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Buying a franchise is a great way to reinvent your career, find new satisfaction and higher annual earnings.

When shopping for a franchise, too often people tend to sell themselves short. Instead of finding value in skills gained over the course of a career, they focus on the lack of direct experience in a particular business sector, say retail sales or temporary staffing.

But you don’t want to eliminate opportunities before you have even begun to investigate.

The key is to keep your mind open to possibilities you may never before have considered and inventory your skills to get a truly accurate read on your experience.

Think about all the different skills acquired over a lifetime, both on the job and off.

For example, a plant manager increasingly frustrated at work feared his skills managing a large manufacturing plant with a unionized work force would not easily transfer to franchise ownership. But as he began his research, he realized his experience motivating employees sometimes resistant to instructions, meeting deadlines and working on tight budgets would serve him well. He eventually opened five locations of a fitness franchise and has been enjoying his new profitable career for five years.

Likewise, managing a household develops expertise in a range of areas, including leadership training (PTA), party planning, catering, household systems management and scheduling. Many a successful franchisee started as a homemaker.

Remember, when it comes to franchises, the companies provide extensive training and support to help you transfer your skills to a new business. What you want to have are skills compatible with the new business that will enable you to soar.

We recommend you consult a franchise coach to help you winnow down your list of potential franchises, but first consider the following skills as you do a personal inventory.

Six Essential Skills for Business

Communications

Written a letter or contributed to a newsletter? Spoken to clients or subcontractors on a regular basis? Unless you’re sitting in a back room, doing the books or programming all day long, chances are you have learned a fair amount about how to communicate. But if you feel this isn’t your strong suit, this is an area you could delegate.

Sales/Marketing

Selling yourself is as important as selling a product or service so if you’ve ever had to talk your way onto a board or into a meeting, you know how to sell. If you don’t like dealing with the public, you may want to choose the type of business that practically sells itself with a good marketing campaign.

Management

Managing a classroom or a household is a lot like managing a company. All require knowing how to get the most out of people while keeping them happy and satisfied in their jobs. Franchises tend to offer good employee training.

Organization, Controls

While running a business requires good organization skills, a franchise company’s support usually will help you learn what you need to know. If, on the other hand, things are often spinning out of control for you, you may want to think again before going into business for yourself.

Networking

If your list of contacts is huge and you’re always collecting friends, you likely excel at building relationships and a clientele. While attracting customers is key, so is keeping them, which is best accomplished by delivering the goods.

Public Speaking/Presentation Skills

Lots of careers require public speaking, from sales to teaching. If you think it’s a snap to run a meeting or can stand up in front of a lot of people to welcome them to a party or event, you’re good to go. A whiz at Powerpoint? Even better.

Don’t worry if you haven’t checked each one, the main skill you need is the willingness to work hard over an extended period of time and do your homework. Of course, you also need perseverance and a little hard-headedness to keep you going. You do yourself credit when you recognize your strengths, as well as your weaknesses. So follow your passion because you’re in it for the long game.

If you’re one of the 90% of Americans employed full-time by someone else, chances are you’re not feeling much satisfaction at work. Some of you are stuck with a boss who makes your lives miserable, while others may be merely bored or vastly under appreciated. Maybe you should become your own boss and start a business. Only 30% of Americans are actively engaged in their jobs, according to a recent Gallup report, State of the American Workplace. Not only does being unhappy at work lead to a whole range of obvious complaints, it can also take a toll on your health, the survey reported. One way to improve your situation is to strike out on your own. So, how do you know if you’ve got what it takes to run your own business? Just like most things in life, what separates the whizzes from the rans is preparation. Do your research, write a realistic business plan, raise sufficient capital, and your odds for success go way up. Even before you pinpoint your business, you’ll need to start by asking yourself key questions to determine whether you’re ready to leave a sure paycheck for the chance to take charge of your career for life.

Entrepreneur’s Checklist: 7 Things You Need To Start A Business

Here’s the entrepreneur’s checklist. In order to start a business successfully, you will need the following:

1. Support from your family

When undertaking such a major life change, it’s critical you have your family behind your decision to give up your job to follow your dream. As you may go through a financial fallow period, their support can help you persevere.

2. Commitment and dedication to making your business succeed

You’ve heard the phrase: You’ve gotta want it more than anything else. Or how about: Hungry for success. The point is you have to believe in yourself even when faced by setbacks. Sometimes that means aggressively courting clients or revising your business plan. Surround yourself with critical support, including a good attorney, accountant, and business coach.

3. Sufficient capitalization or willingness to take on debt

While you will likely need to finance some of your startup costs, you should have sufficient resources set aside to get you through the startup period until revenue begins to exceed costs and the profits start rolling in.

4. Management skills

If this is one of your strengths, bravo, but if not, you may need to investigate what it takes to manage employees. If you choose a franchise, you’ll get ongoing training to help you learn the art of hiring, retaining and getting the most out of your workers. Alternatively, you could purchase one of the many franchises that do not have any employees other than the owner.

5. Marketing

How do you see yourself getting customers? The answer to this question will dictate which businesses best suit your style. If you’re an expert at networking, you’ll likely find it easy to develop a clientele. For those who prefer that customers find them, either due to a good location or national advertising campaign, you might want to try a retail operation.

6. Desire to develop your own or follow someone else’s system

You may be well suited to a franchise if you like the idea of following a system that’s been perfected over time and working well for franchisees around the country. Or you may prefer to control every aspect of your business and make your own unique contribution to the marketplace.

7. Tolerance for risk

Even in today’s job market where a steady job is no sure thing, starting your own business requires you to be comfortable with risk. If you believe in your vision and have the moxy to push through the learning phase, you greatly improve your odds. If you’ve checked most of the items above and you’re ready to move forward, we recommend you consult a coach to help you decide on a business that suits your skills and experience. Once you turn the tables and occupy the boss’s chair yourself, don’t forget you still want to make your employees feel valued, help develop their strengths so they, too, can feel satisfied and engaged at work. After all, you’ve already walked in those shoes. And happier employees can go a long way toward helping you make your business a success. Ready to make your dream of becoming an entrepreneur come true?

Get your free evaluation today!

Ready to make your dream of becoming an entrepreneur come true? Get your free evaluation today! Contact Dan Citrenbaum to help you create the career you’ve always wanted. As a business coach, Dan brings years of experience helping people select and buy a franchise or existing business. You can reach Dan at [email protected] or at (484) 278-5489.  

Buying a franchise is one of the quickest, safest ways to start your own business, but a franchise is not for everyone, particularly if you’re the type of person who likes to blaze your own trail.

For starters, to be successful with a franchise — that is to maximize your potential earnings — you must be prepared to follow the franchisor’s system, the time-tested method the company has for virtually every aspect of its operations, including staffing protocols, an advertising campaign and store build-out plans.

After working with dozens of franchisees over the years, I still see new franchisees decide they can cut corners, for example, by declining to hire enough people to cover the day-to-day responsibilities of meeting the needs of customers.

The owner may decide to save money by doing some of the work himself, for example, cleaning houses or caring for seniors. As a result the owner has less time to build the business, creating a steady and growing clientele to generate earnings. While that owner may save some upfront costs, he or she loses long-term earnings potential.

So how do you know if you are a good candidate for a franchise? Answer eight easy questions:

1. Are you prepared to thoroughly research the business?

Selecting a franchise may be your first most important step, and the process requires solid research, from reading background materials to putting shoe leather to pavement and visiting franchisees.

1. Are you prepared to work hard?

Just because the business comes with a system doesn’t mean you won’t have a learning curve. Of course, once you have good employees in place and operations running smoothly, many franchise operations will allow you to take an afternoon for golf or to attend a child’s track meet. Many franchisees set a realistic goal to work 30 to 35 hours per week within three to five years of starting their business.

1. Can you call for assistance when needed?

A good franchisor wants to help you through the start-up phase, so to take full advantage of what you’re paying for, you need to be willing to ask for guidance. A good franchisor will likely offer many good suggestions, possibly a long to-do list that will require time to implement.

1. Do you have enough capital to set up the business to operate as designed?

Before you buy the franchise, your research should have told you how long it will take to operate in the black, and the Franchise Disclosure Document will tell you your upfront expenses. Getting to profitability varies by location and franchisee. You will need to be work hard and pay operating expenses for some time before earnings begin.

1. Can you accept paying the franchisor royalties and other specified fees?

These fees are the price you pay for a proven operating system, built-in research and development, a fully vetted list of suppliers, as well as an advertising campaign and ongoing support and training.

1. Will you accept structure in your business?

If you would rather create your own approach to a unique business that reflects your particular vision for a product line or service, you don’t want a franchise.

1. Can you accept advice from authority?

When you buy into a franchise system, you are part of a team, and the franchisor needs each of its franchisees to present a consistent image to the buying public. No reinventing the system.

1. And, most importantly, can you trust the system to work?

If the answer is no, then don’t buy the franchise.

Ideally, you will answer yes to each of these questions. If you answered no to more than two, then you might want to consider an independent business. I also suggest you consult a franchise coach, who is in the business to help you make the best decision to ensure success.

After all, what you want most is to have a business you enjoy in which you can excel and which will also earn a tidy profit.

Ready to make your dream of becoming an entrepreneur come true?

Get your free evaluation today!

Contact Dan Citrenbaum to help you create the career you’ve always wanted. As a franchise coach, Dan brings years of experience helping people select and buy a franchise or existing business. You can reach Dan at [email protected] or at (484)278-4589.

Most wealthy people own their own business. However, starting and maintaining a successful company is difficult, and the failure rate is high. There is an option: owning a franchise. It reduces the risk and it’s easier than you think. Learn more about this exciting possibility. Tune into our webinar and hear from an industry expert, franchise coach, and successful franchisee. They will be discussing:

• Why you should own a business
• Three ways to become an owner
• How to buy a franchise
• How to reduce your risk
• What financing options are available
• How to determine the right franchise for you

Dan provides consultations to individuals interested in exploring working for themselves. He helps his clients to achieve their dreams, such as financial independence, career satisfaction, and work-life stability. He has been involved in advising small business owners and managers for more than 25 years. Dan’s services are completely free to any individual interested in learning more about business ownership.  

Don’t miss this opportunity to find the right low-risk business that can lead to financial independence and personal fulfillment.

Watch This Webinar!

Join us for this special presentation owning a franchise by clicking the button below. Presenter: Dan Citrenbaum.   WATCH NOW ►   Photo Credit: Shutterstock

About The Presenter

Lots of you do it every day, especially when it seems everyone’s on your case and you’re not hopping fast enough to please your boss. You begin to wonder: How can I get control of my own destiny and reap all the rewards of my labor?

Almost half of workers over the age of 35 want to branch out on their own, according to a recent survey by Harris Poll and CreativeLive (an online education company).

The obstacles sometimes seem enormous for older adults, ones who have picked up costly responsibilities along the way. Striking out on their own may sound too risky. They may not be certain they have the right skills for business ownership. The big question: How do I get started?

One way to lower your risk and help get you to a new and better career is to consider buying a franchise, which comes with a network of support to help you succeed in your new business. Another clear advantage of a franchise is the opportunity to talk to people already in the business to learn how they’re faring, how the franchise company’s systems work and whether they would do it again.

Five Easy Steps for Selecting a Franchise

1.  Rev Your Engines

Make a list of your skills and experience. Then look into different franchises in which the franchisees seem to have particular success. Start matching skills to what the owners need to do in those businesses to see where you might have the best connection.

2. Research Your Selected Business Sector

Learn where the growth is, where opportunities abound, what your geographic area may be missing, and what economic indicators are showing. Maybe local school budgets have been cut and the area has a growing need for a professionally run tutoring business. Or maybe your region lacks adequate resources for senior care.

3. Contact a Franchise Coach

A coach can help you narrow down your choices to franchises that are well-tested in the marketplace and offer the best support system for franchisees. The coach can also help make sure your research is thorough and objective.

4. Talk to franchisors and franchisees

Get the Franchise Disclosure Document from franchisors and learn the financial history of the company, as well as its key executives, and receive the list of franchisees. Franchisees are your most important resource, because they will provide the lowdown on where the franchise company is strongest and where its system may not work so well.

5. Consult a Franchise Attorney

Attorneys who specialize in this market will help you understand the potential pitfalls in a franchisor’s contract and suggest ways to improve the fundamentals to help ensure your success.

Just like any new endeavor in which you want to be successful, your preparation is critical. Making a well-researched solid selection will go a long way to putting you on the road to becoming a successful business owner so you can take control of your career.

This guest post is by Dan Citrenbaum, a Franchise Coach and Entrepreneurial Consultant who helps people achieve their dreams as small business owners.  He offers free evaluations to find out what option might be the best for you.  Find Dan at www.TheEnterpreneurOption.com.

Tired of having little control over your work life? You may be ready to take the leap and become your own boss. Before you balk, owning your own business isn’t as risky as it sounds. In fact, if you look before you leap, the potential upside should outweigh the risk.

For one thing, you don’t have to start from scratch. You can find a tried and true method for starting your own business that comes with all the systems in place, from a marketing strategy to IT. All you have to do is choose a franchise that stands up to high-level scrutiny and meets your own business and personal criteria. And you can forever slip off the constraints of punching someone else’s time clock.

The franchise business is a far cry from your father’s idea of franchising —which grew quickly along with the interstate highway system in the 1950s and 1960s and primarily comprised fast food joints and hotels, notably McDonald’s and Holiday Inn. Today, the franchise business is a far bigger pie than you probably realize.

Franchises operate within 75 industries and encompass far more than fast food. In fact, whatever business you started in most likely has applications in some type of franchise business.

A franchise coach can help you choose from a wide array of opportunities in businesses as diverse as direct mail, maid services and senior care services. These and similar service businesses are expected to lead the growth in franchising over the next year, according to the International Franchise Association. The key to recharging your career in a franchise is to answer the question: Which franchise is right for me? First, you’ll want to assess your skills and experience, along with your interests. What do you want to spend your days doing? Or maybe you want something where you can work less than full time. All is possible in the world of franchising.

How do you know it’s a good franchise? You just get the Federal Trade Commission required disclosure document from the franchisor, read it, and start calling franchisees. They’ll tell you. The more thorough your research, the better off you’ll be. Before you spend a dime on your new business, you can learn about the franchise company’s:

• Support services
• Training
• All upfront and ongoing costs
• Number, location and success rate of franchisees
• Financial condition, bankruptcy and litigation history, as well as the executives’backgrounds
• And, most importantly, firsthand testimonials from franchisees on how all this actually works

As you gain skills as a business owner, your long-range earnings potential exceeds what you will likely earn as a cog in the wheel of corporate America. Most people realize that when you work for corporate America you probably make a lot more money for your employer than you make for yourself. When you own a successful business, you can keep both of those types of profit for yourself. When you work for yourself, your risk can actually decline over time because your employees are better trained, your suppliers are more willing to give you special terms and your customer base is more established. Best of all, you control your own destiny.

Certainly, franchising isn’t for everyone. If you’re the type of person who wants to make a unique impression in the market and you don’t wish to follow someone else’s system, then do not buy a franchise. You may instead want to consider buying an existing business or starting your own. But if you can follow a simple set of guidelines, you might be able to find wealth, liquidity, and success through a franchise.

Ready to make your dream of becoming an entrepreneur come true? Get your free evaluation today! Contact Dan Citrenbaum to help you create the career you’ve always wanted. Dan brings years of experience helping people select and buy a franchise or existing business. You can reach Dan at [email protected] or at (484)278-4589.