Women are better educated now than ever. They have accumulated considerable corporate experience. After years in the corporate world they are tired of being locked into super-human schedules which often include brutal hours and travel obligations. They have grown weary of corporate politics, the corporate craziness of power struggles and meaningless competitive games. They are bored with unchallenging positions. They long for greater autonomy, flexibility and control of their schedules. They begin to hear that entrepreneurial voice, saying ?You?re smarter and more capable than 90% of the management team ? why not use your talents to run your own show?? or, ?I?ve paid my dues and now it?s time to do work that I love, work that feeds my soul.? or, ?Why am I working myself to a frazzle to build equity in someone else?s business? Why not build equity in my own??

But women can also feel a note of caution about business ownership. They might begin to wonder if starting their own business will be even more demanding than working for someone else. They may have heard horror stories of entrepreneurs that worked day and night with little financial reward. Or they wonder if they would miss the companionship of working with colleagues; they want to be in business for themselves, but not by themselves. They want to be business owners, and at the same time they want to be faithful to family relationships and responsibilities. Whether single or married, they don?t want to take an unreasonable risk that could negatively effect their family or their security. Franchising can often be the perfect fit.

Several characteristics unique to franchising make it tremendously appealing to women. By nature women are relational, they generally enjoy, in fact crave, opportunities to work with others toward a shared goal. Women like to connect at a deeper level, to feel that bond of shared experience. Experiencing something in common with others is rewarding at a deep level. Becoming a part of a franchise system meets this need. It offers women a way to be connected with like-minded souls ? you have a built in team of franchise owners with whom you can connect. You?re not alone. Once you sign the franchise agreement, you become a part of a community.

Starting any business is a risk, but buying a franchise mitigates that risk for many women. Buying a franchise means you are purchasing a proven model, along with training and operations systems that have been tested and validated. You don?t have to reinvent the wheel. Because it?s a proven model it often accelerates the start-up phase, when a business can tax even the most energetic entrepreneur. You don?t spend months or years wondering if you?ll ?make it.? You have the confidence that if you follow the plan, the training, the systems, you are highly likely to succeed.

Franchising may help you be move more quickly to becoming profitable. There are two primary functions in any business ? the developmental function and the implementation function. With a franchise, the entire business concept development cycle has been completed (not to mention paid for) by the franchisor. Once you purchase a franchise, you start right in with the implementation cycle. The majority of your time can be spent on obtaining and keeping customers, not on determining what customers really want and how to provide it. Imagine how many months or years it would take you to come up with your own viable concept — the product, the services, the pricing, the financial targets, the staffing plan, the entire marketing package, the materials, the website, the sales plan, the sales scripts, and everything else involved in creating a business ? perfecting everything as you go along, at the same time you?re trying to generate business to pay for the development cycle. Franchising launches you quickly into generating income. You have completely developed and tested products and services to sell. You have branding systems, marketing materials, and operational processes completely developed for your immediate implementation. Very likely, you?ll have access to a website. Yes, you have to get your own customers; yes you have to work hard; yes, you have to be networked in your own community. But you can begin making the business work immediately and move more quickly to being profitable.

Which brings us back to not being alone ? your franchisor wants to see you succeed. Franchising gives you access to people who know what it?s like to walk in your shoes who are invested in your success. Most franchisors provide initial training and ongoing mentoring through a variety of means. When you aren?t sure how to handle a certain situation, you can pick up the phone and call someone who has been there and done that. When you have an exciting success, you can pick up the phone and call someone who will be celebrating with you.

For many women, franchising is a perfect fit and the most congruent way to listen to that entrepreneurial voice.

Copyright 2005 Darcie Harris

About the Author

Darcie Harris is co-founder of EWF International?, an Oklahoma based firm providing peer advisory groups for women business owners and executives. EWF International? franchises are available throughout the Southwest. View this article and others at http://www.ewfinternational.com. darcie@ewfinternational.com

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I read an article from the Seattle Times this week about a Quiznos franchise that struggled for several weeks just to stay afloat after the owners disappeared. The manager and three employees stayed on with no pay in an attempt to salvage this sinking ship. Things got really bad when food vendors would no longer deliver on credit so the loyal employees were forced to pick up supplies, such as deli meat, from the local grocery store. See Article Here

Stories like this are not typical of franchise models, but, of course, nothing is completely flawless. Franchises are the hottest business model today because they provide a proven system and product that tend to produce very high rates of success. The downside typically comes from the high start-up fees. A typical brick and mortar franchise can run between $430,000 and $750,000 with the majority going to pay for the building, equipment, and supplies. Forty percent of this cost has to come from your own (non-borrowed) funds.

Not all franchises today are brick and mortar businesses, however. In fact, there are many service franchises that can be run from your home. Entrepreneur Magazine has released it’s spring title of “Be Your Own Boss: 231 Low-Cost Businesses You Can Start Today!” It’s packed with several franchises options that range from $2,200 to $50,000 in startup costs and require small ongoing royalty fees that average under 10%. A great web site for additional information on franchise options is www.franchise.com

If these start-up costs are still a little high, consider starting your own service business. There are several great ideas Dan gives in his audio Turning Your Passions into Profits. Also, stay tuned for “Business Ideas You Can Bootstrap For Under $500!” an e-book that will be available to all of our subscribers for FREE in a couple of weeks.

About the Author

Jonathan R Taylor is the author of The Coach’s Career Tips and Resources. He helps his clients Love Their Work! You can subscribe at http://www.careercalling.com/subscribe.htm.

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When you take into account that there are over 68,000,000 dogs in the United States alone, you can see why many people consider taking advantage of a dog day care franchise.

However, before you even think about a dog day care franchise, please do a self evaluation and make sure you are doing it for the right reasons. A dog day care franchise is a tremendous responsibility. It requires a lot of time, a lot of effort, and a lot of resources.

Now, please understand that I am not implying that a dog day care franchise is not a wise choice for you. I am only trying to help provide you with some useful dog day care franchise information.

Here are some general questions to ask yourself before starting a dog day care franchise:

- Do I really love dogs enough to start a dog day care franchise?

Yes, I realize like many opportunities in life, you have the potential to make good profits with a dog day care franchise regardless of whether you really care for the dogs or not.

However, if you don’t have a love and passion for dogs, your success with a dog day care franchise will more than likely be limited.

- Next, are you willing to foot the bill for all of the necessary dog day care franchise resources?

Yes, even a dog day care franchise that comes with all the necessary information and tools is still going to cost you. Especially, if you are renting a building for leasing land.

These are just some of the reasons why I encourage people to do their research before taking advantage of a dog day care franchise.

So if you’ve read this article and find that a dog day care franchise is still a viable opportunity for you then great!

I wish you nothing but success!

About the Author

Kelley Blackston

“Thousands Have Discovered This Little Known Secret To Making Money With A Dog Day Care — Now It’s Your Turn…”

http://www.startadogdaycare.com

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