| May 30, 2012 | News for the franchise sector |
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- Turning a passion for martial arts into a franchise
Martial arts helped Ed Samane deal with bullies when he was younger, and he now runs Pro Martial Arts Franchise. "My franchisees are businesspeople who want to work with kids, to help kids, and we help them hire the technicians -- the instructors and managers -- to teach our system," he said. "They're not loyal to a style, but they're loyal to helping youth in their community and upgrading an industry." The Huffington Post
(5/29)     
- Franchise brand's philosophy attracts Colo. couple
Tracy and Benny Carreon wanted to go into business together, but they had a hard time settling on a concept until they discovered Menchie's Frozen Yogurt. The couple now owns a Menchie's location in Longmont, Colo. The brand appealed to them because of "the leadership, the philosophy, and the way Menchie's focuses in on family," Benny Carreon said. The Longmont Times-Call (Colo.)
(5/29)
- Popeyes browser plug-in converts all "ings" to "'n"
A Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen browser plug-in replaces everyth'n with an "ing" with an "'n" to promote the return of Rip'n Chick'n. An ad headline for the plug-in proclaims that "No 'ing' is safe." Popeyes' agency, Campbell Mithun, was inspired by how the chain names its foods and has set up a site to encourage the social sharing of the funniest rips. Only site content (not rival ads on the page) will be transformed by the plug-in. MediaPost Communications/Online Media Daily
(5/28)
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| Best Practices & Business Leadership |  |  |
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- Whip your business' credit report into shape
Your business' credit report can affect whether your company is able to get loans, so it's important to make sure it's accurate, Michael Lockwood writes. Among the details to verify are your company's name, address and ownership structure. "Schedule a follow-up in a year to revisit the report and check any changes or to add new information," he advises. BPlans.com/Up and Running Blog
(5/29)
- Why "employee of the month" is a lame award
An employee-of-the-month program isn't necessarily a good idea because it leaves room for only one winner, Jeff Haden writes. "Recognition should be specific, timely, genuine ... and available to everyone, not just a 'winner,'" he writes. You should also get rid of assigned parking spots, which "create artificial distinctions for arbitrary and often self-serving criteria," he writes. Inc. online/Owners' Manual
(5/29)
 | The Franchise Operations Performance Summit is coming! July 18-19 in Denver, Colorado. OPS is the only franchise executive conference dedicated to operations performance excellence. Attendees experience an interactive two-day expert-led series of workshops on a variety of topics, creating actionable plans for their organizations. Learn more. |
- Franchisees breathe new life into bankrupt brands
Ground Round, Sizzler and Bennigan's all found themselves in bankruptcy court at different times, and franchisees saved all three brands from oblivion. "If they didn't have such an abrupt closing, someone might have had time to swoop in and buy the company. But it opened a window for the franchisees to step up and do it themselves," said Jack Crawford, who led the 2004 franchisee buyout of Ground Round. Entrepreneur online
(5/29)
- Kids' comfort food finds grown-up fans
Adults are paying premium prices for artisan peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at New York City's Peanut Butter & Co. and designer mac-and-cheese at Cheese-ology in Missouri, as part of a growing demand for grown-up fare that harks back to the comfort food of youth. CNBC
(5/29)
- Experts endorse Facebook for marketing rather than booking
The lack of data indicating significant hotel booking conversions from Facebook demonstrates that the platform works much better as a marketing tool, leaders of data analysis firms PhoCusWright and Atmosphere Research Group say. "[C]onsumers don't think of Facebook and their social networks as a place to go shopping and buying travel," said Douglas Quinby, a director at PhoCusWright. The platform shows potential as a revenue-generating tool in the future, but in the meantime, hoteliers should look at Facebook as a means to boost engagement, the analysts say. HotelNewsNow.com
(5/29)
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Congressman discusses solutions to increasing gas prices
Last week, more than a dozen franchise industry and business leaders met with Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., at a business roundtable in Greenwood Village, Colo. IFA member Jack Pearce, CFE, Annex Brands' executive director of franchise integration, hosted the event at the Denver Logistics Center to discuss legislative issues important to the franchise industry, including the adverse effects of soaring gas prices on franchise small businesses.
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Last chance to register for Latin America trade mission
As part of IFA's ongoing effort to enable our members to access international opportunities, IFA, Franchise Times and the U.S. Commercial Service will co-sponsor a U.S. Franchise Trade Mission to Panama, Colombia and Chile Aug. 26 to 31. The application deadline is Friday, so register now. E-mail IFA's Josh Merin or call him at (202) 662-0762 with any questions.
 | Save Time and Money Selecting Your Next Franchise Conference Venue. Meeting Expectations' venue selection specialists will review your recent contract (for free) and demonstrate how you could have improved your terms. We help franchisors gain concessions and better rates while minimizing attrition penalties. Contact Lisa Burton, CMP, VP. |
| Policy & Finance Update | |  |
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- Why increasing the minimum wage is a bad idea
 Raising the minimum wage would be a mistake because it would squeeze small business' profits, writes Scott Shane of Case Western Reserve University. "That leaves them with the unpleasant choice of either cutting jobs or accepting lower profits," he writes. Raising the minimum wage could also be bad for low-skilled workers, who may not be able to find as many jobs. Entrepreneur online
(5/25)
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Why lawmakers should preserve the Census Bureau's survey program: The House of Representatives' attempt to get rid of the American Community Survey is misguided, because the data it provides are critical for small businesses, writes Scott Shane of Case Western Reserve University. The survey can be used to guide policy decisions, and small-business owners can also use it to get the information necessary to run their companies, he writes. Bloomberg Businessweek
(5/29)
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