Franchise Sizzle!
The Franchise and Biz Op Blog

Many people assume that franchisees are simply people who want to get rich quick. They don`t realize how much work goes into actually running a franchise, even with the help of the parent company.

However, many franchise opportunities offer the opportunity for franchisees to give back in some way. You`ll notice that plenty of franchise locations hold special runs or sales where proceeds go to a charity. Some franchises are pushing for greener option and have changed their suppliers to more ecologically sound ones.

Every business has the chance to give something back. While some are a little more obvious than others (home care, for example), there is always the opportunity to bring something to the community. Talk to your franchise company about their policies and find out what they do to help franchisees give back.

If you are thinking about investing in a franchise, it always pays to keep abreast of any news in the franchise industry. While general news is a good thing to pay attention to, you will also want to ensure that you have a good idea of what is going on in your particular industry. For example, if you are interested in going with a coffeehouse franchise, it pays to know what the latest info is in this particular industry.

Where do you get information like this on franchises? Well, one very good place to start is with blogs like this one. Some are more about late breaking news, of course, while others offer more information in general.

Other ways to stay on top of franchise news include the following:

• Subscribe to Google Alerts. This allows you to receive an email with a list of all blogs mentioning your franchise industry on a daily basis. All you need to do is scan the excerpts and click on the link that interests you.
• Check business news sources. These are often covering a wide range of business information, but they can also be a good place to learn more about your industry.
• Get into social bookmarking. Sites like Digg and Plurk make it very easy to find relevant stories to help you research your particular franchise industry and these are also very frequently updated with news stories.

Staying on top of the news in your chosen franchise industry will give you a good idea as to whether or not it`s a good area to get into, so it is definitely worth doing some research.

Pet franchises are an excellent way to get into one of the fastest growing industries in the US, increasing about 6% per year, which is big for any industry. Americans spend an average of 36 billion dollars a year on their pets . . . that´s something that pet franchises tap into, giving you a great way to earn more while providing a useful service.

With over 63% of American households including at least one pet, there is more than enough demand for the services provided by franchise opportunities like Pet Butler, a pet waste management business. Other franchises cater to the more delicate side of pets, with mobile pet salons and luxury hotels for animals who need a place to stay while their humans are on vacation.

People are having children later and later in life, if at all and that gives rise to treating their pets like children, buying them expensive clothing, toys and organic food. But while these pampered pets have humans with lots of money, they don´t have a lot of time, which is where animal care franchises come in.

Services like Pet Butler save owners time. When you start up with a franchise like this, you´ll be helping pet owners do what they love to do best . . . spoil their pets!

These days green is big and franchises are capitalizing on this. Subway is one of the most recent franchises to begin using its environmental friendliness as a selling point. It´s really not a bad way to go, since consumers are very aware of the environment and appreciate businesses that go green.

What is Subway doing that is making franchise history? They´ve switched to 100% recycled paper napkins. That may not sound like much, but it saves up to 147,000 trees per year! That´s quite the impact and customers are happy about it. The mega franchise has also begun using polypropylene rather than polystyrene for all their plastic cutlery and drinking cups. This is also a greener way to go, saving oil and huge amounts of pollution each year, among other things.

A greener franchise makes for better public image and big franchises like Subway know that. It´s a good idea to consider the environmental side of things when looking into franchise opportunities to invest in. Even relatively small franchises can already be taking steps to being more environmentally friendly.

There are plenty of reasons to go with a franchise opportunity that you can run out of your home. It makes life a lot easier and many people are leaning toward this option as job stability continues to drop. Being an entrepreneur is often the best way to ensure that you will have any permanent job and home-based franchises are a great way to do just that.

Lower costs. Working out of your home means you don´t have to find and rent or build a commercial space, which can be quite costly. At home, you are already paying rent or a mortgage, so there will be no extra locale fee.

Convenience. Most home-based franchises involve selecting your own hours, which is ideal for anyone with children. You can earn a living while still taking care of your family.

Smaller staff. Chances are, if you go with a home-based franchise, you will be the only staff member, keeping costs lower and making life a bit easier. You won´t have to manage employees and all decisions will be yours to make, within franchise guidelines.

However, home-based franchises are not for everyone. If you aren´t self-motivating, it might be difficult to work from home and you may need the regular hours that a storefront forces you to keep. Remember that when considering which franchise opportunity to choose.

Women´s fitness franchises are booming. Did you know that a large percentage of women feel uncomfortable in a public gym setting? With a women´s only fitness center, women don´t have to feel like they are on display or worry about impressing the hunk lifting weights. It´s a more supportive environment where women can simply relax and work out.

In the US alone, over 2 million women belong to female-only fitness clubs that are designed specifically for them. Socializing is encouraged and without men added into the mix, many women attend the gym more frequently and are far more likely to stick to a fitness regime than if they have to attend a co-ed fitness center.

Women only fitness franchises are something that are rapidly growing in popularity and many franchises are taking full advantage of this and expanding their territories. Getting in on an industry that is as popular as fitness and serving a market as large as women who want to get fit is always a good investment!

You´ll find that there is a wide variety of fitness franchises that cater specifically to women. While regular co-ed gyms will never go away, many franchises are finding that aiming for a more targeted market works best. Women enjoy exercising in a comfortable environment, so giving them that will increase your chances of success with these fitness franchises.

With the Baby Boomers all becoming senior citizens now, there is a huge market for senior services. Franchises are taking this opportunity to expand and are opening more franchise opportunities to new investors. With this booming new industry, there are plenty of options for you to get into senior care and services.

While this can be a great franchise opportunity, it is only for a certain type of person. If you don´t enjoy service work, then a senior care franchise is not for you. It´s very difficult to make a success out of a franchise that you are not passionate about and a senior citizen franchise opportunity is one that requires extra patience and a heart for older people. Without those two things, you may want to consider a different option, since you will be hard-pressed to make a business work if you hate it.

Senior franchise opportunities. don´t just have to revolve around home care, though. People at this stage in their life are often interested in improving the quality of life and are more interested in health than younger people. This makes it the perfect target market for health franchises as well. A senior fitness club can be an excellent way to provide health services and stay in the fitness field if you want to tap into the senior citizens. There are a lot of franchise opportunities that make the best of this aging target demographic.

Women are turning to franchises these days to provide them with what they can´t find in a traditional job, flexibility, the opportunity to make something of themselves and even for the sheer challenge. Franchises are perfect for women who are looking to be their own boss, but aren´t sure how to get started.

What franchises offer the best opportunities for women?

While fast food franchise opportunities are big with men, they require a higher investment than many women are willing to make. In general, women tend to want lower investments and usually plan to keep some money in the bank as an emergency fund.

Women also tend to do best in service oriented franchises such as senior care, tutoring and beauty. Though more attractive to most females, these franchise opportunities also offer lower entry fees and tend to be more affordable for someone on a budget. However, there are plenty of other opportunities that allow you to make low payments and that women will also enjoy, after all, there´s no reason why a mom can´t start up an automotive garage.

Advantages of Women in Franchises

Women have a distinct advantage in industries like those mentioned above as they tend to have more developed social skills than men. This works very well for spreading the word and for chatting up potential customers. Women in general are more likely to talk enthusiastically about their franchise business in social settings, as well.

Women tend to do very well in franchises. For those who don´t want to start off building their own business from scratch, the right franchise opportunity can be the perfect investment.

Here’s a sampling of recent franchise news:

November 30, 2007 - Calgary, AB — Joey’s Seafood Restaurants is pleased to announce that it raised more than $21,000 during the restaurant’s 2007 Alzheimer Society annual yellow Fat Fish Fundraiser. (Read More)

(Seattle, WA) – WIN Home Inspection, a nationally recognized leader in home inspection services, is proud to announce that its network of home inspection professionals has grown to 220 and offers home inspection services in 33 states across the United States. (Read more)

November 23, 2007 - BOSTON–Fantastic Sams, a full service hair salon brand with nearly 1400 salons in the US and Canada, announced it has signed 111 new franchise agreements with 75 new franchisees year to date through October 31, 2007. (Read More)

Red Hot Franchises provides the latest news on franchises and business opportunities for the benefit of entrepreneurs seeking their next opportunity or business professional just wanting to stay on top of the changing landscape of business worldwide. Stay in the loop! Check in franchise news.

The Interface Financial Group expands into Maine, making it the 33rd state for the network. Recently, Interface has also started operations in Pittsburg PA, Cleveland OH, and in Mississauga, Ontario. IFG is also gearing up for its April 2008 Franchisee Meeting in Las Vegas.

The Interface Financial Group is one of the most incredible franchise opportunities in the world today. Entrepreneur Magazine has given them high marks and listed them in the top 500 franchise opportunities as well as No. 1 in their category. IFG was started in 1971 and began offering franchise opportunities in 1991. With more than 150 franchises in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, further growth will mean greater success for existing franchisees and new ones.

Interface Financial Group offers financing solutions to companies all over the world and is one of the best franchise opportunities available. You can get more information on Interface Financial Group’s opportunity at Red Hot Franchises.