Category: For Franchisees:

BEST TIME TO OPEN A PIZZA FRANCHISE: 7 THINGS PROSPECTIVE FRANCHISEES LOOK FOR

Posted on by Franchise Strategist

Franchise ownership gives you the financial freedom you’re looking for – but ONLY if you choose the right franchise. When you’re running your own Smokin’ Oak Pizza & Taproom location, you call the shots. Put the right team in place and you can have a flexible schedule that lets you work at your own pace

Best Time To Open a Pizza Franchise: 7 Things Prospective Franchisees Look For
Article supplied by Smokin’Oak Wood-Fired Pizza & Taproom

Your restaurant is the talk of the town. Business is steady and growing. The word-of-mouth brings in locals, business travelers, and vacationers. The goal you had of working for yourself has come true.

That’s the dream. And you’re ready to make it happen. But you’re wondering if now is the right time to open a franchise. It’s true that many business owners are hesitant during uncertain economic times. But research shows intrepid entrepreneurs can not only survive uncertain economic times but thrive.

But don’t just take our word for it… Hear from two of our successful franchises who opened during the 2020 pandemic and are continuing to serve authentic, artisan wood-fired pizza to their supportive communities today – with plans to expand!

With that in mind, no one knows exactly what the economy is going to do and how that will affect business. Evaluating the opportunity alongside the potential risk is imperative. That’s why we’re sharing seven things you should look for in a franchise before investing your savings.

Financial Security
Fast-casual restaurants are highly popular today. The ones that are franchises – a step up in quality and ambiance from the typical fast-food chain — have been opening new locations faster than any other dining category.

Their popularity could be due to profit margins, which are the highest among food franchises. Fast-casual restaurants enjoy a 6% profit margin, which is the same as full-service restaurants and nearly three times better than the typical fast-food eatery.

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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WILL HELP FRANCHISORS SPEED UP FRANCHISE DEVELOPMENT

Posted on by Franchise Strategist

In a report by Data IKU, Korn Ferry stated that 55 percent of staff believed AI had already changed the way their organization recruits. IBM receives about 8,000 resumes a day and is the most searched employer on Glassdoor, an employment site that includes employee ratings for their company. IBM uses an AI algorithm that can predict with 95% accuracy whether a worker is planning to leave his/her job.

For those of you who have followed Ed Teixeira’s articles on FranchiseMoneyMaker.com it is with deep sadness that we report he passed away last week. We will miss Ed’s insights, willingness to help and the kindness he brought not only to our publication but the franchise community and the everyone he touched.

Artificial Intelligence Will Help Franchisors Speed up Franchise Development
By Ed Teixeira

Franchise Consultant, Blogger and Freelance Writer. Co- Author of New Textbook Franchising Strategies The Entrepreneurs Guide to Success. Franchise Executive with 40 years of Franchise Industry Experience.

During the past several years, you have probably read or heard about the increased use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its applications. AI has already had a significant impact on Human Resource departments, especially recruiting job applicants. In a report by Data IKU, Korn Ferry stated that 55 percent of staff believed AI had already changed the way their organization recruits. IBM receives about 8,000 resumes a day and is the most searched employer on Glassdoor, an employment site that includes employee ratings for their company. IBM uses an AI algorithm that can predict with 95% accuracy whether a worker is planning to leave his/her job.

Related to AI is natural language processing (NLP) which enables computers to read text, hear and interpret speech and determine which parts are important, like Alexa. A report from Tractica predicts that NLP software solutions capitalizing on AI will grow from $136 million in 2016 to $5.4 billion by 2025.

AI and Franchise System Development
If AI resume software automates resume screening, then AI applications should offer franchisors a major opportunity to improve their franchise system development. Using AI to automate the screening of franchise prospect information could help spot qualified candidates much faster. Also, using phone call speech-to-text and NLP can provide more opportunities to gain information from candidate conversations. Service Score’s Qualifier Call Optimization (QCO) platform uses recorded prospect calls with an analysis engine powered by the latest AI tools to deliver opportunities for converting more calls to applications. A number of franchisors currently use the Service Score application.

Franchise Departments Should List Its Telephone Number
A number of franchisors fail to list their telephone number on their franchise page and require prospects to submit a form. This has become somewhat of the norm rather than offering two ways to contact the franchise department. Hiya’s annual State of the Call report found that more than 12,000 consumers and 2,000 businesses ranked the phone call No. 1 for remote interactions, beating out text, email, video calls, and chatbots.

 During my career I built three franchise systems in different business categories. In each case our phone number for the franchise department was available. I considered every franchise lead valuable and wanted our staff to be able to engage with potential franchise prospects as soon as possible. It was my experience, that individuals who called the franchise department before submitting a contact form, were eager to learn about our franchise opportunity and had important questions. In many cases it resulted in the person submitting a franchise application.

Top franchisors like Service Master Restore, BrightStar Franchising and Neighborly follow this process. Here is BrightStar’s Message: “Our friendly and experienced team is happy to help you get started. Call us at 872-xxx-xxxx or request a call from our team by filling out the form below.”

Franchisor’s Should Prepare for AI
Its time franchisors prepare for the increased use of AI applications in various franchise operations. This should include franchise development. Here are steps franchisors can take to begin the process:

* Compile data to construct a franchisee profile of top performing franchisees or the ideal franchise candidate.
* Incorporate franchisee profile data into contact form and franchisee application.
* Include franchise department contact telephone number.
* Franchisors should speak with several AI software companies to learn about the process and cost of using AI applications for franchise development. Mike Bidwell, president and CEO of Neighborly stated: “We believe employing AI will be key to gaining or even maintaining a competitive advantage in an increasingly informed and sophisticated marketplace.

About the Author:
Ed Teixeira
Franchise Consultant, Blogger and Freelance Writer. Co- Author of New
Textbook Franchising Strategies The Entrepreneurs Guide to Success.
Franchise Executive with 40 years of Franchise Industry Experience.

What To Consider When Purchasing A Franchise

Posted on by Franchise Strategist

Photo by Estée Janssens on Unsplash

Summary: To select the ideal franchise company to join, you should first find a company with a proven track record of success. A good franchisor will have been in business for at least two or three years and be able to demonstrate the growth potential of its products and services. The best way to do this is by looking at how many franchises they currently have in operation and are they profitable. A robust and growing network often indicates a successful brand.

10 Key Points To Consider When Purchasing A Franchise
Originally published in Forbes.
By Gary Occhiogrosso, Managing Partner Franchise Growth Solutions

If your goal is to purchase a franchise, choosing the right franchise brand to invest in is one of the most important decisions you’ll make as a business owner. It’s not just about finding a company with a proven track record but also finding one that fits your personality and lifestyle. Your first step, is knowing what to look for when you’re evaluating potential franchises. Here are some key areas to consider:

Franchise Fees
Franchise fees are one-time payments made when purchasing a franchise. These fees can range from $10,000 to $100,000 and are used to pay for the rights to use the name, the procedures and any systems developed by the franchisor. It is also used to cover costs for training and opening support by the franchisor to assist the franchisee with the opening of their franchise. Franchisors usually charge their franchisees up-front fee when the franchise is granted. In addition, post Covid initial “turnkey” investments may be higher than in the past due to supply chain issues, inflation, and increased cost of equipment and leasehold improvements between brands.

Royalty Fees
Royalty fees are the amount of ongoing money (usually a percentage of gross sales) you pay to the franchisor for using their brand name and ongoing support such as marketing and developing new products or services for the franchisee. As a franchisee, you are required to pay royalties based on a portion of your sales. This percentage may be fixed or fluctuate on a sliding scale based on sales.

Term Length
Franchise term length can be a good indicator of how much the Franchisor invests in their franchisees.
On average, depending on the type of franchise, home based vs a retail location, franchise brands have terms that last ten years or less. This means there’s plenty of time for the franchisee and franchisor to work together and develop a solid relationship. Still, it also means that the franchisee may not be allowed to retain the business if something doesn’t work out. If a franchisee is underperforming, the franchisor may not renew the franchise agreement once it expires, or may seek to terminate the franchise prior to the full term. In such a case, the franchisee must exit the business. In many instances, there will be a contractual obligation that the franchisee cannot open a similar business for a period of time within a certain distance from their original location. This is called a non-compete clause.

Consider Your Lifestyle.
* Consider the lifestyle you will have while running the business.
* Look at the hours of operation. You don’t want to buy an 80 work week.
* Review flexibility of franchisor with respect to new products, relocation and other variables.
* See if the location makes sense for you. You will need to manage the location or develop a team to manage the day-to-day operation for you.
* Check out the type of work needed to run the franchisee. Make sure it fits your skill set and interests, including whether it’s something you’d enjoy doing as a full-time job.
Seeking the advice of a professional franchise consultant can be an extremely useful method when evaluating if a franchise is the right business model for you. Scott Milas, a Certified Franchise Executive (CFC) and Certified Franchise Consultant (CFC) with The International Franchise Professionals Group recommends you consider these questions: “What is your “Know” and “Why?” Understanding “why” you are interested in owning your own business, and “knowing” who you are, are critical steps in choosing the right opportunity. A self evaluation and clear picture of your skill sets and eventual end game- exit strategy, will help ensure that you invest in the right opportunity. Better to “know” now then after you made the wrong decision. “Why” now?
An experienced franchise consultant can assist you in answering those questions and choosing a brand that’s a good lifestyle fit as well as one that offers opportunities to meet your business goals

Look For An Experienced Franchisor
To select the ideal franchise company to join, you should first find a company with a proven track record of success. A good franchisor will have been in business for at least two or three years and be able to demonstrate the growth potential of its products and services. The best way to do this is by looking at how many franchises they currently have in operation and are they profitable. A robust and growing network often indicates a successful brand. In addition, it demonstrates that customers value its products or services enough to pay for them again through multiple businesses.
The second thing you should look for when choosing a franchise is reputation—how well does your chosen brand stand up against its competitors? While there may be other similar businesses out there with similar business models, does you selected band have points of difference to separate itself from the competition. It’s essential that you choose one that utilizes high-quality materials, produces consistent results, and provides excellent customer service while maintaining competitive prices at all times.”

Know Your Competition
One of the steps to building a successful franchise business is to know your competition. What brands already exist in the market, and how do they compare? What is their customer base, and what can you learn from them? How do your offerings differ from theirs, and how do these differences help or hinder you as a company?
Tom Scarda a former franchisee and now a franchise coach and consultant offering advice to franchise buyers regarding evaluating the competition and what it may mean to their success as a franchisee “It’s smart to think about a product or service that is needed in your area and consider bringing that sort of business to the town. However, just because there are no batting cages in your town and you think it would do great because there are kids everywhere, you may be right. However, will it make money? Is there some reason why there is no batting cages in the area? When starting a business, you must, must do a comprehensive business plan before anything else. Learn about competition in the area. Understand the local county laws and regulations around the business you’re considering. Be real about the cost to start and run the operation. These are just a few items to consider in a business plan.”

Once you’ve got a handle on who’s out there, it will be easier for you to see where there are gaps in the market—and then fill those gaps with your unique brand identity.

Carefully Review The Franchise Disclosure Document.
Read the current franchise disclosure document (check the issuance date) and have it reviewed by a competent franchise attorney. Harold Kestenbaum, a noted franchise attorney with Spadea Law advises: “When considering the purchase of a franchise, I highly recommend retaining the services of an experienced franchisee attorney. Never contemplate purchasing a franchise without seeking the advice of an attorney who has reviewed FDD;s before. I also recommend that you do your due diligence. By that I mean that you should review Item 20 of the FDD and call all of the existing franchisees who are in your general area.”

There are additional factors to consider when reviewing the franchisor’s FDD. According to Richard Bayer, a Partner in the law firm Einbinder & Dunn LLP: “Purchasing a franchise for many first-time business owners will often be one of the top three expensive transactions the franchisee will ever go through in his/her lifetime. Given the severity of the investment, a franchisee must commit to doing due diligence. It starts with speaking with existing franchisees as well as those who left the system. Their contact information can be found in the FDD. The goals from these calls include gaining a better understanding of the economics of the franchise – is it profitable, when is break even reached, do costs (labor or otherwise) or revenues fluctuate significantly making it difficult to predict performance. Equally important is getting a sense of the franchisor’s temperament – is the franchisor supportive, does the franchisor go above and beyond legal obligations (imposed in the franchise agreement) to deliver for its franchisees, is the franchisor forward thinking and/or technology driven. The FDD is a great source of information about a system, but it is has gaps that can be filled in quite nicely by franchisees in the system and by those who left. Purchasing a franchise without speaking to as many franchisees as possible is a lost opportunity.”


Investigate The Franchisor’s Tenure And Track Record of Success
In addition to analyzing the franchisors’ financials, it’s also vital to examine their overall track record. While a strong balance sheet is an essential indicator of a business’s health and stability, it doesn’t tell you much about how they’ve fared over time. So, for example, if you’re looking at two franchises with similar books and financials, but one of them has been around for four years while the other has been operating since say, 1899, it would make sense to choose the latter in this case—even if everything else on paper looks the same.
This information can be gleaned from third-party sources such as Dun & Bradstreet or franchise trade magazines or by visiting the website of the International Franchise Association. Always go directly through your Franchisor before getting this data yourself so that they can confirm that everything is correct and up-to-date. In addition, it is vital that you speak with or meet as many existing franchisees as possible before you make your final decision.

What Are The Brand’s Training Programs And Support?
When you buy a franchise, you’re not just buying the rights to use its brand name. You also get access to training programs, mentoring, and support from the Franchisor. These must be proven and effective; otherwise, it can be challenging for your business to grow or stay profitable.
You want to ensure that your franchisor is committed to your success as a franchisee. That means offering in-person training (the better option) and or using phone or video calls if necessary. It also means regular advice on running your business and what strategies might help you reach more customers or increase revenue.

Review The Franchisor’s Marketing Plans.
A good franchisor will have a written marketing plan in place. The marketing plan should include a social media strategy and details about how the franchisor plans to use the funds provided through your advertising fees. If you ask for this document, they should be willing to share it with you.

Choosing The Right Franchise Brand Can Significantly Impact Your Success.
We’ve talked about screening potential franchise brands above. Still, there are some other factors that you should also consider when choosing where to invest your time and resources.
Tom Scarda goes on to say “We always hear the phrase, “If you love what you do you never work a day in your life.” That is true if you’re working a job. But a franchise is not a job. It’s a business that allows you to build a lifestyle. In the end, the service or product the business provides doesn’t matter. Of course, it must make sense for the community where you will operate and the concept must be something that you understand. However, you can be a vegetarian and own a burger joint. As the owner you are acting as the CEO and CFO, you’re not flippin’ burgers…well you shouldn’t be. If you are doing the tasks that the business requires then you bought yourself a job and your business will plateau and not be scalable. Scarda adds “Don’t buy a business because it has to do with your hobby. If you do, you will no longer have a hobby and you will probably resent the hobby if you’re trying to pay your mortgage with it. Instead, invest in a business that will give you the time and money to enjoy your hobby until your heart’s content.

Conclusion
It is important to consider all these factors when looking for a franchise brand. Some of them, like the fees and term length, are more straightforward than others. But, if you want to be successful in your franchise opportunity, it’s worth taking the time to research what makes each Franchisor unique thoroughly. A good franchisor will have invested in training programs and support systems that will help you understand how their business works.

Tips For Employers & Employees – Effective Job Interviews

Posted on by Franchise Strategist

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash

Suppose you have not decided what to offer someone or are still negotiating with the candidate. In that case, it’s best to provide a range rather than an exact number. This gives candidates an idea of what they could make if hired and shows that you are flexible and willing to negotiate.

Tips For Employers & Employees – Effective Job Interviews
By Johnny Day

Introduction
As a business, you want to hire the best employees you can. You want people with the right skills who can help the company reach its goals and grow. But only some people will be a good fit for your organization. In fact, according to one study, about 25% of new hires fail within their first 18 months on the job. At that rate, hiring five employees who fail in their first 18 months at work with your company is like hiring only three people who succeed in that time!
Offer salary range, not a specific number.

Offer a salary range, not a specific number.
Suppose you have not decided what to offer someone or are still negotiating with the candidate. In that case, it’s best to provide a range rather than an exact number. This gives candidates an idea of what they could make if hired and shows that you are flexible and willing to negotiate.

Have a plan for the interview before you go in.
Before you go into an interview, you should plan what you want to ask and what kinds of questions the employer will ask you. You should also have your resume and a copy of the job description. Bring a list of references who are willing to be contacted.

When it comes time for your interview, follow these tips:

* Know what you want to ask. The employer may only tell you about some aspects of the job. Instead, they’ll give out one piece at a time during different parts of the interview process to see if candidates are interested in both the work itself and all other aspects related to working there (e.g., pay).

* Have your questions ready so that if something comes up during or after their presentation or tour—like whether there’s room for advancement—then feel free to ask these things without feeling like an outsider who doesn’t belong!
Explain the company culture to candidates.

* Recruiters, managers, and executives should explain the company culture to candidates. Because culture is a set of values, it’s essential to define them early in the process. The goal is to give candidates an understanding of how your organization approaches its work and what being part of that organization means. It may be helpful for recruiters and hiring managers to refer back to this definition when conducting interviews with prospective employees because it can provide a common understanding among team members if they all use the same language when describing their roles within the organization.

Make sure they know what their duties will be.
Clearly outlining the duties of a job is a must. As a manager, it’s your responsibility to ensure that employees know their position and how a manager will evaluate them. If you’re hiring someone who has been doing this type of work for years, you’ll want to take them through orientation so that they know what you expect. If someone just graduated from school with little or no experience in your field, then I recommend taking some time out of their first week on the job to explain things like:
What is expected of them in terms of output and output quality? (This is usually tracked in metrics.)
How do we measure performance? (These measurements may include customer satisfaction surveys.)

Don’t be afraid to ask them to elaborate on their experience and qualifications.
Asking candidates to elaborate on their experience and qualifications is part of the interview process. Still, it’s also an excellent opportunity to learn more about someone’s personality and character. For example, if a candidate has said they have experience in social media marketing, then ask them to describe the last project they worked on from start to finish. On the other hand, if their resume lists specific projects, ask them what kind of work they’ve done in that area before.
If someone has little professional experience (e.g., a high school student looking for a summer internship), then ask them how they’ve approached learning new skills or subjects outside of school-related activities. For example: “Tell me about a time when you had to teach someone else something.”

Give them time to think about it.
Before hiring, ensure the candidate has time to consider it. Suppose they’re ready to sign on right away. In that case, it might mean that they’ve already taken a job elsewhere and are just trying to be polite by pretending otherwise. It’s also crucial that you give them plenty of time so they can ask questions. They probably have some concerns or reservations about joining your company—perhaps even some reservations about working with you—and those issues need to be addressed before anything goes any further. Finally, once someone is hired, their start date must be pretty close to the future. You want them to feel secure and comfortable enough with their decision that they don’t leave for another position before their first day at work; this would lead directly to lousy employee retention rates later down the line!

Tell them about the benefits package.
Benefits are a big part of the job. Make sure you have a good benefits package and your employees know about it. That way, they’ll feel valued by the company and be more likely to stay with you for extended periods.
What kind of benefits do you offer? Do you offer a 401K? Paid time off? Health insurance? These things all play into how willing someone will be to commit their life to your company—so make sure you’re offering them everything they need!

Ask if they have any questions for you.
If you haven’t already, ask your new employee if they have any questions.
Asking what’s on their mind will ensure you can address any concerns they may have about the position.
This is also an excellent time to make sure they are comfortable with the role and explain more about what it entails so that you can determine if this is a good fit for them.

Use these tips to conduct a more effective job interview that will help your company find and retain the best employees it can find When interviewing candidates, it’s important to be prepared with a plan. An effective interview will help your company find and retain its best employees. It’s also important to explain the company culture to candidates during this preparation process. You should also make sure they know their duties for an effective job interview that will help your company find and retain the best employees it can find.

Conclusion
This is a recap of the tips we’ve given above. If you need to decide which ones to use, mix and match them as needed.

BUNDLES OF TUMBLES NOW AVAILABLE AS A FRANCHISE

Posted on by Franchise Strategist

Since 2012, Bundles of Tumbles has grown, providing mobile dance and gymnastics to numerous preschools and after-school programs. Bundles of Tumbles is a completely mobile company, bringing classes directly to the customer’s location. Everything from the professional staff to the equipment is supplied on site for their 30-minute classes at preschools and daycare centers.

BUNDLES OF TUMBLES NOW AVAILABLE AS A FRANCHISE
NEWS PROVIDED BY
Franchise Growth Solution, LLC
October 24, 2022, 12:45 GMT

QUOTE: In addition to making physical fitness safe, fun & a part of life from an early age, Bundles of Tumbles programs also help children play together, begin to understand teamwork & develop confidence.”— Founder- Marianne Ecanosti

Bundles of Tumbles, a New Jersey-based mobile children’s fitness concept that brings dance and gymnastics to preschools, daycare centers and after school programs, will begin franchising effective immediately it was announced today by Bundles of Tumbles founder, Marianne Ecanosti. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to bring fun and fitness to even more kids aged 18 months-12 years old. Says Ecanosti. “Franchising will allow entrepreneurs and moms like me to take advantage of a turnkey and successful business model, knowing they are making an impact in young lives.”

Promoting Physical Fitness From an Early Age

Bundles of Tumbles programs help children from preschool to Grade 6 develop and hone loco-motor skills, coordination and muscle development. According to founder Ecanosti, “In addition to making physical fitness safe, fun and a part of life from an early age, Bundles of Tumbles programs also help children play together, begin to understand teamwork, and develop confidence.” Each 30-minute class includes fundamentals of gymnastics and dance such as tumbling skills, hopping, skipping, jumping and basic dance techniques and steps along with imaginative creative movement that engages youngsters with props, costumes and music.

Bringing Fun and Fitness to Children Where They Are

Bundles of Tumbles has signed an agreement with industry expert, Gary Occhiogrosso, Founder of Franchise Growth Solutions LLC, to franchise their mobile fitness experience throughout New Jersey and beyond. “The Bundles of Tumbles concept is one that can work anywhere.” Says Occhiogrosso. “Fully mobile, Bundles of Tumbles saves on costly real estate investment by bringing fun and fitness directly to participating sites. Bundles of Tumbles supplies all the personnel and equipment for a turnkey experience that benefits the local community.”

A Successful and Supportive System for Franchisees

30-year veteran of franchise development and sales, Occhiogrosso plans to expand the turnkey Bundles of Tumbles business model throughout New Jersey and expand into other states in 2023. Occhiogrosso assures potential franchisees, “The Bundles of Tumbles was developed by a female business owner who was a dance arts graduate, corporate businesswoman, and mother. It’s an ideal business opportunity for momtrepreneurs, coaches and mother daughter duos like Marianne and her daughter, Alyssa.” He adds. “The franchise model is based on support and education. The Bundles of Tumbles team helps franchisees with expert advice on everything from curriculums, equipment, and marketing strategies to hiring, training, and customer service.”

About Bundle of Tumbles
Bundles of Tumbles began in 2012 when now owner Marianne Ecanosti took over the business from the previous owners. What started as a way for Marianne to use her experience as a dance teacher, became a long-term investment and career. After taking an 8-year break from dancing to enter the corporate world, Marianne realized her passion was working with children and teaching dance, so she went back to school and achieved her degree in Dance Arts

Since 2012, Bundles of Tumbles has grown, providing mobile dance and gymnastics to numerous preschools and after-school programs. Bundles of Tumbles is a completely mobile company, bringing classes directly to the customer’s location. Everything from the professional staff to the equipment is supplied on site for their 30-minute classes at preschools and daycare centers. In addition to their regularly scheduled preschool classes, they also offer a host of classes for children in preschool-6th grade, offered mainly through town recreation programs.

Because of the growing success Marianne and Alyssa have seen in their business, they want to give others the same opportunity to be both financially independent and build a fun fitness program for their own community through a Bundles of Tumbles franchise.

Franchise Growth Solution, LLC
+1 917-991-2465
[email protected]

TIPS TO MARKET YOUR RESTAURANT DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON

Posted on by Franchise Strategist

Photo by Jed Owen on Unsplash

If you plan ahead and get people excited, they will come.
The holiday season is a busy one. People are going to be traveling, and they’re going to be in a rush. Your restaurant may miss out on potential sales if you don’t plan. You can cash in on the holiday season with careful planning and targeted marketing strategies.

TIPS TO MARKET YOUR RESTAURANT DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON
By: Dom Hemingway

Introduction
For many of us, the holiday season is a time to reconnect with friends and family. For restaurant owners and chefs, it’s a chance to make extra money. The holiday season brings out the best in people—and it also brings out their appetite. So take advantage of this opportunity by creating ways to get people excited about your offering. Here are my top tips for doing just that:

Offer exclusive menu items.
Offer an exclusive menu item. What do you have that nobody else does? If you’re a vegan restaurant, maybe it’s a killer dish made with cashews and lentils. If you’re a steakhouse, maybe it’s the most amazing prime rib ever. Whatever it is, draw inspiration from the season and create something. Get people talking about your place as they post photos of their meals online—and then offer this special only for a short period (say, one month). This gives them the incentive to visit sooner than later and will make them feel like they just missed out on something extraordinary if they don’t act quickly enough!
Use social media to promote the special: Promote your limited-time offer on Facebook and Twitter as well as through local newspapers in print ads or even billboards along significant highways nearby—whatever works best for your budget! You can also use hashtags like “#holidaymenu” or “#christmasdinnerspecial” so that customers can easily find information about what makes these deals so great by searching for them in search engines like Google or Bing when looking up keywords related precisely to those terms.

Offer coupons:
This is another way of encouraging customers. Those customers who might not have heard about your holiday specials yet (or are still deciding whether it’s worth trying out) without having spent much money upfront, hand out paper copies at check-out counters or mail them directly home with customers who order over the phone lines.
Use loyalty programs: Not only does this incentivize repeat customers, but it also helps build brand loyalty since everyone loves feeling rewarded after returning!

Spice up your social media presence:
Social media can be a powerful tool for your restaurant. You can use social media to create buzz about your restaurant, promote new menu items and events, and give customers insight into the workings of your kitchen.
Post photos of your food and happy customers on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter! It’s also a good idea to create a unique hashtag for your restaurant so that people who want more information about it can find it (for example, #greatrestaurant).
Get festive with decor and holiday-themed dishes
Decorate your restaurant with festive colors.

Offer holiday-themed dishes and desserts:
Offer a special holiday drink special during December, such as hot chocolate or eggnog milkshakes.
Get customers in the mood to be generous by offering gift card promotions, like buy one get one free, where they can buy one gift card at the total price and get another for half price! This also helps you build your customer retention rate too!
The best way to make money off any promotion is when it’s done right—get people excited about returning because they got something great out of it! That’s why we recommend having some loyalty program in place before starting any promotions so that you know exactly how much each customer has spent over time–and thus how much they’re worth (in terms of dollars) based on their average order size at each visit.”

If you plan ahead and get people excited, they will come.
The holiday season is a busy one. People are going to be traveling, and they’re going to be in a rush. Your restaurant may miss out on potential sales if you don’t plan. You can cash in on the holiday season with careful planning and targeted marketing strategies.

Planning Ahead Can Turn a Holiday Season into Profits
Planning for an event like the holidays isn’t just about organizing parties or buying new decorations for your restaurant—it’s about thinking about how these activities will affect your business and how customers will react to them on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. For example: If you have decided to host an open house party at your restaurant during Thanksgiving weekend (or any other weekend), consider what type of food will be served; whether or not it’s appropriate for children; whether there should be seating available outside; what kind of beverages should be served (alcoholic drinks are subject to varying regulations); how much time people need between eating their meal and driving home safely; etcetera!

Conclusion
A successful holiday season is all about two things: planning and being creative. If you’re looking for additional inspiration, take a look at some of the things we’ve done here at www.frangrow.com We’d love to hear your ideas in the comments below!

Featured Franchise – HEALTH BENEFITS OF DANCE AND GYMNASTICS FOR YOUNG CHILDREN

Posted on by Franchise Strategist

A Bundles of Tumbles class in action in New Jersey

Summary: Dance and gymnastics are both excellent activities for children to participate in. Both dance and gymnastics help to increase muscular strength, flexibility, and coordination. In addition, dance involves a great deal of physical activity that improves the cardiovascular system of your child by increasing their heart rate and strengthening their muscles.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF DANCE AND GYMNASTICS FOR YOUNG CHILDREN
By: Marianne Ecanosti, Founder and President – Bundles of Tumbles

Introduction

We know that children need to be active and healthy to grow up well. But how do you get your kids off the couch and moving? Dance lessons are an excellent way for young children to get physically active. A study in the journal Pediatrics found that after only one week of dance lessons, children showed increased activity levels and improved their abilities at playing with others.

Research shows that children who participate in physical activity regularly are less likely to be obese and more likely to be healthier, fit, active, and self-confident.

Research shows that children who participate in physical activity regularly are less likely to be obese and more likely to be healthier, fit, active, and self-confident. Regular physical activity also helps reduce stress, promote good mental health and improve sleep quality.
And it’s not just about your child becoming healthy — it’s also great for you! Being active together can help you strengthen your bond with your child while staying fit at the same time.

The benefits of dance and gymnastics include increased muscular strength, flexibility, and coordination.

Dance and gymnastics are both excellent activities for children to participate in. Both dance and gymnastics help to increase muscular strength, flexibility, and coordination. In addition, dance involves a great deal of physical activity that improves the cardiovascular system of your child by increasing their heart rate and strengthening their muscles. In addition to these benefits, dance can also help with self-confidence as well as social skills development because it is an activity that encourages participation from others who may be performing alongside them.
Gymnastics teaches children how to control their bodies in motion, improving balance and coordination and overall health benefits such as increased bone density and muscle tone. In addition, gymnasts tend to have lower body fat levels than non-gymnasts due to the amount of exercise they do each week, which contributes towards an overall healthier lifestyle when combined with a balanced diet.

Learning rhythmic gymnastics movements can help children develop large muscle groups and learn spatial concepts.

Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport that combines dance, tumbling, and trampoline. This activity is excellent for improving your child’s balance, coordination and flexibility. It can also help improve their spatial awareness, control, and balance. These are all essential skills needed to perform well in school and sports like soccer or basketball.

Children enrolled in dance classes improve their spatial awareness, control and balance.

Dance and gymnastics classes are the most effective ways to improve your child’s spatial awareness, balance, and control. As a parent, you may be concerned that dance or gymnastics will make your child too hyperactive. However, research shows that children enrolled in a structured program of dance or gymnastics can lead to better self-esteem and lowered anxiety levels.
In addition to improving motor skills, these classes also help kids develop their sense of rhythm and timing. Many times when kids are dancing, they are also listening to music, so this helps them think about how the music makes them feel and how it affects their body movements and other people around them who might be dancing at the same time as well!

Children enrolled in dance lessons also have increased self-confidence, social skills, and awareness of their bodies.
This is very important in a child’s development.

• Increased self-confidence and self-esteem are significant benefits of dance lessons for young children. Dancing helps them grow into their bodies, learn about the world around them, and understand how to interact with others. By participating in classes that teach proper safety techniques (such as how to fall), they also learn about their physical limitations and boundaries for fearlessness.
A child’s confidence level can significantly affect their school experiences or extracurricular activities like dance classes. For example, the more confident a child feels about themselves, the more likely they are to try new things or speak up when they have an opinion on something important (like going out for recess!).

At Bundles of Tumbles, our mobile at-school program offers various classes that help with your child’s development through movement and music. Bundles Of Tumbles is here to help you achieve your goals with your children. Our training style is one on one, where we will work closely with you to create an individualized program for each child. We know that every child learns differently and will cater to each individual’s needs.
We offer classes for children as young as three years old, which include ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop dance, and gymnastics classes. Courses help children develop physically, emotionally, and socially in a fun environment while building self-esteem!

Conclusion

As you can see, dance and gymnastics classes are a great way to help your child develop physical skills and self-confidence. At Bundles of Tumbles, we offer a variety of classes that help with your child’s development through movement and music.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Marianne Ecanosti is the Founder and President of Bundle of Tumbles, Franchising Group, LLC.. She has teaching dance and tumbling for more than 25 years. My areas of expertise include ballet, jazz, tap and tumbling. I have taught all age groups throughout my career from toddlers through adult, but prefer to focus on pre-school through grade 5. I truly have a passion for what I do! My company, Bundles of Tumbles, is an on-site preschool gymnastics and/or dance enrichment program. We also offer online classes. Franchise opportunities now available! Find out more at https://www.bundlesoftumbles.com/

MANAGING PART-TIME EMPLOYEE SCHEDULES

Posted on by Franchise Strategist

Photo by Jessica Lewis on Unsplash

There are several reasons why shift scheduling is a critical part of managing your workforce. For one thing, if you have part-time employees who aren’t able to work every day that you need them, it’s vital that you have some system for organizing their schedules. In addition, consistency will help make things easier for everyone involved.

Managing Part-Time Employee Schedules
By Dom Hemingway

If you’re managing a part-time employee schedule, you know how important it is to be organized and prepared. Managing a part-time employee’s schedule can be tricky because you must keep your team member’s other priorities in mind and ensure that their work hours fit into those priorities accordingly. These priorities may include school, taking care of children or an elderly parent, and another part-time job. It’s essential that your employees can balance multiple aspects of their lives while still working for your company successfully!
Here are a few tips to consider:

Know Your Labor Needs In Advance
First, consider the business’s needs and how many employees you will need to cover the shifts. Next, consider how many shifts you need to cover each week and month (not just in specific time slots). Finally, be sure that all your available times are covered.

An excellent place to start is by creating standard templates for when employees will be working each week (e.g., every Monday afternoon). In addition, these templates should include what shifts are available and any special days off that might change weekly (such as holidays). Once set up, these templates let employees know their schedule via phone or other digital notification so they can plan accordingly!

Use A Scheduling Tool
A scheduling tool can help you organize your employees’ schedules, set up shift swaps, and more. There are numerous scheduling tools used by companies like Google, Red Bull, Spotify, and LinkedIn. Using A Scheduling Tool Is Simple. First, set up templates for days off and specific shifts (like the weekend). Next,use those templates as needed by dragging them onto the calendar view. Templates allow you to see your schedule at a glance so that you don’t have any surprises when it comes time for each person’s next shift. Include Shift Swaps. Shift swaps allow employees to trade shifts with each other. Swapping a shift is a great way to balance work and personal life, prevent burnout, and get the days off you want. If you have an employee self-scheduling system, it will also help avoid turnover by allowing employees to pick their schedules.

Managing Days Off
The first step in creating an employee schedule is to set up templates for each day off. You can do this by setting up a template that applies a specific day off for each employee. If you have more than one part-timer working simultaneously, ensure their days out are consistent, so they don’t conflict. Also, when setting up their days off, consider their work schedule and personal life—not only will this make things easier for them overall, but it’ll also ensure that they can attend family events or plan fun activities outside of work! Finally, if an employee is sick or needs time off during the week, consider how long they’ve been working before approving any requests. This flexibility will help ensure they get enough time away from work while still staying productive at home without having too much downtime.

Let Employees Select Their Shifts
It may be a good idea to allow employees to select their shifts. Self scheduling gives them the freedom to choose when they want to or can work, which can help them be more productive at work and happier overall. Many part-time employees also have multiple jobs and might need a schedule that works with another. For example, let’s say you have an employee who is also a freelance writer; he might need his schedule to include Friday off, so he has time to write articles for other publications. Allowing him to switch shifts with other employees in your organization makes it possible for him (and others) who may need this flexibility to have multiple jobs simultaneously! To ensure your part-time employees are scheduling themselves most efficiently, it’s important to know your needs before you begin.

Employee self-scheduling is a great way to reduce employee turnover and keep employees accountable for their schedules.
Employees pick their shifts based on availability and job needs with self-scheduling. This method also allows you to see how many hours each employee works, which can help you track attendance and make sure they’re adhering to policies regarding overtime or sick days.

Create Weekly Schedules At Least A Week In Advance
The weekly schedule prepared in advance is the best way to track employee hours and manage payroll. It also helps you plan by clearly showing the shifts to be covered according to sales and other projects.
Employees can quickly see how much time off they have next week, making planning life events easier (and more likely).
Managers can see what projects are due around the same time or when an employee will be out sick or on vacation. They can also use this information to choose who should help cover each other’s shifts if someone suddenly needs time off unexpectedly.

A Consistent Scheduling Process Is Critical
There are several reasons why shift scheduling is a critical part of managing your workforce. For one thing, if you have part-time employees who aren’t able to work every day that you need them, it’s vital that you have some system for organizing their schedules. In addition,consistency will help make things easier for everyone involved. For example, employees can plan their personal life around this schedule. In addition, employers can ensure that they always have enough employees working during each shift.You will also be in a better position to manage labor costs by scheduling team members in advance and according to projected sales for the week.

Additionally, if your company has full-time employees with varying schedules—such as those on-call or night shifts—it’s important to keep track of how many people you schedule during any given time. For example, suppose one employee misses two days in a row due to illness. In that case, it might be necessary for another coworker with flexible hours to cover those shifts instead, so nothing falls through the cracks!

Conclusion
Finally, an organized schedule will make things easier for everyone involved in ensuring there aren’t any scheduling conflicts within teams or departments because everything has been planned out ahead of time rather than being handled on an ad hoc basis.”

When managing part-time employees, it’s essential to consider their needs in advance. After all, they’ll be working with you regularly. Hence, you want them to feel comfortable and empowered in their work environment.

THE IMPORTANCE OF A WRITTEN BUSINESS PLAN

Posted on by Contributing Writer

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio

Starting a new business can be a daunting task, but it can be easier if you have a plan. A written business plan is an important tool that helps manage your company and keep you on track with your goals. It will help you determine what type of company you want to run and how best to reach those goals. A good plan should also analyze the financials, operations, and market conditions. It’s not just about writing down numbers – it’s about understanding them so that you can make informed decisions about how best to move forward!

The Importance of a Written Business Plan
By Dom Hemingway

You’ve got a great idea for a business, but you need funding. Or maybe you want to keep your company on track by establishing an established plan? Either way, no question that having a written business plan will help propel your venture forward.
A written business plan is a must-have for any new business.

The first step in starting any new business is creating a business plan. A good business plan will help you define your goals, strategies, and objectives for your company’s future. The right business plan can be a roadmap to help achieve those goals.
A written business plan is also essential to secure funding from investors or lenders! In addition, a well-written document can help convince people that you are serious about taking risks and making changes to grow their investment as quickly as possible.Starting a new business requires a lot of thought and research. A well-written business plan is an essential element that can help you reach your goals, so it’s important to give this document the attention it deserves.
The following steps will help you create an effective, comprehensive plan:

Research the market. Before committing to your idea, make sure there’s room for growth in the industry and that there are no existing competitors who could undercut you or drive away customers.

Write down all ideas for how your company will operate and how it will make money (i.e., what kind of product or service do you want to offer customers?). This section of your plan includes information about who will be running the company, where funds will come from, how much money you need to start up operations, and whether there are legal issues related to registering as an LLC or other business entity). It also includes information about what kind of employees are needed for specific tasks–and whether those people currently exist within your network!

A written document acts as a road map for your company’s future.
A business plan helps you make early decisions about the future. It also allows you to make better decisions and avoid mistakes, problems, and pitfalls.

A good plan analyzes the financials, operations, and market conditions.
A good business plan should include a financial analysis of the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement. It should also include an operations analysis outlining the business’s marketing strategy, sales plan, and distribution channels. This section will help you understand how to conduct these analyses successfully.

A good plan must also analyze market conditions—what they are and how they might change over time. Understanding market size is essential to your success: If there’s not much of a market for what you’re selling, then it won’t matter how great your product or service is because no one will buy it. So, in addition to analyzing current market conditions (size), predict future trends that may affect these conditions so that you can adjust accordingly for future changes in demand for your goods or services.

The executive summary
The executive summary should introduce critical players in the venture. In addition, it should include a description of the business, the business plan, and how you will implement it.
The executive summary should be able to stand alone and give investors an overview of your company’s goals, methods, and management team.

Identify your customers
It would be best to outline who your customers are and describe your brand. What do you want your business to be known? What type of person is your catering customer? For example, what image comes to mind when someone looks at your work if you’re selling artwork? Are they buying it to hang on their wall, or are they buying it as an investment piece?
You can answer these questions by creating a brand profile that describes your qualities and those who buy from you.

You must include information on financing requests, use of funds, and exit options.
If you’re seeking funding for your business, it’s crucial that you include your financial request in your plan. The financial presentation will give potential investors an idea of how much money is needed to get the company up and running. You should also include a breakdown of where you intend to use the funds and the percentage allocated for each plan section.

Return on investment (ROI) is another aspect you will address in a written business plan. This term refers to profitability, or how much profit a company can generate after considering expenses. It’s essential for investors considering putting money into your company to know how much return they’ll receive on their investment compared with other opportunities available at the time. This information will help them make an informed decision about whether or not they should invest in yours specifically.
It should also discuss challenges and opportunities, projections, and more.

A business plan should also discuss opportunities and challenges. Then, it should explain how you plan to overcome those challenges or exploit those opportunities. Finally, the plan should also include projections—a forecast of what your company’s performance will look like in the future. If you are seeking funding, you may need to provide more detail in the financial section than you would if you were using it internally as a planning tool. A business plan differs from an investor presentation in that a business plan focuses on how your company will succeed. In contrast, an investor presentation focuses on how much money investors will make. The financials should be detailed and quantitative if you are trying to raise capital from angel investors or venture capitalists. On the other hand, if you are only trying to obtain financing from friends or family members for your startup idea, then having more of an overview may suffice.

Executive Summary
The executive summary should be able to stand alone and give investors an overview of your company’s goals, methods, and management team. The executive summary is a summary of your business plan. It should be able to stand alone and give investors an overview of your company’s goals, methods, and management team. It should not include any confidential information or data.
The executive summary should be no more than two pages in length. If more information is needed, you can expand in later sections of the plan, such as the market analysis or financial forecasts section.
It’s important not just for investors considering investing in your company but also for potential partners or employees who may read through it before deciding whether they want to work with you or invest their time (and possibly money) into helping you succeed as an entrepreneur.

Operations Explanation
You need to be able to explain how your business will operate at the most basic level to get funding and grow your company.
A written business plan is a fundamental tool that helps you to explain how your business will operate at the most basic level. The document should include: An overview of the company, its products or services, the market, and whether there are any competitors. As a new company, it’s crucial to clearly define who your customers are and how you will reach them.
A description of each part of your operations — finance, marketing, sales, operations (production) — with details on how each area supports others within the organization in achieving goals for growth and profitability.
Use of funds: How much money do you need? How long before investors get their returns? What exit options do they have? Challenges and opportunities: Is there room for growth within this industry or niche market? Projections: Financials (income statements/profitability ratios)

Conclusion
Starting a new business can be a daunting task, but it can be easier if you have a plan. A written business plan is an important tool that helps manage your company and keep you on track with your goals. It will help you determine what type of company you want to run and how best to reach those goals. A good plan should also analyze the financials, operations, and market conditions. It’s not just about writing down numbers – it’s about understanding them so that you can make informed decisions about how best to move forward!

CONTROLLING LABOR COSTS IN A RESTAURANT

Posted on by Franchise Strategist

Photo by Charlie Firth on Unsplash

Controlling Labor Costs In A Restaurant
By Johnny Day

Labor costs are a critical part of the restaurant business. The labor costs in your restaurant will vary depending on how much you staff your business, what kind of benefits you offer, how large your staff is, and how much turnover there is. If your labor costs are too high, it can cause issues with profitability. However, if they’re too low, then you may not be able to meet customer demand or provide the level of service that customers expect. Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for controlling labor costs; every restaurant will have unique factors affecting its labor expenses. The best way to manage these costs effectively is by creating an action plan based on data from previous years’ budgets and actual payroll figures from those same periods. Here are a few tips as an overview to labor cost management.

Control Staffing Costs
Staffing costs are typically the most significant expense in a restaurant. Hence, it makes sense that controlling labor costs is one of your biggest priorities. You can do this by hiring the right people, ensuring you have enough staff to cover shifts and peak times, ensuring you have the right staff for the job, and keeping your team happy and engaged.

As you can see, payroll cost is one of the largest expenses in a restaurant. The good news is that they can be controlled by carefully planning how team members are scheduled according to past sales trends. In other words, if you control your staffing levels and manage employee benefits and turnover while keeping an eye on labor-related taxes, you’ll be well on keeping your payroll costs under control.

Control Employee Benefits
Employee benefit costs can be a significant part of your labor costs. Health insurance and retirement benefits are usually the most expensive. Still, you may also offer additional perks such as vacation time or sick pay. As a business owner, it’s essential to understand what is covered under each employee’s benefits package. In addition, it’s critical to keep these costs in line with your budget and ensure that employees have everything they need to perform their job well. Also important is communicating these details clearly with employees. Take the time to ensure there are no misunderstandings about what they can expect from their benefits package.

Create A Management Staff That Must Multitask
To keep labor costs low, you must have a management staff who can multitask. A manager should be able to manage multiple employees and tasks simultaneously. This means they must be able to effectively prioritize and delegate tasks, as well as address any issues that arise from the execution of those delegated tasks.
To do this effectively, managers need a solid understanding of how their business works. They need to know what positions are required for optimal performance. For example, what duties each requires and how these roles relate to the greater operation (i.e., if an employee is late or leaves early). With this information readily available, managers can quickly decide which tasks they should assign where they’re needed most—and whether or not an employee might need training before taking on new responsibilities.

Optimize Your Team Member Schedule
Optimizing your team member’s schedules is essential in controlling labor costs. Optimizing your schedule ensures that every shift has the correct number of workers and that no worker is over or underutilized. You’ll want to define the problem before starting on a solution, however, so here’s how:
Figure out how many labor hours are used for each shift in your restaurant. Then track this number each day across all shifts
Review the duties performed by each employee during their shift(es), and allocate labor costs per job type (e.g., food service or dishwashing) according to industry standards or best practices
Determine how many hours each job takes based on its nature.

Software Helps Manage Labor Costs
As a business owner, you want to ensure that your business stays profitable. One way to do this is by software designed to help you control staffing costs. Labor management software can help you accomplish this goal by keeping track of time, attendance, and scheduling in one place.
You’ll want to use the right labor management software for your business. Find one that’s easy and efficient to use so that it doesn’t create more work for yourself or your employees (who are already busy enough). It also has to be affordable and reliable to provide accurate data about when employees start and stop working each day.

Conclusion
A successful restaurant can positively impact the local economy, but not if it’s not profitable. Therefore, controlling labor costs in your restaurant is one of the most important aspects of restaurant operations. Follow these few tips and see how they improve your bottom line.