sort of person who says things that are often taken the wrong way, then you could maybe benefit from a course on interpersonal skills in order to help you figure out where you are going wrong. Often it is not what you say, but the way you say it which offends - and this can easily be avoided if you study the way in which you approach people. Getting on with people is a core skill and one which everybody needs to work on.

Management Skills

If you are in charge of a team of people or a project, then you will really benefit from honing your management skills. Managing people is not something that anybody can do - it takes a special sort of person to do it effectively. Poor managers have no respect from their team, and they don't deliver the results that they are supposed to as a result. It is well worth going on a management course if you are in charge of people, or a project management course if you have been put in charge of a specific project. There are different ways to manage people and projects, and you need to understand some of the theories so that you can try putting them into practice.

Enhancing your core skills is a very important thing to do if you want your career to have longevity. Self-improvement is something that benefits everybody, no matter where they are on the ladder - so what could you do to improve your skills?


About The Author: Shruti Vaghe is a freelance blogger currently writing for Project Consulting, a business analysis training center based in Toronto. Shruti loves French cuisine and enjoys cooking in her spare time. To know more about her you can follow her on Twitter at @ShrutiVaghe.

Did you find this article helpful? Please let Shruti and myself know by leaving us your valued comments in the comments section below.

Would you like to guest post on the blog? Please use the Contact tab above to get in touch if you write business-related articles or articles on the topics of Internet Marketing, Affiliate Marketing, Social Media Marketing/Optimisation (SMO), Blogging, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) or Search Engine Marketing (SEM).

For more business tips, use this link:
http://www.derekjones.co/search/label/Business%20Tips


If you found this or any of my other posts helpful, don't forget to share the posts to your favourite networks using the toolbar on the left-side of the screen or by using the "+1" and "Share" buttons located at the bottom of each post.

As ever, if you want to stay up to date with the latest blog posts, don't forget to follow via Google Friend Connect (button on sidebar), on NetworkedBlogs, via Email (maximum of one email per day), on Facebook and Google+ or by subscribing to our blog feed at:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/DereksHomeAndBusinessBlog

You can also follow me on Twitter @djones1509, Google+ and on Facebook at:
http://www.facebook.com/djones1509
https://www.google.com/+DerekJonesUK

Until my next post on Monday on how to leverage infographics to drive content marketing success, enjoy the rest of the week and have a wonderful and relaxing weekend! See you back here on Monday!

© 2014. This article is DMCA protected. Republication is prohibited.