Western Sizzlin Franchise Corporation, a subsidiary of Western Sizzlin Corporation is very pleased to announce the opening of the first California Wood Grill Buffet restaurant.

Wood Grill Buffet by Western Sizzlin is scheduled to open its doors to the public on Wednesday, October 22, 2008, in Hesperia, California. The 10,000 square foot restaurant is the third of its concept for the Company.

“This prototype, a buffet concept, offers great sales and profit potential for prospective franchisees and is a great value proposition for customers offering variety and high quality food,” says Bob Moore, president of Western Sizzlin Franchise Corporation. “We are excited about the prospects of leveraging our brand combined with achieving attractive financial returns for our franchisees.” (more…)

The Times:

IN TOUGH economic times, franchises are a relatively safe way of doing business.

This is evident in the 2008 Standard Bank Franchise Factor survey, which showed that only about 3 percent of franchises fail, whereas the percentage of failed start-up businesses is much higher.

The survey showed that, between 2006 and 2008, the contribution to GDP by the franchise sector rose to 12.57 percent from 12 percent and the sector created 3600 new businesses.

The sector that has the most franchised businesses is retailing, followed by restaurants, building, office and home services, fast food, and automotive.

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Geeks On Call Holdings, a national provider of professional IT solutions to small business and residential customers under the trade names Geeks On Call, 1-800-905-GEEK, CallTheGeeks.com and Call The Geeks, announced that it will be offering IT services through their Value-Added Benefit Program to Christmas Decor, a division of The Decor Group and the nation’s largest outdoor lighting and decorating franchise.

Christmas Decor professionals handle the design and installation of outdoor holiday displays for residences and business locations, creating celebrated decorative installations tailored to individual customers. All of the company’s franchises employ display designers and crews to assemble the designs. The service provides all supplies necessary to the job, maintaining the display during the holidays and disassembling and storing it for their customers’ use the next year. This holiday season, Christmas Decor is celebrating the men and women serving overseas in our U. S. Armed Forces, with the goal of decorating 100 of their homes. (more…)

My Small Business:

The franchising industry is battening down the hatches to withstand the expected downturn in Australian economic fortunes, but remains guardedly optimistic about weathering a recession.

The latest report on the health and size of Australia’s franchising industry paints a glowing picture of the sector, reporting 14.6% growth in the last two years and sales turnover of $130 billion last year.

But the survey, Franchising Australia 2008, carried out by Griffith University on behalf of the Franchise Council of Australia, was conducted before the onset of the global financial crisis.

So is the confidence still warranted?

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Asia One:

THE franchise industry here is on a roll and is projected to create 14,400 jobs by 2013.

That estimate from the Franchising and Licensing Association (FLA) was announced by Ms Indranee Rajah, Deputy Speaker of Parliament, yesterday.

Ms Rajah told the opening of the Franchising and Licensing Asia (FLAsia) 2008 exhibition: ‘Last year, Singapore’s 30,000 franchisees brought in near US$3.8 billion (S$5.6 billion) in revenue. The growth of the franchising and licensing market is very encouraging as its resulted increase in commercial activities will create favourable employment opportunities.’

The Suntec exhibition will showcase about 200 top franchises, brands and licences from more than 18 countries from sectors like food and beverage, education and health and wellness.

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It’s a bird! It’s a plane! Wait! It’s a plane looking to help birds–specifically chickens. Towing a banner that reads, “KFC Scalds Chickens to Death,” an airplane hired by PETA will make several passes over KFC’s franchisee golf outing on Monday.

The banner will fly over the Twin Warriors Golf Course at 1300 Tuyuna Trl. on Monday, October 20, from 12 noon to 1 p.m.

Why has PETA added an “air force” to its campaign against KFC? The roughly 1 billion chickens raised and killed every year for Yum Brands!–KFC’s parent company in the U.S. and elsewhere–are bred and drugged to grow so quickly that they become crippled under the weight of their massive upper bodies. Birds’ throats are cut while they are still conscious, and millions of birds are scalded to death in defeathering tanks. KFC ignored recommendations for animal welfare improvements made by its own animal welfare advisors, including five who have since resigned in frustration.

“If KFC franchisees and executives abused cats, dogs, cows, or pigs the way that their suppliers abuse chickens, they’d be locked up on cruelty-to-animals charges,” says PETA spokesperson Lindsay Rajt. “Consumers care about animal welfare, so it’s in the franchisees’ best interests to help us turn up the heat on KFC to make basic changes that would improve the lives and deaths of these birds.”

QSR Magazine:

Pizza Hut is unveiling a new application for Facebook Platform, making it the only national pizza chain to offer the ability to order delivery food without ever leaving the popular Web site.

“We are moving fast to put our online customers in charge–any way they want to order from us, we’ll be there for them,” says Bob Kraut, vice president of marketing communications. “Facebook is the next logical step for Pizza Hut. As Facebook’s popularity grows among younger socially connected consumers we have the opportunity to provide a pizza experience they will love–our convenient ordering combined with Facebook’s relevance.”

The new application, named “Pizza Hut Interface,” integrates with Facebook’s main commerce system. The application allows registered pizzahut.com users to browse the full Pizza Hut menu without leaving Facebook, and remembers your favorites for quick re-orders.

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StraitsTime:

IN THE fast-growing franchise industry, finding good partners and staff are the main challenges.

That applies to both franchisors with a road-tested business template to sell and franchisees who buy these business outlets as a way to becoming their own bosses.

This was the message from the winners of the Franchising and Licensing Association (FLA) Awards presentation ceremony at Swissotel The Stamford last night.

Four awards were handed out this year.

The inaugural Franchisee of the Year title was given to Mr Nallakaruppan, owner of five local 7-Eleven stores.

The Franchisor of the Year was V-Kool, which produces solar heat control films to keep cars cool.

The Promising Franchisor of the Year was won by Waraku International, which serves Japanese-style pasta and pizza.

Finally, the International Franchisor of the Year award went to the Little Sheep catering chain of Inner Mongolian hotpot restaurants.

Read more

AdAge:

While the recession and banking crisis have taken a toll on the entire restaurant industry, a number of Quiznos franchisees claim to have been disproportionately affected. Beset by higher-than-average commodity costs, lackluster marketing, a bruising promotional war with Subway and a premium-pricing structure incompatible with a tight economy, the chain has shuttered 150 stores this year.

It’s also embroiled in three separate class-action lawsuits in which franchisees allege, among other things, that the chain overcharges franchisees for food and other supplies. The suits are pending in Colorado, Illinois and Wisconsin.

“We can’t make money,” said Quiznos franchisee Marty Tate, who said his Erie, Pa., store leads the region in sales. Mr. Tate, who is not part of the lawsuit, said 40% of his sales go directly into advertising, royalties and food for the next week. He added that three of seven locations in his county have closed in the past year. Mr. Tate said that when his contract expires next spring, he will open his own independent store.

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Greg Longe, co-president of Dryer Vent Wizard (DVW), Dry Clothes, Safe Homes, announced the awarding of a DVW franchise in Pennsylvania. Local resident and former high school teacher and computer programmer, Bryan Linz services Central Pennsylvania in York County.

Dryer Vent Wizard, Dry Clothes, Safe Homes is a national franchise company specializing in dryer fire prevention and “urgent response” dryer and dryer vent maintenance, repair, replacement and alterations. “My service is not complete until my customers understand the importance of dryer vent cleaning and maintenance,” said Bryan Linz.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration “failure to clean” was cited as the leading factor contributing to clothes dryer fires in residential buildings. Similar reports by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, (CPSC), confirm annual maintenance of dryers and dryer vents as a home safety issue lacking consumer awareness. Dryer Vent Wizard, Dry Clothes, Safe Homes provides “urgent response” solutions to the problem of dryers functioning inefficiently or not at all. (more…)

With daily forecasts of further job losses, what appears to be bad news for employees could turn out to be good news for franchising.

Interest in franchising increases during a downturn as more people find themselves out of work but with a cash lump sum, says Richard Holden, head of franchising at Lloyds TSB.

‘At this month’s British Franchise Association exhibition in Birmingham, people were approaching exhibitors with redundancy payments they wanted to invest.’

But would-be franchisees should avoid ploughing everything they have into the new venture. And at the moment more established names may be the safest bet. (more…)

Franchise executives will soon start their 2009 budget planning with more information than previous years thanks to a groundbreaking report on executive compensation and job functions to be released by FRANdata.

“This report will mark the first time franchise executive compensation information has ever been available, and will help brands better understand one of their most significant expense items,” explained FRANdata CEO Darrell Johnson. (more…)

Expanding your business or franchising your business is one solution to the financial crisis. Franchising can be expensive and the cost of the documents and manuals can be out of the reach of many small business owners. Not any more! Available now online - a low cost high quality solution to your franchising needs. Franchise templates, manuals and agreements ready to download at the push of a button.

Franchise Documents Online have made it possible for business owners to purchase a complete pack of franchising templates suitable across a wide variety of industries.

Interested people can view the documents online and order a complimentary sample pack by email. Orders are placed with the secure services of Paypal and customers receive the word-formatted templates the same day. An easy solution to a sometimes complicated business model. (more…)

From Novembre 11 to 14, 2008, at KyivExpoPlaza venue, the 4rd international specialized trade show. Franchising 2008, will take part.

Nowadays franchising plays an important role, owing to simple ideas and principles which lead to effective development. Growth rates of franchising in Ukraine are the following: more than 300 franchising chains and about 20 thousand outlets use franchising system or its elements in their activity(according to the data of Ukrainian Franchising Association).

Every year more brands take part in the a specialized exhibition of “Franchising” which is the key-event of the market and the most effective marketing tool to find new business-partners.

We invite you to take part in the 4th international specialized trade show, Franchisingg 2008, , which will take place at KyivExpoPlaza venue, in Kyiv, Ukraine, from November 12 to 14, 2008.

The trade show’s organizer is Euroindex Ltd., the technological leader in Ukraine’s exhibition-organizing business, and the largest organizer of b2b trade shows. Euroindex is a member of the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI), which bears witness to international recognition and to compliance with high standards in the exhibition business.

“At EZ New Web Laundromat & Cafe, we have taken the concept and necessity of the Laundromat and blended it with the ease of a communications and socializing-friendly café to form a destination like no other in which to perform life’s tasks.” -Marion Illies/Founder

EZ New Web Laundromat & Café’s goal is to create an atmosphere where customers can unload their cares while utilizing their services to “Sip, Soak, and Surf.” (more…)

FranchiseChemistry.com is a valuable tool for both the franchise small business seeker and the franchisor. It helps franchise opportunity seekers identify companies that may be right for them and provides the franchisor great candidates to partner with.

FranchiseChemistry.com is an assessment-driven website dedicated to helping solve the question: “Which franchise opportunities are right for me?” After having considerable success in two different franchise business systems, Jeff Brake experienced failure in a franchise that was not perfectly suited for him. He realized there should be a way of evaluating what franchise opportunities best reflects the interests of folks considering starting a small business for themselves. “If I can save one person from making the wrong decision as a franchise business consultant, then my effort will have been worth it,” stated Jeff Brake. “I feel you have the best chance of success when you are doing something you really enjoy.” (more…)

There is a good article on SFgate.com about how to bounce back from unemployment. They take the example of Ken Greenberg, who after losing his job bought an employment franchise. Here is a snippet from the article:

Greenberg, who was laid off from his last “good” job - working for a Norwegian high-tech company with an East Bay office - shortly after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, had a hard time accepting that his career in technology was over. He remembers sitting in a cafe in Oakland when a friend who also was unemployed turned to him and said, “You should work in personnel.” A series of events led him to Express Employment Professionals, the fifth-largest staffing company in the country. He bought the Pleasanton franchise five weeks after first hearing the name.

You can read the ful article here.

Rick Bisio, author of the book, The Educated Franchisee, was recently interviewed. When asked if buying a franchise during difficult economic times was a good idea or a bad risk, he said, “History has shown that strong performers tend to take advantage of downturns in the economy, and buying a franchise is one of the top ways to come out a winner.”

Rick went on to explain the advantages of buying a franchise as opposed to starting a new business. “When you join a proven franchise opportunity you are handed a tested, proven business model, up-front training, tools for success including computer programs and equipment, sales materials, employee manuals, job descriptions and more. The franchisor will offer extensive on-going support for a rapid start-up.” (more…)

After 10 years of refining their recipes, the Bread Poet Baking Company of Bismarck has found a way for bread-lovers across the country to enjoy a North Dakota favorite.

The bakery began as one shop in Bismarck and is now registered to franchise in 37 states.

It`s a concept the owner says was the next logical step, and a huge opportunity.

He says it will help bring in revenues not only to the store, but to the entire state.

“When we looked at growing the business more than we already have, franchising seemed like the easiest one to do that and maintain the quality of the product,” says Jon Lee, the owner of Bread Poets.

Every morning employees bake all the bread from scratch.

The other stores will do the same.

How can you set up your own business, without worrying about the business concept, marketing plans, product quality, branding and millions of other items that entrepreneurs lose sleep over? The answer is through franchising. The cream of the crop amongst Singapore and international franchisors and franchisees were announced today by the Franchising & Licensing Association Singapore (FLA Singapore).

Mr Nallakaruppan, who owns five Singapore-based 7-Eleven convenience stores, was named the inaugural Franchisee of the Year Award winner. V-KOOL International won the 2008 Franchisor of the Year Award, which rewards the most thriving franchising business in Singapore. Waraku International took home the 2008 Promising Franchisor of the Year Award, which recognises the most promising home-grown franchisor that has the most promise to succeed. And Inner Mongolia Little Sheep Catering Chain from China triumphed with the 2008 International Franchisor of the Year Award, which honours franchisors that have excelled in their own countries. (more…)