Ralph Mark Maupin

Amber Duncan – REO agent and landlord

For contact information for this event, go onto the NREI website www.megaeveningevent.com

This article was written by Rick Bisio, franchise consultant and noted author. Rick is a great friend and business associate of mine; he has givin me permission to re post his article. I hope you enjoy reading this informative article:

Gathering great franchise information and choosing a proven franchise concept is perhaps the best route to successful business ownership. There are many advantages to buying a proven business but many people are surprised to find out that buying a franchise does not ensure success. This is a fairly frequent misperception. This article examines some of the realities - and misperceptions.

Buying a Franchise is Safer than Starting a Business from Scratch.

Almost every potential franchisee I talk with has heard this. And it is true. The whole point of a franchise is that you limit your risk by buying a system that is already proven. The instruments for success already are in place and there's no need to spend years reinventing the wheel with product, pricing, marketing, and so on.

But don't make the mistake of thinking that "franchising is safer" means "franchising is safe." There are no guarantees. As we state in the franchise book - The Educated Franchisee - ‘Risk is not the same for everyone'. The location of your business, the time you have to commit, your management skills, and changes in the marketplace will make an impact on your business.

Franchising gives you the opportunity to work for yourself, but not by yourself.

A good franchisor will provide a proven business model that has worked for many franchisees. They will teach you how to be competent working within that model. Additionally, a reputable franchisor will provide on-going training and support.

In many franchises, especially if territories don't overlap and franchisees don't compete with one another, your fellow franchisees will be another wonderful resource, assisting you get an education in your particular franchise.

So you will work for yourself, but not by yourself. But don't interpret this to mean that you call the shots and the franchisor is there to help you no matter what. The franchisor has rules and procedures that are designed to protect you and your fellow franchisees. And remember that the only business model the franchisor knows how to support you on is the model you purchased. If you depart from that model and things aren't working, the franchisor will tell you to get back to the model. It's advantageous for the system, and frankly, you can't expect the franchisor to know how to help you be successful in an altered model. One of the most important parts of your franchise education is to understand this: You must know how to lead while following. Lead your employees and your business but follow the system. Anything other than this will defeat the purpose of buying a franchise.

Owning your own business means making money while working the hours that are best for you.

How many times have I heard "flexible hours" cited as someone's reason for wanting to buy a franchise. That's fine - as long as you realize that's a long-term goal for most franchises (or any other business, or a new job, for that matter). Owing a business involves hard work. The long vacations and extra time with family may come in time, but new franchisees should anticipate to put in a lot of overtime, at least for several years.

And not only will you not make money right away, you'll need to invest money. You will need to pay an initial franchise fee, and, contingent on the business, you may have to sign a lease, pay for signs, inventory, marketing, salaries, and royalties, all before you're making any money. It can take several months to several years for a franchise to start making a profit.

Before you invest in a franchise, look hard at yourself. If you have some tolerance for risk; are willing to follow a system and work hard; and have sufficient capital to carry you until you make a profit, franchising may be the vehicle that assists you achieve your goals. But be smart and understand that, unfortunately, there is no magic bullet.

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The Educated Franchisee is dedicated to franchise education through the sharing of franchise information. Our objective is -

‘To create educated franchise buyers that have clearly defined objectives and are able to recognize the right, or wrong, franchise when they see it. An educated franchise buyer will move into the franchisee role with their expectations properly set and will have a heightened potential for success within the franchise system creating a win/win for all involved.

To get more franchise information about how to stack the deck in your favor -

Visit our website at www.educatedfranchisee.com or

Purchase our franchise book - The Educated Franchisee by Rick Bisio, Franchise Consultant or

Contact author directly at rbisio@educatedfranchisee.com or call 941 778 4660.

This article was written by a good friend and business associate, Rick Bisio, and reposted with his permission, by Mark Maupin:

There are many factors to study when selecting the right franchise opportunity. Not only do you need the franchise to be a good fit for you - you also want to work with a franchisor that will be around for a long time.

How can you learn if a franchise system is healthy? In the franchise book, The Educated Franchisee we believe in sharing knowledge. A little franchise education could be instrumental in this area.

One decisive measure is the system's rate of franchise growth.

Too Fast: Rapid franchise growth may seem like a good thing at first but it is possible for a system to grow too fast. It is important to make sure the franchisor has the people and systems in place to thoroughly address your training and on-going support. For example, if a system of 50 franchisees adds 30 additional franchisees in a year, the rate of franchise development may be too quick.

Too Slow: If franchise growth is stagnant there could also be a problem. Why isn't the franchise attracting new people? Perhaps there are problems with the business model - problems that make it difficult for existing franchisees to succeed. When potential franchisees make ‘validation calls' they may hear about problems and decide to look elsewhere for a business. Or maybe the franchisor doesn't have the right staff and has to limit franchise development. Either way, a lack of new franchisees may be a sign of an unhealthy franchise system.

Just Right: Steady franchise growth over time is an indicator of good management and a healthy system. One way to gauge steady franchise growth is to determine the rate at which the franchise grew each year both in absolute and percent terms. To get this data for the past three years you can look in the Franchise Disclosure Document below Item 20 - the List of Outlets. All the information you need regarding franchise growth will be there for you in a clear, easy to understand format.

Rule of Thumb for Most Franchises

As a rule of thumb for medium-sized franchisors, the number of franchisees added each year should be between 10% and 35% of the total number of franchisees. For instance, a company with 100 franchisees ought to have the infrastructure to bring up to 35 new franchisees in the coming year.

Rule of Thumb for Large and Small Franchises

This formula doesn't work for very large or very small companies, however, so when looking at behemoth or boutique franchise systems consider the ratio of operational support personnel compared to new franchisees. A ratio of one support person for every 10-20 new franchisees assures you that new franchisees are likely getting the preparation and support they need to succeed.

Talk to Franchisees

But don't assume! It is critical that you talk to existing franchisees. Find out about the training they received initially and what they receive in terms of on-going support. Do they find the staff to be knowledgeable? Responsive? Does the franchisee feel comfortable calling on them for help? Give particular attention to the information you learn from new franchisees. Your experience will most closely reflect theirs.

Meet the Support Staff

Typically, a serious franchise investigation ends with a visit to the franchisor's headquarters to get final questions answered and meet the staff face-to-face. Spend extra time with the support staff. Make sure you are comfortable with their experience, competence, style, and ability to communicate, since you will want to work easily with them and trust their advice on an on-going basis.

There are many things to think about when researching a franchise business that will meet your needs, but it doesn't matter how much you like the business if the franchisor isn't viable. Collect the franchise information you need and be convinced the system you select is growing and has a large number of fulfilled franchisees. Franchise growth is a key part of your due diligence. Only a healthy franchise opportunity can support your long-term growth and success.

This Article was written by Rick Bisio, a franchise consultant who is dedicated to franchise education through the sharing of franchise information. Rick's objective is to create educated franchise buyers that have clearly defined objectives and are able to recognize the right or wrong franchise when they see it. An educated franchise buyer will move into the franchisee role with their expectations properly set and will have a heightened potential for success within the franchise system creating a win/win for all involved. For a free monthly newsletter and more information on stacking the deck in your favor, visit http://www.educatedfranchisee.com

Learn From the Experts

Join us for another Great Event sponsored by Wayne County Community College

and the National Real Estate Network - The Best REIA in Michigan!

When: Tonight - November 13, 2008

Time: 6 - 7 pm networking

7 - 9 pm meeting

Where: Wayne County Community College Downtown Campus Library

1001 W. Fort Street, Detroit, MI 48226

Three expert speakers are joining our panel tonight for this internet event. They will be talking about their financial success and giving tips to the attendees on how they wrote and published their books. Come meet these people and learn their secrets.

Al Lavallis will be there. Al wrote and published a book on internet sales.

Walter Fielek, who wrote and marketed an Internet Marketing Course and worked in Silicon Valley, will also be adding his expertise to our panel.

Kevin Harbor, also known as “Mr. Lease Option King” is an internet marketing expert.

Ask your questions and get the answers from some of the experts in this field. Some of the topics that will be covered are:

• Membership sites
• Writing and publishing books
• Writing and selling your own e-Book
• Making money with classified ads
• How to put yourself or your website at the top of Google
• How to put your trades business on the internet so you will have work waiting for you when you land in your warm Florida location for winter work

The hosts of this event are Mr. Mark Lang, Provost of the Entrepreneurial Department of Wayne County Community College (WCCC), and Mr. Mark Maupin. The mission of WCCC’s Entrepreneurial Department is to provide an entrepreneurial atmosphere for internet marketers, small business owners, students, and investors to learn, teach, and network. The College sponsors the Internet Marketing Round Table and its goal is to bring like-minded individuals together by providing access to local experts and resources from the Greater Detroit area.

For contact information for this event, go onto the NREI website www.megaeveningevent.com

Local ActiveRain Members are Welcome to come Real Estate Investing Class tonight. My Speaker, tonight is Julian Glass. He is a Foreclosure Broker In Our Market! Julian is very experience investor.

Quick Points:

• How to get the best properties first
• How changes in the market place have affected the offer process
• Why the competition keeps beating you out of the best deals
• How NOT to get instantly rejected by banks

Without an insider's view of how to make offers and deal with the banks that hold the foreclosures, experienced and new investors find themselves locked out of getting the best deals. Julian Glass is a licensed real estate broker and foreclosure expert.

He not only sells foreclosures and HUD properties, will show you how to find the great deals, work with banks to achieve you goals.

Meeting Tonight, Wednesday, 2008

Class 6-8:30 pm

Wayne County Community College

Downtown Campus

1001 W Fort St

Room 114 B

Detroit, MI 48226

Submitted By:

Mark Maupin

248-939-6232

http://www.MegaEveningEvent.com