Small Business Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Owners’

There is a growing excitement and eagerness to step off of a corporate ladder and begin the franchise business that you have always dreamed of owning. If you are thinking about becoming your own boss and taking advantage of the business opportunities out there that allow you to be in business for yourself and run your own company you have also probably wrestled with whether or not you are ready both personally and financially. While the personal question of readiness has no clear checklist for whether or not you will experience success in the franchise business world, there are several franchise businesses for sale that offer low cost franchise owners the opportunity to begin running their own business much sooner than they thought possible. Below are listed the top 10 low cost franchises that allow a first time franchise owner the support, training, and assistance to step into the freedom of running his or her own business.

#1 Davis Coleman Limited

Davis Coleman Limited provides specialist services to banks and the legal profession such as debt recovery, property repossessions, process serving, debt counseling and more. In addition to a comprehensive training package plus ongoing support as a new franchise owner, you will also receive referrals from national accounts and the head office of clients in their local area. They allow for third party financing and can be started for £9,750.

#2 Kendlebell

Kendlebell Franchises won the IFA award for “Best Emerging Franchise Opportunity” in 2007/8. A Kendlebell franchise offers busy clients a telephone answering service with the confidence and security that their phone calls will be handled in a professional manner and be answered exactly as the client desires. Kendlebell offers third party financing, training and support, and a low capital investment of £9,999.

#3 Myhome Lawn Cutting and Care

Myhome Lawn Cutting and Care is more than just a lawn mowing franchise, they handle all of the lawn care, landscaping, and all areas of yard care. Each Myhome employee is trained to be a “turf expert” and whether your niche is caring for properties, or simply managing and running a business that does, the training support and excellent relationship Myhome maintains with its franchise owners makes this low cost franchise an alluring opportunity. Minimum investment required is £6,000, total capital investment required is £25,000.

#4 Maid 2 Clean

Maid 2 Clean has been providing high quality domestic housekeeping, cleaning and ironing services to thousands of private residential householders since 1993. As a Maid 2 Clean franchise owner you receive comprehensive training and management skills. This minimal risk, high margin business offers the perfect franchise opportunity for the entrepreneur looking for a rapid return on their investment with a relatively low cost to start up and over 90% repeat customer business. Maid 2 Clean offers third party financing and requires a minimum investment of £8,246.

#5 Business Referral Exchange

Business Referral Exchange allows natural networkers who enjoy meeting people and passing on contacts the perfect opportunity to being their own low cost franchise business. This effective and sought after business allows you to use your natural personal skills to generate business contacts and connect them with other business partners to further their networks. As a Business Referral Exchange owner you will receive an intensive training course followed by ongoing support and additional training, lead generation, and access to a large database. BRE requires an investment of £5,000-£15,000.

#6 ORCA Websites

ORCA franchises sell tailor made websites to small and medium sized businesses without requiring their franchise owners to have experience and previous web design backgrounds. ORCA guarantees its franchisers a protected territory with a regular supply of new business enquires, rapid return on your investment, and ongoing training and a business mentor. An ORCA websites franchise requires an initial investment of £10,950+VAT.

#7 Cardgroup Greetings

Cardgroup Greetings is a low cost franchise requiring a total capital investment of £9,995. With this comes extensive training and support to franchise owners who will own part of the best and most widely sold greeting card and gift distribution business in the world. Originally formed in Sweden Cardgroup is now present in over 24 countries and continually growing due to the success of its franchise owners.

#8 City Local

City Local Franchises are low cost business franchise opportunities that offer their owners a valuable service to local areas by creating and maintaining a high traffic website that connects local business and owners with their clients. It provides valuable information to the public and allows small businesses the opportunity of much publicity and heavy internet traffic. Prices for City Local franchise opportunities begin at £9,900+VAT.

#9 Babyprints

A Babyprints franchise is a franchise business for sale that requires a minimum investment of £15,000 and a total capital investment of £17,500. Babyprints creates impressions and casts of children’s hands and feet. These timeless icons serve as some of the most precious memories of many mums and dads of their children’s first few months of life. Franchise owners get to provide these families with what will likely be one of their most darling possessions. As a Babyprints owner you receive exclusive sales territory, ongoing training, and marketing support.

#10 Billboard Connections

Billboard Connections provides effective outdoor advertising solutions for large and small businesses and provides their franchise owners with recurring income. Billboard Connections advertise themselves literally and each franchise has very low start-up costs with low overheads since owners will not need an office, staff, or stock. This home based business franchise requires a relatively low initial investment of £10,000-£15,000.

Whether you have been saving for months and months to start your own business or have multiple businesses or franchises already, any of these franchise opportunities would be worth considering because of their comparatively inexpensive startup commitments.

One thing I have found in my years of entrepreneurship is that smart marketing is the key to success. I have worked with many different types of small business owners, entrepreneurs, coaches and consultants from all kinds of industries. No matter what their business is I have found that if the person does not know how to market it, and they do not get help to do so, the business will not survive.

The following 10 items are what I consider a good small business start up checklist. If you are in business or thinking about getting into business, you will want to ensure you have or are working on all of these things constantly. The right mix of these items works well to maximize your exposure, credibility, expert status as well as to build your database and help you make informed marketing decisions.

1. Realistically Defined Target Market – Most small business owners actually have too large of a target market to be realistic and to be able market to them all with their limited time and budget. Most likely, you will want to narrow your market or define your niche even further with specific demographics and psychographics. In doing so, you will begin to see unique opportunities surface in that market. Do not forget about all your referral sources. Remember, they are your target market too!

2. Marketing Plan – This plan should outline everything you could possibly do in your marketing, based upon who your target market (ideal client) is and the best ways to reach them, including various guerilla marketing techniques, ideas, promotions, and co-promotions. You will need to stick to your well-researched plan and not be tempted to steer away by random advertising opportunities. This should also include a Publicity Plan. The Publicity Plan should include pertinent media contacts, press releases, article submissions and event listings for ongoing exposure. If you are not submitting press releases regularly to the local media and/or local organizations you belong to, you are missing FREE opportunities to get additional exposure for your business.

3. Database – Input all clients, prospective clients, referral sources, and contacts you will need in one place. Be sure to include everyone you have ever known or done business with so that it is easily mail merged for one. In addition, format the database so that you can sort them by hot, warm or cold prospect or referral source. Next, stay in regular contact with your database through effective Database Marketing and Follow Up. This will allow you to be on the top of their minds when the topic of your service and/or product arises in conversation. This process can include letter and email templates, a system for following up with ‘hot’, ‘warm’ or ‘cold’ prospects and ongoing database marketing. Remember, if you do not do a quick follow up after you meet someone, you are missing opportunities and they might forget about you. You want to follow up with everyone you meet within 48 hours of your meeting. In addition, you will want to ensure you continuously follow up. You need to make this system automatic, systematic and practical so that it will get done. Delegate the process it if you have to.

4. Company Web site – Including domain name(s), hosting, reciprocal links, and Internet submission. You are missing sales if you do not have a Web site. However, a professional Web site is a must, not a home-made, amateur site as it will harm your credibility. It does not have to cost a fortune to be professional. The goal is to design it so it will inform, entice and capture your audience.

5. Email Marketing – Distribution lists, program for email marketing, newsletters, promotions – email marketing is the cheapest form of marketing that anyone can do. However, these days there are spam laws that a business must follow as well as email etiquette that you should strive to follow so that you are portrayed as a professional business. There are programs that you can use to truly make your emails pop, but remember you must send people information that your audience wants to read, not just what you want them to read.

6. Effective Ads & Advertising Plan – Including Timeline & Budget – More than likely you are not spending enough money on advertising. If it you advertise in the right places, places that reach your target market, with a good message or headline and for a reasonable length of time you should see good results. If you only try it once, go too small, or have no idea how to design your ad effectively, you will not get results. Learn about all the advertising mediums in your target area, who they reach, their demographics, what kind of circulation they have based on their cost, etc.

7. Professional Marketing Materials – Business Cards, letterhead, envelopes, brochure, sales packet, flyer, and postcard – whatever is necessary to reach your target market. The materials must be professionally designed, printed and presented.

8. Branding – Includes signage like nametags, shirts with logo, vehicle signs, banner, promotional products and giveaways – the more your name is in front of people, the better. You will want people to recognize your brand on everything you do.

9. Networking Plan – Includes any pertinent organizations, associations, chambers or other professional group that brings in referrals or is an effective venue for prospecting or business development. Pick some organizations (between 2 – 5) you believe are the best at either promoting or building your business. Join them and become as active as you possibly can so you become the well-known expert in your field. Volunteer your time generously and most of all put their events on your calendar before any other client meeting or job because these are advertising dollars that you are not spending.

10. Good, Reliable Vendors – Includes industry vendors as well as those for your business development such as printers, mailing houses, delivery services, rental companies. You would be surprised to know that you are probably spending too much money in one or more of these areas right now. Find reliable, inexpensive sources.

If you are thinking that there is absolutely no way you can get all this done yourself, or you just do not know how to do something on this list then, I would suggest that you find an expert in that field to help you. Delegate that task to someone who knows best how to accomplish it and can do it much more efficiently than you can.

Remember, the cost of outsourcing such tasks far outweighs the valuable time you spent trying to figure it out. Your marketing is the most important thing you will ever do in running your own business. If you do not believe me, save this article in a safe place. When you go out of business in 2-5 years, find it and read it again.

There is a tremendous excitement in the air about niche marketing. Why? It’s the best way to get the most bang for your buck. And more than ever, marketing your product or service to a specific group of people is what funnels prospects to your website.

However, when you are a small business owner just starting out, niche marketing may seem counter-intuitive. After all, marketing to a larger group of people will net more sales, right?

As a small business start up consultant, getting my clients to focus on a specific niche market is one of the most challenging parts of my job. Often, they resist, saying, “I don’t want to restrict my market because if I do I’ll get fewer sales.” “Do you have an unlimited supply of dollars?” I ask them, “Because you’ll need millions to market to a broad market group.”

Is it okay with you if I save you months of agony and millions of dollars?

Good! Here are the three things every first-time small business owner must know before they market to their niche group.

Pre-marketing Niche Checklist

1. Do you know who isn’t in your target market?

Ruling out who isn’t in your niche is a fun way to get around the resistance many first-time small business owners have to narrowing their niche. Go crazy here. Consider your niche. Now, list all the things you know for certain about who your niche isn’t. How old aren’t they? Where don’t they live? What kind of a lifestyle don’t they engage in? Where don’t they hang out, live, or eat. What don’t they buy? What luxuries don’t they want? What aren’t they saving for? What product or service don’t they need you to supply?

This approach easily and effortlessly narrows the market. Besides that, it’s creative and fun. After answering this question, you will be much closer to determining who your niche market is and more open to focusing your business to serve a specialized, smaller niche group.

2. What problems do your competitors already solve for your niche?

In all my years of helping women start up businesses, every time I’ve ask the question, “What product or service does your niche need,” they’ve predictably responded with what product or service they are excited about rolling out. They haven’t a clue as to what their competitors already offer. Far worse . . . they don’t know what their niche actually needs.

To keep the focus off my client’s need and on her niche’s need, I’ve found focusing on her niche market’s competition to be a great work-around solution.

Engaging in market research at this stage of the start-up process gives you the inside scoop on your competition. You’ll come to know were the gaps are, and begin to formulate solutions. As you examine each of your competitors write down the answers to these questions:

+What products and services do they offer?

+What problems do you think they’re solving?

+How would you solve this very same problem?

Armed with the answers to these questions, you are ready to position your solutions for success.

3. What solution is your niche market willing to buy?

This question is designed to shift your thinking from what you are selling to what your niche market is buying. What are they willing to pay for? How much are they willing to spend? Why do they want it? You are placing yourself in a very powerful marketing position by knowing the answer to these three questions.

From this position, you can now focus your energy and resources on developing specific solutions that you know will be relevant and meaningful to your niche group. Ones you know they are willing to buy and want.

No need to guess any longer what your niche market wants and who they are. Complete the pre-marketing niche checklist to know for sure. You’ll save money, avoid months of agony, and attract a steady stream of potential buyers to your website, if you do these things before you market to your niche. Figure out who your niche market isn’t and what your market’s problem is so you can deliver your product with confidence.

Cash register? Check. Employees? Check. Zip Ties? Wait a second. Zip ties were not on the small business checklist. Until now.

Many small business owners are already using zip ties to bundle cords and cables in their stores or home offices. But zip ties have a myriad of uses, offering convenience and affordability in the pursuit of the American dream.

Dry Cleaners

Multiple pieces from the same customer can be secured with a simple zip tie. Cleaners can keep their racks organized and customers can avoid misplacing an item. An extra dose of customer service will keep a store a cut above the rest.

Jewelers

Necklaces, rings, and other accessories are easily fastened to their tags through the use of a zip tie. Lock the tie on the back of the tag. Then cut the excess tie to help display the product with a crisp, sharp presentation.

Florists and Vineyards

Some plants need a little help while they grow. Orchids, grapevines, and the like can be attached to sturdy apparatuses with zip ties. Effective yet inconspicuous, zip ties allow the plant be the main event.

Retail Store Owners

Zip ties make excellent fasteners to hang signs announcing a sale or other announcement. The marvelously robust zip ties aren’t going anywhere soon and neither will store signs.

Farmers

Connecting stall mats, constructing wire chicken cages, bundling tools – the possibilities are endless for the working farm. Zip ties can be used to temporarily replace broken lock on a gate or while preparing loads for the farmers market.

Zip Ties, while humble in appearance and simple in function, are remarkable gizmos that can save small business owners time and money.