Adsense? Done that. Article Marketing? Done that. Blogging? Done that. Pay Per Click? Done that. Have you done Cell Phone Advertising? Probably not as of yet. This is not about selling cell phones or plans. This is about selling your products and service to cell phone users. Many people are always on their phones and this is the perfect situation to market to these users because this is huge. Everyone and their relatives own a cell phone am I correct? What better audience to market to because the income potential is Gigantic! Did you know that this is still a market that is pretty much untapped?Yes it still is.
You can get started with some training in this lucrative industry. Join the Maverick Coaching Club. You will get hands on training through high quality videos. You will learn how to make money through this new technology called cell phone advertising. You have very little competition going on right now in this industry and you will be surprise that most people are not even aware of this money making technology. This is your opportunity right now to get in this industry early before pretty much everyone else does.
Here is what you are going to learn. There are 7 modules that are all connected to each other to easily help you understand how to make money in this whole new marketing business. You will be taught how to make a 7 figure income in the cell phone industry. You will work with test proven marketing strategies that is going to help you dominate this industry.
You will learn how to make money fast. The first video module 1 is going to show you how you can start making money in the next 48 hours with this new cell phone system. When you first log into your new coaching club, go straight to the fast action guide. When I joined this program this is thing I went straight to. This is a keeper and this guide will be a keeper for you as well because it is the basics that helps bring everything together. By leveraging the income you will make with this program and re-invest into more advertising, you are on to something big earning you a boatload of money.
Your timing is just right because you can really take advantage of this huge market right now because by 2011 there will be over 5 billion cell phone users. I see alot of opportunity here and I hope you do as well. You can become a very proud member of the Maverick Coaching Club. You will soon find out that this is going to the best investment you have ever made. Do not let this one pass you by. You might just kick yourself later if you do.
This Is A Business Opportunity Here You Should Not Let Slip By. You can get started in this industry early, right now and make all the money you can before everyone one else finds out about this explosive business. We are all cell phone users and we need products and services too. At Its Best!
For most, Independence Day occurs on July 4. For Allstate agents who believe they’ve been misclassified as ‘independent contractors,’ the hope is that day will come much sooner as dozens, if not hundreds, of Allstate agents file IRS Form SS-8 to determine whether they are independent contractors as Allstate proclaims, or have been misclassified all along.
The filings come on the heels of a recent petition drive started by an unidentified Allstate agent. The National Association of Allstate Agents (NAPAA)—a non-profit group representing the rights of more than 13,000 Allstate agents—published the petition in its most recent quarterly magazine. In the same publication, the group also published a hypothetical, example of the IRS Form SS-8.
“We prepared this hypothetical example based on the information we gathered from Allstate agents over a period of several years,” said Jim Fish, NAPAA’s executive director. “We believe that agents are being deliberately misclassified and we intend to expose this injustice in any way we can.”
In 2000, Allstate Insurance converted the majority of its sales force from employee to independent contractor status. With the change in status, many of those agents anticipated liberation from the requirements of being an Allstate employee. Now, almost a decade later, Allstate agents are still waiting for their independence, hence the interest expressed by a number of Allstate agents in filing an IRS Form SS-8.
“We anticipate the IRS and President Obama will receive thousands of petitions, said Fish, “When the SS-8 forms are filed, we expect that Allstate’s behavior will be heavily scrutinized by the IRS. If nothing else, this intense scrutiny may change Allstate’s behavior for the better.”
Allstate agents certainly aren’t the first independent contractors to be treated like employees without the accompanying benefits. In 2007, after filing a class action lawsuit demanding parity with employee drivers, current and former FedEx independent contractor drivers were elated when Judge Robert Miller of the U.S. District Court in Northern Indiana certified them as a class. This action has opened the door to similar cases involving independent contractors who are treated like employees.
“It was reported that the IRS plans to audit more than 6,000 companies for employment tax issues. We’re hoping the volume of Allstate agents filing SS-8 forms and the simmering discontent among agents over the misclassification issue will help push Allstate to the top of the IRS list, so we can finally resolve this long-standing problem,” added Fish.
For more information on the National Association of Professional Allstate Agents, you can visit their Web site at or call (877) 269-3474.
About National Association of Professional Allstate Agents (NAPAA)
Based in Gulfport, Mississippi, NAPAA is a non-profit organization whose members are predominantly insurance agents under contract with Allstate. In addition to offering a variety of benefits and services, NAPAA further serves its members by acting on their behalf and speaking with a distinct and unfettered voice on a wide range of issues. To contact NAPAA, please visit its Website at or call (877) 269-3474.
What does it mean to live a spiritual life… to really, truly, deeply live from the place of ease, grace, joy and love no matter what shows up in the world around you? This is a question I’ve been pondering for a few months now, and one that is getting answered as I face some challenges and changes in my life, business and family.
Living a spiritual life isn’t about skirting along the surface of understanding; rather it’s about being willing to look for deeper meaning, understanding, lessons and gifts in every moment of your life.
Like right now, for instance. Are you fully here, in this moment reading and absorbing this article (and giving yourself the focus and time you deserve to be fully present)? Or, are you reading this article with a dozen other things running through your mind feeling stressed about how much you have to do and how little time you have to do it in.
I’m simply asking you to notice what you’re doing right now. It’s only in stopping to notice what you’re doing that you can begin to uncover the gems that are waiting in each moment for you, including this one.
This consistent “noticing,” awareness and presence in each moment is what living the spiritual life is all about. Being spiritual doesn’t mean you have to retreat to a mountain top in India for a month of meditation. And, it isn’t something you do at your convenience when you feel you need it because the “going got tough.” Living a spiritual life is as simple as choosing to not get angry when someone cuts you off on the highway… and instead choosing to bless them with love and pray for that driver’s ease and safety. It means embracing a spiritual way of being in every moment of every day (or at least noticing when you have contracted into fear, doubt, anger, lack, etc. and doing something to shift into a higher state of being).
On the flip side, it’s also important to see that living a spiritual life isn’t about how peaceful, loving and connected you feel when you are alone with yourself. Yes, it includes that, but the spiritual “rubber hits the road” when you move into aligned and integrated action in the physical realm.
This is the most critical part of the journey of living a spiritual life… that you learn how to integrate what you’re experiencing in you inner world with how you show up in the outer world. This is part of why the outer world of my business will be transforming and shifting in the coming months… because I am transforming and shifting on the inside and I’m seeing things in my business (and my life) that no longer feel aligned with who I am today.
So, in closing, I’m going to recommend that you to take five minutes right now to ask yourself how you’re doing living your spiritual life and jot down whatever comes to you. If you have questions write them down; if you think I’m crazy write that down, too. If you’re resonating with this question and yearn to live a more aligned, expanded and spiritual life in every area, including your business… then write about what that might look like for you. Please give yourself the gift of a few minutes (right now) to reflect on this question. Your freedom may very well reside in what you’ll discover.
Christine Kloser, author of The Freedom Formula, helps small businesses put soul in their business and money in the bank. If you want to enjoy a purpose-driven business and a soulful life, send for my free Conscious Business Success Kit, which includes my report, How to Avoid the 3 Massive Mistakes Made by Conscious Entrepreneurs and audio, 7 Strategies Entrepreneurial Authors Need to Know Before Writing a Word, at .
This article is about money management and trading psychology. This is the lesson that you never get with 99% of other Forex systems that you have come across.
I find it interesting that most of the systems out there don’t include this because if they actually were successful traders, they would know that this was the key to success and to leave it out makes an incomplete system that won’t work!! This tells me that the people that wrote them or are selling them aren’t traders at all. They are just in the business of selling HOPE!
Well, if you haven’t noticed yet, I am a trader, and I am different than the others. Don’t get me wrong, there are honest trainers out there, I learned from one and I am eternally grateful to him.
So let’s get on with this. First of all, this is my own interpretation of several sources, and the practices that have worked for me. Please read EVERYTHING you can find on trading psychology, and money management. There are a lot of slightly different views but overall, they are very similar and the main important points are all pretty much the same.
There are two main issues that cause 99% of the problems. Can you guess what they are? If you answered FEAR and GREED, you are correct. These two emotions are probably responsible for 99% of the worlds problems as well but that is beyond the scope of this course À .
So, now that we know what the big obstacles are, let’s try and figure out how to overcome them. In the course of my lessons, I have listed a few but I will put them all together here in one place so that it is easier to follow, and perhaps make it easier for you to develop your own system to help you trade better.
We can’t eliminate fear and greed. They will still be there in your heart and mind, but we can make some rules so that they don’t interfere with your trading success. We can come up with systems and procedures to follow, since we KNOW ahead of time that fear and greed are major problems. I’m sure you have heard the statistic that 95% of all speculative leveraged traders FAIL. This is absolutely true. Here is another statistic that I believe…100% of traders that don’t know how to overcome fear and greed will FAIL. So does that mean that if I can teach you how to overcome these problems that your chance of success is 100%? Of course not. But I can tell you that you cannot be successful if you don’t protect yourself from yourself.
In lessons 1-3 I have outlined a trading system. The first thing you must do, whether you follow my system, another system, or your own system is to follow the rules of the system WITHOUT FAIL. If your system calls for a certain entry point, do not enter until there is a signal to enter.
Systems are designed for a reason. That is why it is called a system. What do we learn from this? Patience. Perhaps the stupidest thing you can do is enter a trade on a hunch. This brings us to our first FACT:
The odds are in your favor before you enter a trade. This is true for most trading systems. Void of fear and greed, if you follow each system exactly, you will profit. Some systems may offer better profits than others, but overall you should be able to profit with any system, IF you have no fear and no greed.
This brings us to THE BIG SECRET. Other than omitting trading psychology, other systems also don’t tell you that you are playing a game of odds. Let’s say for example that we are playing “coin toss.” Theoretically, for 100 flips of the coin, 50 will come up heads, and 50 will come up tails. Of course, the first 100 may be 55/45, but the more you play, the closer to 50/50 the numbers will get. Our system for “coin toss” is as follows: We play for 20 hours, and flip the coin exactly 5 times each hour, and for every heads that comes up, we get paid $2, and for every tails that comes up we pay $1. This should be a profitable system. After our game we see that heads came up 50 times and tails came up 50 times. (Stay with me here). So at the end of 100 tosses, we have paid $50 and received $100. A profit of $50.
So let’s say that during our second game of coin toss, we decide that we are going to let the flipper(hint: the market is the flipper) keep flipping the coin for an hour while we take lunch but we are not going to pay or be paid for those flips. During our lunch hour, heads comes up 5 times in a row (which is theoretically possible, and not that unlikely). And now we are back from lunch, and we are down $10 for the hour. Now, theoretically the odds of 5 tails in a row coming up after 5 heads in a row are pretty good because for every ten tosses, you should have about 5 heads and five tails. So now we get 5 tails in a row and now we are down another $5, for a total of $15. So not counting the 5 tosses during lunch, this leaves 90 tosses that we still have to account for and let’s say that they were 45 heads and 45 tails. Our profit for these tosses is $45 (45×2 minus 45×1), now if we take away the $15 for the tosses we didn’t take, and that string of losers, we are left with a profit if $30. So lunch and 5 lousy spins cost us 40% of our profits.
Now this is theory but it absolutely applies to this market. If you are picky about what trades you want to take and what trades you don’t want to take, you are MESSING
WITH THE ODDS. My point for this whole big story about “coin toss” is this: If the conditions are met, TAKE THE TRADE without hesitation. The odds are in your favor, but only if you take ALL of the trades that meets the conditions. When I say ALL trades I know the market is open 24 hours a day and you can’t possibly take every trade. You need to pick a time frame and stick to that same time frame everyday and take ALL trades during that time frame.
I can tell you that in the month before I realized this (my first month of trading real money actually), my total profit was 92 pips. I had an idea of what I was doing wrong so I was keeping track of the trades that I didn’t take along with the ones that I did. I included entry point, day, time, and whether the profit target was hit or if it was stopped out. Don’t get me wrong, I was extremely happy to be in profit after trading for only one month with real money. But then I went back and looked at the numbers for “what could have been.” Guess what? Had I taken every trade that met my conditions, my profit for the month would have been 355 pips! I was not happy. But soon I realized that I had messed with the odds. After realizing what I had done wrong (or not done right in this case) I began to have more confidence in my systems. The very next month my total profit was 515 pips, or a 560% improvement just for taking all of the trades that met the conditions. I think that is enough said about that.
Sorry to stay with the coin flip game here but it actually works very well in teaching these principles. This brings us to FACT #2. You do not need to know what is going to happen to make money. If we know that we are going to make $2 fifty times and pay $1 fifty times as long as we flip the coin, are we going to play? Of course! Well, all trading systems have similar odds. From my testing, I know that this system on average will produce 9 wins of 20 pips for every 1 loss of 40 pips (that number may vary but that is the maximum loss I ever take). So we know ahead of time that 9 wins at 20 pips is 180 pips, and minus the loss of 40 pips, leaves us with 140 pips profit. Now keep in mind that you may be 8 and 2 this week and 10 and 0 next week. We never know when a loss is going to come. We may even lose every trade for a week, but not lose a trade for the next 9 weeks. Believe me it happens. You do not need to know exactly what is going to happen, you just need to take every trade that meets the conditions and then count your profits at the end of the month/week/year etc.
This section deals with money management as well as psychology. Back to coin toss for a minute. We know that each win brings us $2. And we know that for each win in this trading system we get 20 pips. We know that each tail that comes up costs us $1. And in our system we know that each loss is 40 pips. If we know what our loss is going to be ahead of time, we know what it is going to cost us to find out “what is going to happen.” From this we can decide how much we want to risk based on our account size.
FACT 3: You know how much it will cost to find out. I have decided not to ever risk more than 5% of my account on any one trade. So knowing that, I can figure out how many lots to trade ahead of time based on my account size. It may cost $250 in margin for a 1 lot position but this is not what we are risking, we are actually risking ten dollars times the number of pips in our stop. If our stop is 40 pips, we are risking $400. Now we know that we better have at least $8000 in our account to take a position of this size. If this trade turns out to be a loser, and our balance falls to $7600, we know that we can’t afford to take that trade again because a loss of $400 is more than 5% of our balance. We would need to adjust our number of lots down accordingly to keep our risk <5%. We also don’t want to increase our lot size to try and make up for that loss. Always reduce your risk if your account balance falls. The next thing we don’t want to do is immediately increase our lot size after a winning trade. It is better to trade at the same lot size for 15 or 30 days at a time before increasing lot size. This allows the account to build steadily without large swings in either direction.
FACT 4: There is a random distribution between wins and losses for any given set of variables that define an edge. Your trading system is your edge, but you never know in what order your wins and losses will come. Be prepared for this and accept the losses, knowing that the odds are still in your favor.
This brings us to our final two facts.
FACT 5: Every moment in the market is unique. Yes we use pattern recognition to define our edge but there are so many variables in this market that it is impossible to ever have the conditions exactly the same as any other moment. You could play 100 games of coin toss and no game will have the exact same order of wins and losses, even though they may have similar outcomes.
FACT 6: Because of fact #5 we know that ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN. This is why it is important to follow the trade rules exactly and play the odds. Every broker/trading system has a disclaimer that says basically “do not trade with money you can’t afford to lose.” The best thing you can do when you open your real money account is to mentally consider that money GONE. If you are not afraid to lose it, you will save a lot of stress and your trading will improve. Only you can determine what you can afford to lose, so just don’t put more in there than you are willing to lose. Compounding is an amazing thing that we will talk about in section 5, and the money will come if you follow the rules. If you start with less, it will just take a little longer but once again you will save a ton of stress.
TRADING WITHOUT FEAR AND GREED
1. I Objectively identify your edges. You have a system here that works, enough said. 2. I Pre-define the risk of every trade. We covered that in FACT #3. 3. I Completely accept the risk. Consider the money GONE.
4. I ACT on my edges without reservation or hesitation. Follow the rules and take every trade that meets the conditions. 5. I pay myself as the market makes money available. Take your 20 pips and be happy, or trail your stop. Even if you are compounding your account, pay yourself something out of your profits each month. It will make you feel better. (On a side note: I take 20 pips for every trade until I am up 200 pips for the month. I do not even think of trailing my stops until I am up 200. Once I am comfortably in profit, I start to look for solid opportunities to trail my stop and grab some extra pips.
Even if they only go 20 and then come back, I still make 5 pips. 20 of those still adds up to another 100 pips.) 6. I continually monitor my susceptibility for making errors. I read Mark Douglas’ book monthly, and make up sheets with my rules on them that I read daily. This helps me to see plain as day when I make a mistake. 7. I understand the absolute necessity of these principles, and therefore I never violate them. I have included a sheet that you can print out to keep near your computer to read every day. Read these facts and rules every day even if you memorized them. Finally,
FOUR STUPID THINGS The first stupid thing you can do is to close a position early because you think it is going to go against you. Just because you have an edge over the market does not mean that price will immediately shoot up or down to your target. Price will move up and down and will even probably move against you before it moves in your favor. If you let FEAR of LOSS get you, you will lose money. If the market is going to take you out, let the market take you out by taking out your stop. That is why it is there. The odds are still in your favor.
The second stupid thing you can do is to close a position early because you don’t think (or you are AFRAID) that it won’t reach your target. If you don’t play the odds properly, you will not realize the full profit potential. What if in our coin toss game we decided that we were going to take our profit for a “heads” at $1 instead of the $2 that we were supposed to get paid? If you remember, our profit was $50 for the first game. If we had only taken $1 for each win, we broke even. That is a lot of effort for nothing. Even worse, if we make some mistakes along the way (we all know that we are perfect traders right?) as we did in game number 2 where our profit was $30, we can lose money by not taking enough profit. Remember that we had a $15 loss for our mistake and 90 spins remaining. If we had taken only $1 for each of our 45 winning spins we would have broke even, minus the $15 puts us down $15 overall instead of being up $30. The system is designed for a 20 pip target, GO FOR IT.
The third stupid thing you can do is to get greedy. As I said in my sales material, if you had shot for 30 pips instead of 20 for the trades I listed, the profit would have been about half of what it was for taking just 20. Interesting how this whole thing works, huh?
Just taking 5 or 10 pips can be considered GREED as well as FEAR since you are so afraid of loss that you get greedy for those 5 or 10 pips compared to the potential loss of 20-40 pips. Don’t let it get you, follow the rules and be happy with your 20 pips.
The fourth stupid thing you can do is move your stop, believing that the market will eventually go in your favor. This is the fastest way to lose money. We are DAY traders. Yes the market may go in your favor but it may move 300 pips the other direction before it does, if it does. This could take weeks or months and you have a limited account balance. If 5% of your account is tied up waiting this position out, guess what. You are missing 20 other opportunities to make money instead of just sitting there waiting, down a hundred pips while you miss the opportunity to make 20 trades for 20 pips each. Maybe you break even, when you could be up 400 pips. JUST DON’T DO IT.
THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO
Once you place your trade, and place your stop and limit, TURN YOUR COMPUTER OFF and go do something else. You are now in automatic mode, and the market will take you out, either for a profit or for a loss. This is the best way to eliminate the temptation to succumb to FEAR or GREED and do something stupid.
The rest is up to you. Only you can decide whether or not to follow the rules and believe in the facts. This lesson is the most important to your success and I hope you won’t take it lightly. If you are trading and following the rules of your system, and not making money, you need to take a look in the mirror. It is not the system that is the problem, it is you. I am not trying to be harsh, but when I was not making money, it was not the system it was me so you are not alone. Don’t give up, because you can be successful if you just work through and figure out the problem.
Did you find this article useful? For more useful tips and hints, points to ponder and keep in mind, techniques, and insights pertaining to Internet Business, do please browse for more information at our websites. <a target=”_blank” href=”http://www.adsence-dollar-factory.com”>http://www.adsence-dollar-factory.com</a> <a target=”_blank” href=”http://www.100earningtips.com”>http://www.100earningtips.com</a>
Am I the only one in the universe not currently making a small fortune online with a home based internet business?
Have I been left behind and there is an internet business boom going on?
Everywhere I look at the moment, online, in the newspaper, in magazines and even signs hanging from telegraph poles at traffic lights. I am being bombarded with information about home based business opportunities that profess to being able to make me large amounts of money, in a small amount of time every week, which will allow me to live the retired lifestyle I have always wanted!
I don’t know about you, but I tend to get a little cynical about claims that suggest you can make a lot of money from nothing and it being accurate or even legal. So what is it all about? From what I can gather there are legitimate online marketing systems that if properly followed have the ability to create an income from several different sources, that the average Joe can access from their computer at home.
Most of these system focus on affiliate marketing and affiliate programs where you join a website that sells various products, whether its digital, such as e-books and software or other every day house hold products like vitamins and cleaning agents. Sounds like the “Avon” of the internet!
If you join the right site, firstly it will be free to join, you won’t have to buy anything, you just have to refer people to this site and when they make a purchase, you receive a commission. This seems to be the basic form of it, and it seems there are hundreds if not millions of these sites world wide that you can sell for. Amazon and Walmart have apparently been running these types of affiliate programs for years!
For the more technically minded entrepreneur, you can run your own website selling other peoples products, completely automatic, by directing traffic from your site via your specific code to these affiliate sites, they handle the financial transaction, deliver the product 24 hours a day seven days a week, from anywhere in the world, then deposit your cheque straight into your account while you sleep! How good is that?
The opportunities seem endless if you have the ability to set one of these sites up, source the right type of products and then get the word out in the world wide web, so enough traffic comes to your site and then decides to buy some or all of these products. Like a lot of home based businesses that have been tried over the years and most failed! I wonder if this one will be the same. As more and more people get on the band wagon and it becomes a much larger industry. Will the boom become a bust?
I suppose every good thing has a tendency to come to an end, but in this time of financial struggle for most of us, I for one am certainly going to try and get in on this boom and ride it for all it’s worth!
If you want to find out were other highly successful affiliates hang out waiting to help people like you build an online business then
?For help and training in every area of making money online go to
Judging by the fact that you’ve taken the trouble to navigate to the Learning Center of website, our guess is that you don’t need much convincing about the wisdom of investing. However, we hope that your quest for knowledge/information about the art/science of investing ends here. Sink in. Knowledge is power. It is common knowledge that money has to be invested wisely. If you are a novice at investing, terms such as stocks, bonds, badla, undha badla, yield, P/E ratio may sound Greek and Latin. Relax. It takes years to understand the art of investing. You’re not alone in the quest to crack the jargon.
To start with, take your investment decisions with as many facts as you can assimilate. But, understand that you can never know everything. Learning to live with the anxiety of the unknown is part of investing. Being enthusiastic about getting started is the first step, though daunting at the first instance. That’s why our investment course begins with a dose of encouragement: With enough time and a little discipline, you are all but guaranteed to make the right moves in the market.
Patience and the willingness to pepper your savings across a portfolio of securities tailored to suit your age and risk profile will propel your revenues at the same time cushion you against any major losses. Investing is not about putting all your money into the “Next Infosys,” hoping to make a killing. Investing isn’t gambling or speculation; it’s about taking reasonable risks to reap steady rewards. Investing is a method of purchasing assets in order to gain profit in the form of reasonably predictable income (dividends, interest, or rentals) and appreciation over the long term.
Why should you invest?
Simply put, you should invest so that your money grows and shields you against rising inflation. The rate of return on investments should be greater than the rate of inflation, leaving you with a nice surplus over a period of time. Whether your money is invested in stocks, bonds, mutual funds or certificates of deposit (CD), the end result is to create wealth for retirement, marriage, college fees, vacations, better standard of living or to just pass on the money to the next generation. Also, it’s exciting to review your investment returns and to see how they are accumulating at a faster rate than your salary.
When to Invest?
The sooner the better. By investing into the market right away you allow your investments more time to grow, whereby the concept of compounding interest swells your income by accumulating your earnings and dividends. Considering the unpredictability of the markets, research and history indicates these three golden rules for all investors 1. Invest early 2. Invest regularly 3. Invest for long term and not short term While it’s tempting to wait for the “best time” to invest, especially in a rising market, remember that the risk of waiting may be much greater than the potential rewards of participating.
Trust in the power of compounding Compounding is growth via reinvestment of returns earned on your savings. Compounding has a snowballing effect because you earn income not only on the original investment but also on the reinvestment of dividend/interest accumulated over the years. The power of compounding is one of the most compelling reasons for investing as soon as possible. The earlier you start investing and continue to do so consistently the more money you will make.
The longer you leave your money invested and the higher the interest rates, the faster your money will grow. That’s why stocks are the best long-term investment tool. The general upward momentum of the economy mitigates the stock market volatility and the risk of losses. That’s the reasoning behind investing for long term rather than short term.
How much money do I need to invest?
There is no statutory amount that an investor needs to invest inorder to generate adequate returns from his savings. The amount that you invest will eventually depend on factors such as:
Your risk profile
Your Time horizon
Savings made
What can you invest in?
The investing options are many, to name a few
Stocks
Bonds
Mutual funds
Fixed deposits
Others
Whether you are new to investing or have been investing for a while, our online courses can help you learn how to invest better and smartly. The courses are comprehensive yet simple and easy to understand. It has been our endeavor to empower our customers and the learning module is a step in this direction.
The courses include modules on:
Equities
Futures
Options
Mutual Funds
Tax
ULIP Vs Mutual Funds
So start now… Becoming a smarter investor has never been easier!
Millions of people dream about owning their own business. Having the independence that being your own boss brings, the security that no one can fire you, enjoying a good income – and for the most successful – the accumulation of wealth and prosperity. Unfortunately, the cards are stacked against a new small business making it big – or making it at all. An endless stream of problems makes competition from large, sophisticated chains too intense. Many new start-ups end as failures.
represents a different approach to starting a business. For an upfront franchise fee plus ongoing royalty payments, the parent company teaches its business model and methods to the franchised-operator who shoulders all operating and financial responsibilities of the outlet. Some statistics are impressive: it is said over 40% of all U.S. retail sales are through franchised establishments. While franchise giants like McDonalds, KFC, H&R Block and Radio Shack are familiar, household names, franchises are available in a wide range of industries. The list of 3,000-plus companies selling franchises span over 100 different industry categories.
American Dream … Or Nightmare? But just as franchising represents a chance to get rich, it’s also a chance to get stung. An alarming number of franchised operators make less than the minimum wage, working seven days, sixty to eighty hours a week, pursuing an expensive and elusive American Dream that turns into a nightmare. Since the ongoing franchise royalty payment comes right off the top, as a percentage of gross sales or a fixed minimum amount, the franchise company gets an assured revenue stream, even if its franchised units are operating unprofitably and are sold over and over again to new, unsuspecting buyers. The internet is filled with comments of the many people who lost $250,000 and more on concepts like eBay Drop off stores (iSold It), 30 Minute Fitness concepts (Curves), The UPS Store, etc. Yet many of these companies continue to sell and resell franchises over and over again. How do they accomplish that? Because there are enough people who think they can “believe” their way to success, even with a concept or business that’s not working in the marketplace. As discussed below, in many cases franchise investment decisions are incredibly based on emotionalism, not on business logic or even common sense.
Ownership And Being Your Own Boss? Pride of ownership and being your own boss are highly touted phrases in franchise recruitment ads. But these are more fantasy than reality. Although you get all the financial exposure, headaches and stress of business ownership, what do you really own? A franchise owner is merely licensing a trademark (or service mark) from a company that dictates every detail of business operations. So the real boss isn’t you, but the company that sells you their franchise rights . . . and sea of franchise obligations.
Equity Build up? But at least you’re building up equity, the ownership value of the business as a going concern beyond your investment of money, to compensate for all those years of hard work and long hours – right? Wrong – at least in the world of franchising. The franchise company reserves rights to acquire your entire business at below wholesale prices if their contract is not followed precisely. The acquisition rights provide for predetermined asset-based valuations, like book or liquidation value. These valuation methods provide bare minimum compensation (the used value of some file cabinets, office furniture, equipment, etc.) and are not generally used to determine the selling price of any business.
Absolutely no compensation is paid for established goodwill, the value of a business that is generating $X in profit or cash flow every month after years of effort, investment and expense – thus eliminating the most valuable ownership asset. Of course, you may be able to sell your franchise to a third party for a sales price that includes an earnings-based valuation. But that’s possible only if: (a) you can find a buyer who is willing to live within the complexities of a franchise relationship, and (b) you happen to own a franchise that’s showing healthy profits.
What follows is a bottom-line franchise checklist and tips compiled by franchise attorney and franchise expert, Mr. Franchise, based on reviewing over 500 franchise offering circulars and twenty-eight plus years of experience in the franchise industry – including ownership of a very successful franchise. These factors to consider in making a franchise investment will help you eliminate 95% of the companies you are considering. Then, you can concentrate your efforts on the 5% “cream” of the crop” companies that may deserve consideration. This franchise checklist assumes you’re suitable for and willing to live within the confines of a franchise relationship. It also assumes the franchise company:
(1) has itself successfully operated the concept being franchised for at least five years at multiple locations; (2) is not plagued by franchise litigation and franchise lawsuits from disgruntled franchise owners; (3) does not have unusually high franchise attrition rates (owners who have “left the system”); and (4) has a balanced, fair franchise contract. SOLD It – An American Dream That Turned Into A Nightmare An example of a franchise company in trouble that failed to meet basic threshold standards is iSOLD It, an eBay drop-off store franchise. The company started its one and only company-owned store in November of 2003. Just weeks later, on December 10, 2003 they filed an application to sell franchises. The California Department of Corporations didn’t say “What are you thinking? You’ve only been in business a couple weeks, how can you even consider selling franchises?” Nor did they require this be disclosed as a risk factor on the cover page of the Franchise Offering Circular, as it should have. Disclosure responsibilities ultimately rest with the company (and its attorneys), and this will become one of many issues in future franchise litigation.
Instead, the Department simply collected its $675 filing fee and issued an order declaring the franchise registration effective the next day – on December 11, 2003. Then the magic of franchise marketing took over. By 2006 the company had nearly 200 franchised drop off stores in operation and was touted by Entrepreneur Magazine as #1 in their list of “Top New Franchises for 2007” and #17 on their “Hotter Than Hot” franchise list. Entrepreneur Magazine, which requires franchise companies to submit their FOC’s (Franchise Offering Circulars) for supposed review each year before they’re listed, didn’t consider the high attrition rate (franchise owners leaving the system) or the fact that the audited financials in their FOC showed the company hadn’t operated profitably since 2004 as serious negatives and awarded iSold It the #1 listing for Top New Franchises of 2007. How did all of this happen? It’s yet another bizarre reality in the world of franchising.
The franchise company’s audited financial statements for the year ended 12-31-05 showed an operating loss of $1.1 million. Nine months later, in September of 2006, the net operating loss mushroomed to over $4 million.
In its November 3, 2006 Franchise Offering Circular, the table in Item 20 disclosed a total of 10 franchise owners leaving the system, yet a hand count of Exhibit D-3’s “Former Franchisees” revealed a significantly different number – 44. A similar “discrepancy” exists about franchise transfers. Item 20 says 12 transfers whereas Exhibit D-3 discloses 27.
In a long overdue letter distributed to franchise owners on April 5, 2007, CEO Ken Sully painted a dire picture of an American Dream that had turned into a nightmare. Mr. Sully’s letter admitted the company has not been profitable since 2004 (according to the audited financials, the company showed its one and only operating profit of $356,286 in 2004 before the precipitous downward spiral of 2005 and 2006). Over 60 franchised stores have closed and many more are struggling for survival. Mr. Sully observed “Tragically, many individuals who believed passionately in the potential for the category have lost sizable investments, including homes and retirement savings.”
Lost homes and retirement savings? How could such a travesty happen? I counseled a number of persons considering an iSold It franchise and warned all of them against the investment. Fortunately, they followed my advice. The concept was never proven in the marketplace before franchise efforts began, violating the most basic Franchise 101 precept. I also felt the management team lacked strong franchise credentials and the five-day training program was woefully inadequate. Finally, the franchise company was operating increasingly in the red and had a high attrition rate (owners leaving the system). It didn’t take a lot of brain power to see this was an accident waiting to happen. I predicted the bubble would burst and, sadly, it did.
Common sense could and should have prevented so many people from losing so much. Unfortunately franchise sales persons appeal to emotions (passions and potential, to use Mr. Sully’s terms) and strive to keep common sense and business logic out of the buying equation. If a franchise company is able to obtain a ranking on a media list, the sale is even easier. Reprints of high rankings on lists, like Entrepreneur Magazine, are included in the package given to franchise buyers, who are lulled into a false sense of security and begin to stumble over each other in a rush to sign up before someone else takes their desired territory (another favorite closing technique used to sell franchises).
iSold It! amended its FOC at the end of May, 2007 to add some long overdue risk factor language to the cover page of its Franchise Offering Circular. Hmmmm… maybe they read my comments above and did a little research. The new FOC cover page risk factor language says their “franchise system is still new and unproven.” That’s very interesting. How can they say a franchise system, that’s approaching its fourth anniversary, is “still new?” Maybe they’re looking at things from a ‘how old is our universe’ perspective? The word “unproven” is another play on words. The system is most certainly proven in the sense that many people, to quote Mr. Sully, “have lost sizable investments, including homes and retirement savings.” So why not use this quote directly in their Franchise Offering Circular? Answer: can’t sell any franchises that way.
In an August 31, 2007 Business Week article, CEO Sully claimed it wasn’t necessary to disclose these risk factors in the FOC. His reasoning: “We told everybody that this is sort of like the wild, wild West” he says. “It’s a brand-new concept and nobody knew for sure where it was going.” Disclosure was added to the UFOC recently, he says, “because of the number of stores that weren’t understanding the complexity of the business.” Hello? You don’t tell your franchise investors after the fact what you were required to disclose in the FOC before they bought so they could make an informed investment decision. That’s the purpose of franchise disclosure laws. And claiming written disclosure of risk factors in the FOC is not necessary if a prospective buyer hears a salesman’s verbal wild, wild West story ignores franchise disclosure responsibilities and is really an admission the company failed in this regard. With its amended FOC, the company incredibly continues marching forward with franchise marketing efforts.
Now, let’s consider the franchise checklist and factors to consider before any leap into franchising.
INDUSTRY TREND Is the franchise in a cutting-edge industry that is doing well currently and is projected to do well in the future despite any economic slowdown? Education and home-improvement services are stable categories. Food is over-saturated generally and, except in exceptional circumstances, is not worth the high investment, long hours, headaches and marginal income.
TOTAL INITIAL FRANCHISE INVESTMENT In general, don’t expect a franchise that requires a five-figure initial franchise investment to produce a six-figure income. As with most things in life, you get what you pay for. On the other hand, don’t assume a six-figure investment will lead to a six-figure income level. Be realistic and conservative. Is the total initial franchise investment range (including working capital) $125,00 or less; and the maximum investment less than $200,000? You can find solid companies in this investment range if you’re willing to look around.
Don’t forget to consider long-term financial commitments, particularly the real property lease (see discussion below under “LEASING AND LOCATION”). Also, the working capital estimate (called “additional funds” in Item 7 of the company’s franchise offering circular) does NOT cover operations up to the break-even point. It only covers a short initial phase (usually only three-months) of operating costs As the break-even point (where revenues cover all operating costs) may not happen for one, two or more years, knowing only what it’s going to take to get you through the first 90 days is not helpful – in fact it may set you up for financial suicide. In many cases, reaching the break-even point can require more reserve funds than the total initial capital investment. Don’t ever forget the name of Item 7 in the Franchise Offering Circular: “Initial Investment.” If you don’t have enough reserve capital to reach the critical break-even point, your entire investment will go down the drain and franchise failure occurs.
One franchise owner in a relatively low investment and low operating cost window cleaning franchise said his biggest surprise was how long it actually took his franchise to be profitable. Going in, he thought it would take 12 to 15 months. It ended up taking twice that time. Fortunately, he had enough reserve capital to make it there, but declined to say what his actual franchise profits or income level were once he reached “franchise profitability.” If you’re operating just above the break even point and making less than minimum wage, is that anyone’s definition of success?
REAL BUSINESS Is this a legitimate retail business, as opposed to a “work out of your home” operation? The vast majority of work out of your home concepts produce marginal income at best.
FRANCHISE MANAGEMENT EXPERTISE Does the management team of the franchisor (the company selling you the franchise) have executives with demonstrated past achievement and experience in operating a franchise company (not just persons who have sold franchises)? If not, this is a big RED FLAG. Many companies enter franchising and fail to realize they are in a brand new business – one requiring entirely different management skills and abilities to navigate franchise relationships. A seasoned franchise management infrastructure must be in place. If the franchise management team lacks strong franchise credentials, or does not receive ongoing advice from qualified individuals, you might as well take a trip to Las Vegas with the money you’re intending to invest. Your chances of making vs. loosing money are roughly equal.
NORMAL WORKING HOURS AND DAYS; SUFFICIENT FRANCHISE INCOME LEVEL Will the nature of the business allow you to work a normal five-day, forty-hour workweek? Life is too short for the seven-day, sixty to eighty hours a week, workaholic lifestyle that destroys health, family and pocketbook. Financially, we’ve calculated the true hourly rate for franchise owners who work these workaholic hours and discovered many are making far less than the minimum wage. One couple who operated a $200,000 fancy pizza franchise in an upscale mall were shocked to discover they were making fifty cents an hour each. Hardly an income level to recoup or justify the franchise investment. Many more fast-food franchise operators make even less, or operate at a loss until their funds, retirement savings, homes, etc. are exhausted. Buying a franchise in a non-food industry doesn’t necessarily improve the franchise profit picture. In a 2006 article “Mail Boxes Etc. Owners Fighting UPS Conversion,” a Mail Boxes, Etc. franchise owner who operated his franchise since 1993 reported profits for a typical MBE store like his were $16,000 per year after paying royalty and advertising fees to the franchise company. That calculates out to about $8.33 per hour for a forty-hour work week, approximately the wage of an entry fast-food worker.
Another major shortcoming of disclosures in the Franchise Offering Circular is not telling you how much money the franchises in the network are making. Instead of answering what is the most important question in a franchise investment decision, the franchise disclosure laws make this “optional” for the franchise company to answer or not. If they do answer this critical question, it will be found in Item 19. But don’t hold your breath – more than 90% of franchise companies “decide” not to answer this question. It’s another bizarre reality in the world of franchising. Although they collect complete monthly (and in many cases, weekly) financial profit and loss statements from their franchise owners, and know exactly how much their franchises are making (or losing), more than 90% decide not to share this information before you buy one of their franchises. A number of franchise salespersons have told persons asking this question: “the franchise laws don’t allow us to answer that question.” Nothing could be further from the truth.
And just because you’re a business executive making a 6-figure income now, don’t assume this income level will be duplicated in a franchise investment just because the company “approves” your application. One such executive, despite a plethora of negative feedback from current and past franchise owners who’d lost everything, marched forward with her franchise investment in a 30-minute fitness concept. Despite her 6-figure income, she didn’t invest a dime in professional franchise evaluation advice and stated she was taking a leap of faith, hoping to build her wings on the way down. Build her wings on the way down? Sound’s (and is) crazy, but this happens all the time. Due to the ploys of the franchise salesperson, too many franchise investment decisions are based on emotionalism. Prior business skills, business sense (and even common sense) are short-circuited. Needless to say, if this business executive made a similar investment decision for her corporate employer paying the 6-figure salary, she would be promptly fired.
MINIMUM NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES Can you operate the franchise business with 6 or fewer employees? Managing dozens (or in the case of some fast-food operations – hundreds) of minimum-wage teenagers who are constantly quitting or simply not showing up for work is a royal pain in the ….. Well, you know what we mean.
LEASING AND LOCATION For most retail franchises, the triple net lease of the location is the biggest financial commitment, larger than the total franchise investment. Yet, the typical real estate lease and its ramifications are not required disclosure in any Franchise Offering Circular (FOC). For example, an estimate that you’ll need 2,000 sq. feet of space with expected rental of $5 to $10 a foot per month is normally disclosed in the Franchise Offering Circular’s initial investment table as Leased Real Estate $10,000 to $20,000. A footnote to the investment table may say “assumes 2,000 sq. ft. at $5 to $10 a foot.”
But, that’s only the beginning of a much longer story. The lease is normally a 5 to 10 year triple-net lease. So, the financial commitment made when the lease is signed is at least $600,000 (at $5/foot for 5 years) to $2,400,000 (at $10/foot for 10 years). And this doesn’t include substantial, additional obligations to pay all of the landlord’s yearly property taxes, insurance, common area operating expenses, etc. With hundreds of thousands (or even millions) of dollars in financial obligations at stake, personal guarantees and other risks, more than just a warm, fuzzy feeling that everything will work out is necessary.
Key questions to ask here:
(a) is the franchise you’re considering one that can be operated in a low rent commercial business zone? Avoid franchises requiring the costly expenses and triple-net leases of a visible retail storefront and the extravagant rent associated with areas of high foot traffic, like shopping malls. You’ll sleep much better at night.
(b) What’s your total financial commitment under the lease?
(c) Do you have sufficient liquid assets (or a willing, sufficiently liquid third party guarantor) to meet the landlord’s lease qualification standards?
If you don’t, you might as well forget about investing in the franchise. Or even worse, getting involved in a questionable franchise and business model, then realizing you’ve made a big mistake – and discovering you’re on the hook personally for a $500,000+ lease obligation.
A related real estate variant is securing a lease with a sufficient term (with renewal options) to recoup your investment and make a profit. In July, 2005, an attorney in her mid-forties purchased an existing ice cream store franchise for $375,000 believing it to be a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” Trading her briefcase for an ice cream scoop, she attended the company’s 11-day Ice Cream University and assumed operations of the ice cream store. Turned out it was an opportunity – but only to inherit a store with numerous problems. These problems included (but were not limited to) a lease that would expire the following summer and a landlord who’d previously announced the lease would not be renewed. Rather than pay the $100,000-plus in relocation costs, the attorney returned to the practice of law, but is still paying off $350,000 remaining on the loan taken out to buy the once-in-a-lifetime franchise opportunity. Although there’s a franchise lawsuit pending, it’s yet another case of “franchise fever” – this time attacking a professional no less. Who would ever commit to paying $375,000 for an existing retail franchise without checking out the l-e-a-s-e? Sound’s like another bad attorney joke, but I can guarantee she’s not laughing. Business fundamentals were ignored or forgotten in the rush to acquire the opportunity of a lifetime. And I’m willing to bet not a dollar was spent on competent, pre-investment franchise advice.
IMAGE AND LIFESTYLE How does flipping burgers, scooping ice cream and cleaning restrooms fit the image of what you want to do for a living? Investing in a franchise will be the most important financial and psychological decision you ever make. Many prospective franchise owners fail to realize they’ll be wearing virtually every hat at some point, from salesperson to bad-debt collector, from firing employees to bathroom janitor. The franchise owner is usually the first one to arrive in the morning – and the last one to turn out the lights late at night. And you’ll need to forget about corporate perks like paid vacations, paid holidays and sick pay. In their place, substitute financial pressures, unexpected events and money draining out of your savings and retirement accounts. Does the typical working day and responsibilities of the franchise you are considering fit your personal image and desired lifestyle? You can experience some of this BEFORE you invest by working for a couple weeks in an outlet owned by one of the existing franchise owners.
TRUE FRANCHISE VALUE Buying a franchise from a “blue chip” franchise company that has spent decades and hundreds of millions on advertising to develop their brand can make a lot of sense. These companies have “true franchise value” that compensates for the long-term disadvantages of ongoing royalty and advertising fund payments. Often these additional payments literally mean the difference between earning a profit and operating at a loss. In unknown franchise chains with little or no brand recognition, you the franchise buyer are building their brand from scratch, and are saddled with severe, long-term competitive disadvantages.
In these unknown franchise chains, you have to ask yourself a simple, common sense question. What value is the company giving you that you couldn’t learn on your own by working at one of their locations as an employee for a couple months? Franchise truth be told, what most unknown franchise companies are selling is just a business opportunity – teaching you how to get into a new business venture. But unlike a business opportunity seller that charges a one-time fee to help get you into business, they call it a “franchise” and charge ongoing royalty and advertising fees like they’re a McDonalds or other blue chip franchise company.
The reality is they’re not a McDonalds type franchise – not even close to one. In the majority of these lesser-known franchise chains, you’d be much better off starting an independent business on your own. You can learn most or all of their so-called “secrets” in the franchise interviewing process and by talking to (and possibly working a short time for) existing franchise owners.
FRANCHISE PROFITABILITY & “SUCCESS” Dr. Timothy Bates’ study released in 1993 by the Entrepreneurial Growth and Investment Institute in Washington, DC (and another study published in 1996) was the first to compare start-up costs, franchise profitability and franchise failure rates for franchised vs. nonfranchised firms. In his analysis of some 7,270 firms over the test period, Dr. Bates found that startup capital for a franchised business averaged $85,293 compared with average startup capital for nonfranchised firms of $30,156. In 1987 nonfranchised firms reported average pre-tax net income of $19,744 as compared to a loss of (-$1,548) for franchised firms. Dr. Bates concluded “Despite their larger revenues, much better capitalization, and their supposed advantages of affiliation with a franchisor parent firm, the franchisees lag behind cohort young firms in profitability and rates of survival.”
The franchise companies ignore both studies by Dr. Bates, pretending they never happened. Instead, other techniques are employed. For example, some franchise companies use misleading success statistics to sell their franchises. Their promotional materials say franchises generally enjoy a 90% success rate, compared to less than 20% for independent firms. These figures are based on unverified information supplied thirty years ago by a select, non-representative group of franchise companies. A full third of the companies receiving “questionnaires “ elected not to participate. There was no verification of any of the information supplied by the franchise companies, not even random, spot checking. Nor was any effort made to identify franchise companies who, along with the franchise owners in their chain, had gone out of business.
Even more recent “studies” saying nine out of ten franchise owners (90%) consider their franchise to be somewhat or very successful also suffer from serious methodological flaws. These were simply telephone surveys of franchise owners who were still in business and asked to say (with absolutely no definition of the term “successful”) whether they felt their business was “very unsuccessful,” “somewhat unsuccessful,” somewhat successful” or “very successful.” Franchise owners who had gone out of business or bankrupt were not included in the survey.
Even if terms are defined and a representative sample obtained, franchise owners can be a quirky group. Hence the need, as in Dr. Bates’ studies, for review of financial data. I remember evaluating an existing franchise for a client. I asked the current owner of the franchise if his business was successful. He said it was very successful. But his financial statements revealed a different picture. He’d never taken a dollar out of the business for himself, never made a profit in two years of operation, and was on the verge of bankruptcy. Another owner of a bakery franchise, interviewed by Business Week, says being successful in franchising means “adjusting your definition of success.” He says he makes a profit, but declined to say what it is, or if he’s ever recouped his $250,000-plus initial franchise investment. Incredibly, he insists he’s in business “for lifestyle reasons, not profit reasons.” Huh? Probably a quote from the company’s franchise recruitment materials. In the world of franchising “success” and “profitability” are very subjective terms. FRANCHISE BROKERS WHO FIND YOUR PERFECT MATCH? Does the franchise you are considering have its own in-house marketing department, or does it utilize outside franchise brokers? The use of franchise brokers is a definite red flag. First, it indicates the franchise company is not very serious about who it lets into the franchise network, or even worse, they’re desperate to sell franchises. Second, franchise brokers receive a substantial commission up to 50% or more of the franchise fee you’re paying the franchise company. Franchise Broker Realities: (1) Their service is definitely not “free” despite these and other similar misrepresentations. It’s really common sense – how could anyone offer a “free” service and survive in business? Unfortunately, the common sense part of the brain tends to short circuit when the franchise brainwashing process begins. The simple truth is if you buy one of the franchises they’re hawking, your money goes to the franchise company, then into the broker’s pocket. If anyone ever calculated how much time they spend to collect their $15,000 or $20,000 commission, it’s probably a lot more than a brain surgeon earns. (2) Franchise brokers definitely do NOT have your best interests in mind. They will do or say whatever they have to in order to close a deal and earn their commission.
Many franchise brokers claim they will help you find a franchise company that is the perfect match for you. In the beginning it sounds good. There’s some personality testing and review of your personal finances. At the end of the day, it turns out they only represent (and steer you towards) a handful of small franchise companies you’ve never heard of before. A detailed analysis often reveals these highly touted franchises produce mediocre or even below minimum wage financial performance. Yet franchise brokers don’t mention this, and individuals continue to rely on their recommendations, believing the broker represents them. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Also, many franchise brokers call themselves franchise consultants. A franchise consultant is usually an independent adviser who offers advice to others (usually franchise companies or firms that want to franchise their business) for a fee. This makes their advice more impartial in theory as long as they are not compensated by third parties. Because they are not legally required to disclose actual or potential conflicts of interest, it’s important ask questions. For example, if you’re using a franchise consultant who is recommending the “best franchises,” are they paid anything by the companies on their list? This could be a commission, kick-back or consulting fee. As mentioned, many franchise brokers call themselves “franchise consultants” to hide their true identity. So, make sure if you’re dealing with a franchise consultant, he or she is not really just a franchise broker in disguise.
FRANCHISE DISCLOSURE LAWS The franchise disclosure laws, while requiring franchise companies to give you certain, limited information, don’t come close to protecting your interests. For example, as discussed above, Item 7 of the Franchise Offering Circular only requires an estimate of additional funds for 90 days as part of the investment information. But economic reality is you need to know the additional funds you’ll need to reach the break-even point, which can be years away, or your entire “initial” investment will go down the drain. You’d think this type of information would be required by franchise disclosure laws, but it’s not.
FRANCHISE REGISTRATION LAWS Don’t ever assume that because a company has registered its Franchise Offering Circular in your state, someone at the state has approved or reviewed the document in your favor. Franchise registration is obtained by simply forwarding documents and paying a filing fee – period. In most cases, franchise offering circulars are given an extremely limited review to ensure state-specific disclaimers are present.
I remember filing a registration application for a new franchise company in a state with a reputation for being one of the “toughest” franchise registration law states in the country. After the three-week review period set forth in the statute had gone by, and not hearing anything, I called the examiner assigned to the application. After looking through his files, he finally found my client’s offering circular and application. He apologized for entirely misplacing the file and promised to immediately review the application and call me back. Ten minutes later, he called to say he’d finished and was making the registration effective that day. Ten minutes of review and the franchise company was given the state’s green light. This is not an isolated case – it happens all the time.
WHAT STANDARDS MUST A FRANCHISE COMPANY MEET TO SELL FRANCHISES; ARE THERE ANY REQUIREMENTS TO FRANCHISE A BUSINESS? Incredibly, the answer is – none. There are no minimum standards or requirements to franchise a business except preparing a Franchise Offering Circular. It’s yet another bizarre reality in the world of franchising.
You and I could have no background in any business, form a new corporation or LLC, capitalize it with only $1, put together a Franchise Disclosure Document and file it with any franchise registration state. While the offering may be subject to an impound or escrow requirement because of the low capitalization ($1), we’d still get “registered” and be able to sell as many franchisees as we want.
In these 14 franchise registration states, we may not be able to receive any money until each franchise actually opened, but simply posting a bond would alleviate this difficulty in the franchise registration states. And in the vast majority of states there are no franchise registration laws, so we’d be able to sell franchises and collect fees with impunity once we compiled our Franchise Offering Circular. The federal FTC Franchise Rule doesn’t protect against this risk either – it only requires disclosure (i.e. provide a Franchise Disclosure Document) and has no registration component or minimum standards for franchise companies.
Basic investor protections and requirements found in both federal and state securities laws for over 50 years were never carried over to franchise investments. While most non-blue chip franchise companies could never even qualify to sell you a single share of stock in their company, they are entirely free to collect unlimited franchise fees, ongoing royalties, equipment and other purchases, as well as cause you to incur financial obligations totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars, or even millions in some cases. This isn’t information you’re likely to find in the glowing articles about franchising and franchise companies prevalent in the media.
CLOSING REMARKS Remember, you are the only guardian when it comes to your franchise investment. It’s definitely an environment where the phrase “Buyer Beware” applies. So, before you sign on the line and make what will undoubtedly be the most serious financial and emotional commitment of your life, get all the facts and figures.
One couple I counseled after-the-fact, invested $2 million in a new franchise company. The contract they signed gave them no right to terminate, no matter what the franchise company did or didn’t do. Of course, the contract gave the franchise company unlimited termination ability, a right it had exercised. The franchise company’s management team had no one with experience in running a franchise company. Incredibly, the couple had not spent a dime on legal or business advice before investing $2 million. The once friendly franchise company had transformed into a formidable foe and was poised to take over their franchise. Sadly, this happens too frequently in franchise investments. Decisions are made on fuzzy feelings and emotionalism. In an effort to save a couple thousand dollars, franchise investors risk homes, retirement savings, everything they have. Then they scratch their heads in amazement later on after inevitable and often horrific problems develop, wondering how they could have been so nearsighted.
Another indispensable level of inquiry is whether you’re getting true franchise value and whether you’d be better off doing the business on your own. In the overwhelming majority of franchises touted by unknown companies, franchise value isn’t there and doing the same thing independently makes better economic sense and actually decreases the risk of failure.
Finally, and this applies to franchise investments as well as investing in any business venture, develop a plan to succeed but also plan a franchise exit strategy that minimizes financial risk in case things don’t work out. Both plans need to be thought through before the investment is made. Don’t wait until problems develop to start thinking about a franchise exit strategy – by then it’s usually too little, too late.
For more information, visit the Franchise Foundations Website.
Known in the industry as Mr. Franchise, Mr. Murphy is an internationally-known franchise expert, author, and instructor. For the past twenty-eight years he has specialized exclusively in the franchise industry and owned a very successful franchise in the home improvement field. He has written over 30 publications, including four books on franchising and one book on trade secrets. Mr. Franchise has drafted, reviewed and negotiated more than 500 franchise offering circulars and instructs franchise company personnel in best franchise practices. He also teaches franchise, licensing and intellectual property courses to attorneys. Mr. Franchise is a franchise attorney and Director of Operations for a San Francisco-based professional law corporation.
Work From Home Mothers Who Want To Learn About Affiliate Marketing.
Whether you’re Mom with new born looking for extra income or a empty nest mom who doesn’t want to go back to a 9-to-5 job or just someone who’s stuck in a low paying job, Affiliate marketing is for you. I know they’re are millions of women looking for a door out of their boring routine and yet so many fail to take that first step in even trying a small business online. Unless you’re on the Internet promoting a product or service that has the potenial of reaching millions of people, then you’re just not “getting it.” That’s why I know that you will love with the idea of Affiliate marketing, once you see how it really works. Here is a list of just some of the benefits.
* You don’t have to have your own product or service to market.
* You don’t have to invest a dime to join a legitimate company’s affiliate program.
* You will have full accountablitiy on traffic stats, conversion rates, click throughs, and purchases made by visitors.
* You don’t have to deal with shipping orders or customer service.
* You can do this part time.
Ever since Amazon.com first started it’s Affiliate program in 1997, million of people have been making money as Affiliates. Forrester Research reports show that this business model will grow exponentially over the next few years. All you have to do is to direct surfing visitors on the internet to one of your offers. The best companies already have “landing pages” already designed for you with a sales page and merchant account to take the order. You don’t need to know how to “Sell” any product or service. In fact you should not even try to sell. Your job as an Affiliate is just to “warm up” or “Pre-sell” visitors with an article or blog so they will click through to your Affiliate page to your company’s Sales page to complete the order. You are given a”URL CODE” as an affiliate that is unique to you that is hidden or “embedded” in your website or landing page. This is your “Cookie” that is tracked by your company so you get credit every time a visitor clicks through your offer to the sales page. I know the aspect of not knowing how to sell stops a lot of people in their tracks from ever trying an online business. Don’t be afraid to start today. You don’t have to sell anything. All you have to do is write content about your niche product or service, especially if you already use that product or service yourself and feel passionately about recommending it to others. There are various ways to get the message out as long as you are determined to succeed.
How To Tell The Difference Between A Good Affiliate Program And A Bad One, Part Two
If you want to start a small business online but have no product or service of your own, then Affiliate marketing is your answer. Find out what the “Affiliate Model” is all about. Remember the Affiliate model is a high reward/low risk plan where you do not have to invest a dime to join. That’s the first test. Some companies want you to purchase their vitamins, dish soap, etc first so you can “really recommend the products.” Don’t go for any of that because you’ll wind up with cartons of products in your garage and someone in your “Upline” telling you that all you need to do is “get out there and tell your friends.” You must understand that you need to promote your product or service on the Internet where you have the potential of reaching millions of people. I have been involved with one of the top Internet companies on the Web, we are 100% affiliate driven. It is widely regarded as the most rewarding and original program online. Look for a company that has been in business for at least 10 years with a proven track record.
You should be able to read testimonials from real people who have a profitable website today that you can contact with questions on how they did it. But it all starts when you overcome your insecurities and at least start as a Net marketing novice. You can start with ariticles on E-zine.com, blogs, forums and various other platforms to promote your affiliate offer. You must ultimately get your own website in order to get any good number of visitors. But take it step by step and as you do, you will see if Affiliate marketing is for you. Please download your Free e-Book on Affiliate Marketing, the right way. Read the testimonials from successful people online today and click on to their websites that are live today so you can see the potential that is waiting for you.
I have a Business background with over 10 years experience in Real Estate Sale and Loans. I have been involved with Affiliate Marketing for the last two years.
Ecommerce Software had invaded the world, had it conquered you too?
Indeed there’s a battle unseen nowadays. Who will take the crown for shopping? Ecommerce or the real world? What is ecommerce? Ecommerce is simply put the buying and selling of products online. Like shopping in the real world the only difference is, it’s virtual. Have you ever noticed that the online world mirrors the real world, but some elements just seem to perform better online?
Of course the downside is you don’t typically get to see customers or those who you’re buying from, but the upside is you can travel around the world and world-class travelers can visit your online business no matter where they are, which is a big online business opportunity.
When you do travel you are likely to spot billboards for businesses and organizations – they are all over the place in many cities and along well traveled roads. These are marketing techniques. In an online environment you have internet marketing strategy like using banner ads. These are also found as you travel through cyberspace to national and international locations. The bonus is that you can click on these banner ads to take you do an entirely new location faster than a transporter beam if you have an interest. You will be directed to shopping carts or what they call storefront which you will shop online. In the real world you have to try to remember either a business name, phone number or website address. Cyberspace makes it as simple as a click.
With Ecommerce you can also earn by promoting the products of other people. This is what you called affiliate marketing. It is indeed very effective marketing for the owner of the product, yet affiliate earning is positive too. So, it’s a win-win situation there.
You buy a newspaper to get information and to read the classifieds. In ecommerce, another strategic internet marketing is to use a search engine to find news and click on PPC ads just like you would classifieds. Again, no phone calls needed, just click and go.
In the real world you can send letters to friends and family and then wait several days or weeks to get a reply (if they remember to reply). In cyberspace you send emails and can attach photos, audio and video to those same friends and family. Again, they can respond with a click and a few typed words – in a matter of minutes. That’s the beauty if you have what they call autoresponders. Autoresponders are part of an online shopping cart solution that makes the work much easier for people.
When ecommerce began many wondered how it would succeed when you had no mechanism for an active sales staff. But hey!! Who said ecommerce can’t make it? On the contrary, ecommerce boomed, because shopping cart software had been made. The birth of web hosting shopping cart and other types of it in the internet makes ecommerce much easier. It acts like a million active staff working for your business.
For the most part, businesses on the web have truly succeeded in allowing the customer to be in control of their online shopping experience. Merchant account services provides access for people to easily find what they are looking for, deliver to them immediately their order, give them the latest about products and many more. In simply put, merchant accounts are there to give the customers their best shopping experience.
There are a few online stores that have an instant chat window where a representative will visit with you immediately after a sale and may attempt to either provide something different, an extended warranty or other special offerings. The special features depend on what ecommerce hosting solution you have and the kind of e-commerce web site hosting company you lean on.
The truth is most online shoppers like shopping on line because they are the true decision makers. The consumer is not rushed into anything. That’s the role of e-marketing, making everything easier for the customers and making them feel they are important.
Things really have changed a lot in the real world and much of the change has been the result of the use of advanced computer technology. Online Business Optimization can now easily be done by anyone else who want to start an online business.
Ecommerce has become a solution that spans generations and nationalities. It brings products that may not have been available in your lifetime to you with a simple search option like ecommerce software. It doesn’t discriminate based on skin tone, religion or age. Anyone can become involved in ecommerce and virtually all age groups are represented in online business ownership.
Ecommerce allows you to go to places you’ve never been and buy things you’ve only dreamed of to fulfill dreams you never thought would be achieved. It is changing lives and providing opportunity for more people than you may realize.
The world of ecommerce is here – the next dimension has been realized – shop on.
Shopping Carts has the power to boost your revenue and sales at the same time. It automates your business and generate effective leads. So, what are you waiting for? Visit and get one.
Your kids have exams and you need to sit down with their studies, but there is an important conference coming up and there is no way you can take off now. You are obviously in a dilemma and do not know which to make your priority. Don’t you wish you could just sit back and help your kids? Well there is a way to do just that, you can make money online.
Or your sister is visiting you and you haven’t seen her for years, but you have exhausted all your leave and cannot dare to apply for more. Your spouse has been offered a wonderful opportunity in another town, but will it be possible for you to relocate and find a job for yourself there? You do not want to be on call 5 days a week at your job, with only the weekend to catch up with your issues at home, so what the other option you have is to work from home to make money online.
You have realized a creative streak in you and would like to explore the possibility of changing your profession, but how do you go about it? Well you will have the freedom and the flexibility to do all this and much more if you opt to make money online. No more waiting for the next lot of leave to come up, you need not miss out on any of the things you want to do. There are various options for work online and you do not have to be without a “job” at all.
The more your work the more you can earn
You have been slogging and working yourself to the bone but you do not see that raise coming. You begin to wonder whether you should tackle the boss for a raise in a subtle way or look for another more lucrative job. You need have none of these qualms if you make money online. You hold the rights to what you want to earn in your own hands and can make as much money as you want to by opting to make money online. The more you work the more you can earn, and if you want to take a break there is no problem.
Set your heart on a snazzy car – but how do you make that extra buck
Now that you have set your heart on a snazzy new car and you just have to have it. You do not mind working harder to make the extra cash but there just does not seem to be a way to do it. You have a regular job, but the options to work overtime or make some extra money are very remote. Well you need not worry about this anymore you can make money online. Without giving up your regular job you can work outside office hours and earn that extra amount. Are you wondering where to find this dream opportunity, well you just have to make money online.
You don?t have to look too far to find ways to make your dreams come true. Just visit now and start earning immediately.