"HORN IN" On Franchise / Business Ownership - March '18 Edition

[OrangeLarry]

 

“HORN IN" On Franchise / Business Ownership

a monthly post with blurbs, links, and other words-of-wisdom

regarding self-employment; career transition;

and franchise / business ownership;

as well as information for business owners

who may be interested in franchising their business.

  

March  2018

 

Franchise Opportunity Knocks

Self-employment Beckons

Start answering the call right here.

News you can use to help you find

The right franchise / business opportunity for you.

 

What Do I Look For In A Client?

by Larry S. Powell

• Open-minded…
• Eager and prepared to learn…
• Willingly engage in the process…
  • The process is not to “buy”, but to explore and learn.  It is not a one-time event, but rather an opportunity for introspection, learning and exploration.
  • I never ask my clients to “buy”, only to commit to the process and give himself / herself permission to learn…
• Understand the concept > when there is no risk, there is limited reward…
• Willing and able to move forward and out of his / her comfort zone…
  • The majority of folks who buy a franchise or business opportunity identify a concept which aligns with his / her goals, objectives, interests, lifestyle needs and investment parameters and was not on his / her radar screen when he / she began the process.  And, in many cases the concept was one in which he / she had never heard of…yet discovered it fit with his / her needs and objectives.

Are you in career transition, or contemplating making a change?  Would you like a "sounding-board"?  As a former Human Resources executive, Franchise Owner, and now a Franchise Coach / Consultant, I have over three (3) decades of assisting folks with career transition.  Plus, I have personally walked down that path a couple times myself.  If you would like to visit about career transition in general, entering self-employment via a franchise or business opportunity and / or UT sports, please call me at your convenience… 210-479-2491, or if outside San Antonio, 888-479-2491.  Or shoot me an email with your phone number and a good day(s) / time(s) to call you.  I will gladly provide complimentary advice and counsel. And, remember, I'm a coach, not a sales person.

Have a job you don’t like?  Seeking other employment:  I call that “Changing Your Curtains”.  Perhaps, you prefer a bolder approach which may provide a new and invigorating work-life:  I refer to that as “Changing Your View”.  In 2001, I decided to “Change My View”.  If you are ready… Let’s Talk.  I can help you “Change Your View” too…

Don't Just Change Your Curtains...

Change Your View. I Did. My Story 

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Is a HOME-BASED business for you?

By Joseph Katz

Home-based franchising has become increasingly popular over the last decade, which hardly comes as a surprise. After all, working from home gives you the convenience of an easy com­mute (maybe just walking downstairs), offers more flexibility than the corporate world (schedule calls around the kids’ car­pool), and lets you trim the overhead expenses that come with a storefront. More good news: These days, there is a home-based franchise opportunity for every budget and in every trade.

Running a home-based business can require strict discipline though. You must be able to separate your home life from your work life, which can be tricky given they’re both rooted in the same space. So before you consider buying a business - any business - contemplate how it fits with your lifestyle.  Below is a list of a few key tips that can help launch your home-based business on the road to success.

Set up a home office that you only use

for work purposes,

so everyone gets the message: “I’m working”.

Get Motivated

Being your own boss is great, but without a manager looking over your shoulder, it’s on you to get things moving. Home-based businesses, especially early on, can have unpredictable challenges—people call in sick, shipments arrive late—so setting a realistic game plan each day and working ahead of schedule is beneficial. If you hit a hurdle, you’ll have time to deal with it.

Get Organized

In any business, nothing helps you stay ahead of the game like excellent organization skills. Juggling multiple roles—president, marketing manager, human resources manager, sales, office manager, and tech support—is much easier with a plan in place. While you may have a handle on the big picture, there are still those little everyday things—scheduling appointments, staffing, invoicing—that you’ll have to stay on top of to keep your business running smoothly. Come up with systems and schedules that work for you—maybe you pay your invoices every other Friday or order from vendors every Wednesday morning. Having a game plan right out of the gate is the best way to prevent endless rounds of catch-up.

Set Boundaries

If you’re launching a home-based business, it’s important that everyone at home understands the implications. While you may be at home physically, you’re also work­ing, so you may not be available to help with homework or pick up the dry-cleaning. Set up a home office that you only use for work purposes, so everyone gets the mes­sage: “I’m working.” Just like in a big corporation, you always want to convey profes­sionalism. When you’re on calls with clients, it’s best they don’t hear the kids arguing or the dog barking in the background. On the flip side, while it’s tempting to work late, scarf down dinner, and jump back on the computer, it’s wise to walk away from the office at the same time every day, too. This way, your clients know when you’re available to them—and so does your family. Work-life balance is important—I mean, isn’t that why you chose a home-based business to begin with?

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When I established my home-office, I attempted to have it resemble a “corporate-office” as much as possible.  And, to set the tone… I’m Working…

For example…my outgoing voice message on my business telephone line:  Thank you for calling Franchise Quest.  Normal business hours are Monday thru Friday, 8:00 am, to 5:00 pm Central time.  You have reached the office of Larry Powell.  He is not able to answer your call at this time.  Your call is very important to him, so after the tone, please leave your name, telephone number, and a brief message. He will return your call as soon as possible.  Thank you.

The message was recorded by my sister.  I wanted it to sound similar to a greeting message commonly heard on corporate telephone systems. [Plus, her phone voice is better than mine and she got the recording done in one attempt…I would still be trying to get the recording right…].

Additionally, I hung company signage on the wall outside my office door.  The signs are a reminder to me, as well as others that my home-office is a professional work environment and it is a legitimate “company(s)”.

 

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ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Is Living A Few Years Of Your

Life Like Most People Won’t,

So That You Can Spend The

Rest Of Your Life Like

Most People Can’t.

                  -Unknown

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Winery & Wine Bar

A franchise-based winery concept that allows you to own a winery without the cost, risk and uncertainty of a vineyard. Combines the authenticity of winemaking and the winery experience with the accessibility of the wine bar model. State-of-the-art technology allows us to procure quality grapes grown around the world year round. In addition to providing the finished wine for your start-up inventory, we set you on a course to soon be able to make all the wine you sell in your location.

With a full-time staff ready to assist our franchisees with anything from winemaking questions, to marketing and social media, to handling paperwork, forms, applications and spread-sheets, you get to spend more time doing what our franchisees love to do: Run the winery and mingle with guests.

What makes a great Franchisee:

·         First and foremost – Passionate about wine. We can teach all other aspects, but cannot teach the passion.

·         Outgoing personality. Sales and marketing experience are a real plus, but not required.

·         Understands our hospitality model for the guest experience.

The two most important traits are a passion for wine, and a good understanding of marketing and sales. The community will not be looking for a winery, so to build the business, the ownership must promote the winery in the community. However, once the winery is a known entity, this will become less important over time.

Unique concept – it marries the best of the wine bar model with the winery model. The wines are made using grape must from international locations, but the wine is made locally. We offer a comprehensive model to make consistently great wine in a small retail location (typically 2,500 SF – 4,000 SF).

We offer all the advantages of a winery for a fraction of the expense or investment levels people would expect.

Franchisor support: initial training, on-going support, help lines, field support, annual meetings, advertising, central purchasing etc. We provide in-depth training on all aspects of winery operations, winemaking and wine knowledge with a proven process that is repeatable and understandable. chain for raw product to maximize their time and profitability.

Wine is an affordable luxury for most people. Our prices are competitive at the retail level between $17 - $39. The better the economy is, the more people consume wine. The worse the economy is, the more they consume wine – albeit perhaps at the lower price points. But it is not heavily dependent on a robust economy.

This business model has unlimited channels to sell. Unlike most other opportunities that focus on one market and one product, we can tackle the following with a wide variety of wines we make:

·         Retail sales with high margins – sell by the glass or bottle

·         Wine club providing a steady recurring revenue stream

·         Provide custom-labeling service for retail and corporate customers

·         Allow guests to create their own personal vintage of wine and return to bottle it with friends and family.

·         Restaurant and hospitality sales

·         Wedding market

·         Event planners and private events

The business is scalable to whatever the owner’s dreams are – from a small local winery, to a major provider of finished wine to various distributors. We can help create the business they want!

Cash Investment: $150,000 minimum.  Total Investment: $350,000 - $550,000.

Please call if you have questions, or desire additional information.

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Looking for Texas Hill Country Property

Cabin, storage building, workshop, ponds, water well, and septic on 166 acres.

30 miles northwest of San Antonio / 9 miles southeast of Bandera. 

http://listings.texas-landman.com/texas-landman/pipe-creek-ranch  

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If you are seeking top-quality financial / investment advice, I highly recommend

Teamwork Financial Group and Doug Moe...Texas Ex.

Doug is the CEO of Teamwork Financial Group in San Antonio.  He is an attorney and CPA.  He has provided valuable insight to me and my wife regarding investment / financial advice, including guidance on having a Will vs. Revocable Living Trust, re-balancing our investment portfolio, as well as assisting us move a portion of our IRA investments into Fixed Asset Annuities.  Over the past several months, I have had a number of very enjoyable meetings with Doug, since we have a tendency to spend time talking sports, as well as financial / investment stuff. Doug played basketball at UT in the 80s and is the son of Doug Moe, the former coach of the San Antonio Spurs. And, a great guy.

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Do You Need Furniture Repaired...

If so and in the San Antonio area, CALL Pat Bonney...Texas Ex... Owner of a Guardsman Furniture Pro. franchise...The Most Trusted Name in Furniture Repair. Pat was on the UT baseball team in the early 70s.  I have used Pat's service multiple times for a variety of furniture repairs in my business and home.  Great guy and fantastic service.    

210-849-9663   Email: gfpsa@sbcglobal.net

  

2017 newsletters; as well as copies of 2016 and 2015 newsletters can be viewed by going to the Franchise Quest Website.  

Click on the Website link below, or go to:

www.franchise-quest.com 

Resource Center > Newsletter

  

Small / medium size business owners:

Would you like to grow your business by franchising.

 

$1,000 Referral Bonus $1,000

 

Additional Information Is Available at Franchise Quest

 

If you would like to visit, please don’t be shy about reaching out:

I’m a coach, not a sales person.

 

Hook 'em.