Every year, there comes a point when I look in the mirror and say “seriously?” .  I look at some extra fat here, a little less muscle there, and I am just not happy with what I see. If it gets bad enough, I work out a little more often, I eat a little more healthy, or just a little less and generally try to be more active until I like what I see in the mirror a little better.

Business should be like that too. You should take the time every once in a while to hold your operation up to a mental mirror. What do you see that you don’t like? What needs to be fixed? Unless you have a perfect operation, you should keep a small, steady list of things that need improving. It might be several small things, like keeping pencils sharpened or a tape dispenser refilled. It might be a large thing, like getting estimates out on time, meeting deadlines, or hiring new employees.  Whatever it is, you should know what needs doing in your office. Youmust know what you want out of your company if it is to grow and thrive.

Remember, every great enterprise ever undertaken can be broken down into very small parts.  The Great Pyramid at Giza is just bits of sand and gunk all stuck together. TheGreat Wall of China is just a bunch of very tiny rocks in one place.

An early lesson most retail clerks learn is that if they take care of the pennies in the till, the dollars will take care of themselves.  Paying attention to the little things in your work, your habits, and your life can change the course of your business.  It can improve every aspect of your life in dramatic ways.

That being said I am now playing soccer 3 times a week. So what are some little things you plan to change?

When you’re in the selling trenches for very long, there comes a part of you that wonders what you’re doing there. It doesn’t matter if you are selling hats or shoes, pots and pans, or real estate and businesses, eventually you start to question if you are in an industry that you can be proud of.

It’s not easy, these “crisis of product-faith” moments, and they require you to think about your professional life from every angle. You start to wonder if you are selling or just “selling out”. The only way to really know if you are doing what you are meant to do is to ask yourself if you like what you do enough to keep doing it.

It’s easy to get caught up in the questions in your head. Most of us have minds like a six lane highway at rush hour, packed end to end with thoughts, ideas and feelings. It’s enough to drive you crazy if you let it.  But if you can take the time for a few deep breaths, let some of your mental traffic seep out, and answer the simple questions about who you are and where you are headed, things start to become clear.  Nobody is happy with their work, family, or life 100% of the time, but if you can look at your own percentage and say you are satisfied with it, then perhaps you are on the right track.

The specific number will be different from person to person, but if you are happy with your life more than 70% of the time, you are probably doing well. If the number feels low to you, or you feel like you know how to increase it, by all means go for it! Just remember that your mission is to actively create your life, not just be created by it.  By the way did I mention I am thankful I have a company I haven’t felt like I am “selling out” for?

Franchising is a foreign concept to many business owners. Why would you take a business you haveworked hard to grow and develop and sell the model to other people? The reason is simple. It creates even more growth with little or no risk to you.
Imagine for a moment that you have a whole company full of enthusiastic, entrepreneurial managers.If you have been in any business industry at all then you know that it is impossible to find an employee that has as much or more drive than you, as an entrepreneur, do for your own company. Franchising, however, gives you teams of business owners who want to own and succeed in the business you are offering them. They want it to prosper as much as, if not more than, you do. They know it will take alot of hard work to get it going and a lot more work to keep it going.
Franchising your business means you have excited and able-bodied entrepreneurs helping you withexpansion, plus they operate under your proven guidelines and follow the system as you’ve laid it out.

These franchisees are also usually locals. They know how to get the word out about your product orservice. They know the best newspapers, local magazines, and other advertising venues available in thearea. They also know the clientele in the area and how they will react to certain services or advertising campaigns.

Selling franchises provides quick market penetration, collaborative business efforts and knowledge,steady and pragmatic expansion, and provides you with a nice income from franchise fees androyalties. It is a great way to get paid to be able to develop your business.

Want to know if your business is suited for franchising? Check out Scott Abbott’s blog “When ShouldYou NOT Franchise?” and “Why Did You Franchise” at http://www.dscottabbott.com.

It is not unnatural to want to be your own boss, work for yourself and contribute to the world in adifferent way than “The Man’s” 9-5 day-to-day. You have the drive, the desire and the ambition to takecontrol of your destiny, but just can’t seem to start.

The problem is that pair of “golden handcuffs” that comes from a steady paycheck, 401k’s, and jobsecurity. It is easy to say, “I’m risking too much; I can’t afford to risk everything I’ve worked for. I have to play it safe for my family/future/dog.”
Instead of taking that scary leap, you may consider starting with a side business that you can manageon your own time. It should be something you love doing and something with which you can expandyour services later after you determine if it is really something you can sink your teeth into.
If you don’t have a lot of cash lying around, you probably need to find something with a low startupcost that doesn’t need a mass of employees to keep running.
Something to consider is a Five Star Holiday Décor Franchise. Here are the benefits:

• Low Risk. Over 70 percent of small businesses fail while 90 percent of franchises succed.
• Seasonal Income. Since Five Star Holiday Decor focuses on the winter holiday season, youcan rack up some quick money in the short 6-8 week season when most people find they need money the most.
• Supplemental Services. If you are already in a seasonal business like painting, landscaping, lawn care, etc. then you already have a client list that will be interested in your services. Youcan also keep the workers you already have (even if it’s just yourself) busy during the slowerwinter months.Expandable. If you try Five Star Holiday Decor out for a season or two and like where it is going, then expand your services year-round and really try your hand at being your own boss.

Think this opportunity might be right for you to dip your feet into the entrepreneurial world? Check out their website: www.fivestarholidaydecorfranchising.com

Why should you bother buying a franchise? Over 600,000 companies are started in the United States each year. Some are franchised, and some are not. A few must make it without franchising, right?

It’s true, many companies do just fine on their own. The Small Business Administration (SBA) published that 51 percent of new employer establishments survive at least five years. Buying a franchise can have a higher start up cost, and it’s not for everybody (as Scott Abbott discusses beautifully in this article). But why SHOULD you buy a franchise? What can you get from a franchise that’s not available anywhere else?

1. A Proven System – Starting any kind of business will have its pitfalls. Buying a franchise and following their system closely helps you avoid many of the mistakes that new and experienced entrepreneurs regularly make, by holding your hand and guiding you through the process.
2. A Brand Name – Corporate branding and trademarks are a multimillion-dollar industry, and building an image in the minds of your potential clients will cost you a great deal in time and money. Buying a franchise will usually mean already having most of the branding and promotional materials already designed and available to you, not to mention established technology and buying power. If you choose a company that has a good reputation, (like, say, a Five Star Painting Franchise), then you also get the added benefit of potential customers saying, “Oh, my sister/cousin/dog groomer used them, I should call them too!”
3. A Built-In Support System – If something comes up that you don’t know how to handle in a business when going solo, you’re on your own. If you have a good franchise behind you, there is a system in place to help you figure out what’s going on.

The main reason you should consider buying a franchise is because having a franchise behind you means you have a team working hard on your side to make you successful. If you don’t succeed, the franchisors don’t succeed either. Doesn’t it make sense to have a team on your side backing you up?

When Scott and I showed up at the Utah 100 awards ceremony, we were basically in the dark about what was about to happen. We didn’t know how we had matched up against the competition or even if we would rank (we were sure hoping so because we paid to be there).  Imagine our surprise to find out we ranked #33 in the top 100 fastest growing Utah businesses!

It was your standard awards show. A lot of funky music going on, lights and what not. The reception before hand was good; especially since we got to catch up with some friends. We spent time talking with people we may get to work with in the future, which we were happy to do. We got to hear from Governor Gary Herbert who took a picture with us after we received the award.

The award means we’re the 33^rd fastest growing company based on four years of growth in a state that was recently ranked #1 to do business in by Forbes Magazine. While the majority of the businesses in the Utah 100 have seen the effects of the economic recession through declining profits, we have actually experienced continued growth. Can we maintain that? That will be the challenge. We’re excited about it and we should do well. We’ve had great numbers so far this year, we’re definitely poised to do well.

We’re expanding, we’re doing well, and we’re financially sound. This award proves that anyone who is coming into our franchise can have more reassurance they we have a strong foundation and we are here for the long haul.

This past week, I attended the National Franchise & Business Opportunities Show in Dallas, Texas.

It was a disaster.

Most of it was no one’s fault in particular. My luggage, which mostly consisted of the booth and supplies, cost me an extra $100 or so to ship, but when I picked it up in Dallas, three of the four latches were broken. It was barely holding itself together. I should have seen this coming when I heard the two loud KABOOMs in baggage claim… My supplies ended up holding together okay at the trade show, but I was nervous. I taped it together for the flight back, and will need to repair it before I use it next.

I should have seen this coming when I got the email from my local Dallas franchisee (who was very gracious in planning on attending with me) on Tuesday. The email said, “I have good news and bad news…” The good news was that the Texas Rangers beat the Yankees and were advancing in the World Series. The bad news… The playoffs started Saturday afternoon during the trade show and he had playoff tickets. Needless to say, on Saturday, there was a Rangers game, so no one showed up to the trade show. The Cowboys game was on Sunday and there was TCU vs. BYU (where our local BYU was slaughtered 31-3). Everyone was watching the games; again, no one really showed up.

What do you think:  Are trade shows really worth it?

Airports are a hassle, taxi drivers barely get you there in one piece, the food sucks, and you never know if anyone is actually going to show up. But all things being equal, you still meet a couple of good guys, and you hope you’ve made some good connections.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on trade shows: What has been your experience with trade shows? Are they worth it? Are they a waste of time?

Back in July of this year (2010), Prince—or the artist formerly known as the artist now currently again known as Prince (an artist I never listen to) —made a statement that blew up web forums everywhere: “The internet is dead,” he boldly proclaimed. The irony of his statement was that it drew most of its ire and attention from none other than internet users, as if to prove that he couldn’t be more misguided.

However, now wired.com has posted a similarly controversial article titled, “The Web is Dead. Long Live the Internet.” It seems the worldwide web is intent on providing as much irony for its users as possible, considering the website wired.com falls under the specific definition assigned to “Web”. To particular individuals, the distinction between “web” and “internet” is pronounced; these two words mean very different things. “Web” is a term that defines specific websites and browsing, while “internet” covers websites, applications, anything that is interconnected—a logical word association.

There are many forms of technology that are quickly and slowly becoming obsolete and many businesses are discovering the need to adapt to these changes rapidly. If the web is dead, then a lot of businesses who have just recently evolved to include it are out of luck. Fortunately, what the article failed to mention was the fact that while the web, independent of other sources, has not been growing quite as exponentially as the other media available through the internet, it’s growth has still literally skyrocketed.

Capitalizing on all of these different forms of media is so easy nowadays. With free accounts available on the web everywhere, a business can survive without spending a penny. Twitter, Craig’s List and a plethora of free networking websites abound. Throughout the course of Five Star’s operation, I’ve become more and more familiar with these websites as well. They are now integral to modern-day marketing.

Is the internet dead, living or kind of a zombie? Let’s discuss this on our web blog.

A startling trend has been noted throughout the United States; more and more companies are outsourcing various company departments and units. Law practice is not excluded from this practice, currently being outsourced in highest volume to India. Lawyers who graduated from prestigious Western law schools are being recruited by Indian law firms, where these individuals head teams of grunt-work lawyers who are willing to work for much less than their Western counterparts.

Outsourced call centers are becoming the norm rather than the exception and the stereotype that a call to a large corporation will be directed overseas frequently rings true. What business owners frequently overlook when outsourcing, especially a call center, is that customer satisfaction can take a hit if the management isn’t handled carefully. If the individuals who are answering their calls are not thoroughly able to provide the service necessary and are not fully trained, problems are encountered. Most of the ignorance that we encounter when calling overseas is based not on a lack of understanding, but a necessity to instead be present and involved with the company. There are aspects of a business’ specific procedures that are difficult to understand or even frankly know about through telecommunication alone.

As our company, Five Star Painting, grew, we understood the necessity for attaining a sales center to deal with the high volume of calls we received. We have, like I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts, about 60 franchises throughout the United States and Canada that all depend on us to provide the customer service that they need. We still primarily rely on the call center that’s based here in our corporate office; however, the one we have here is a sales and call center combo.

Constant maintenance is required to upkeep the outsourced call center we have, but the locally maintained office is easy to assist or communicate with as necessary because, well, they’re right here. Every time they answer the phone, they represent our company and each of them recognizes the burden that can put on their reactions.

Sharece Willcoxon, one of our Sales Center Specialists here, said, “When you break it down, a lot of responsibility actually comes down to the people who are thought of as just the gofer-lackeys who just do the busywork no one else wants to. “

Sometimes customers can need a little convincing, even when they are the ones who called us, and the sales center that we have does a great job of persuading customers in a polite and encouraging way.  Our sales center is also the first contact many customers have with our company. I sometimes wonder if the only happiness some of our customers encounter all day may be one of our sales center specialists, and that changes your perspective.  While some things can be outsourced, I for one am glad we keep some things right here (right outside of my window actually).

When it comes right down to it, I would rather talk to someone who I can feel confident in; someone who I know understands what I am saying, someone who has met and knows the people they are referring to me and a person who gets what I may be going through as well.  Thanks to all our sales center representatives: you are doing a great job!

Some used products to avoid like the plague—underwear, socks and mattresses (as a side note, used mattresses especially freak me out. They gain about 30% in weight from—you guessed it—dead skin cells. DISGUSTING! Sorry for the visual).

Some used products that could save you money—books, furniture, DVD’s, CD’s and businesses

*Double take* Used businesses?

Buying a used franchise puts you directly into an already-established, up-and-running business. Not only is there less worry about the initial start-up costs, but a good amount of ground work marketing could have already been invested in by the original owners. If it’s a used franchise you’re considering purchasing, that tends to sweeten the deal because a brand that has already been established at multiple locations is now at your disposal with the same benefits that buying a used franchise provides.

The only foreseeable trouble could be finding someone who is willing to sell a Five Star Painting franchise to you.

On our five star painting main blog, we have a more in-depth analysis. Click here: http://bit.ly/9a9ujx

For the original article, click here: http://bit.ly/ayGanU