Franchise Country
We hit the road and went in search of the hottest trends in franchising, from the mountains to the prairies.
I'm in danger. My car is rocketing south through the heart
of Texas, on I-35, one of the busiest highways in the country. This
ugly, congested slab is a huge distribution channel connecting
Mexico to the heart of the United States. It's a place where
countless pickup trucks blast past hardworking drug dogs, amid a
sea of looming 100-foot-pole signs, screaming for business. My
orders from Entrepreneur were succinct: Go forth into the
countryside, perform reconnaissance on "hot trends," and
file a scouting report about my firsthand look at the franchise
landscape.
The fuel light is blinking, and my stomach growls. I'm on a
road trip from Dallas to San Antonio, Texas, to attend the
International Franchise Association's 43rd annual convention.
My own road rules have put me in danger--namely, that during my
travel odyssey, I would not patronize any franchise brand that I
had previously patronized. That's why I'm hungry and
running out of gas, just four hours into my quest. It is both a
tremendous privilege and an incredible burden to report on
franchise trends. The IFA says franchises exist in no less than 75
different
| Built to Last? |
| How can you tell if the
franchise of your dreams is in it for the long haul? Read
"The Test
of Time" for five tips. |
industry categories, and, if I wrote about a different concept
each day of the year, it would take me about 13 years to cover the
industry. So while it is a little precocious of anyone to tell you
the best gamble of your nest egg for a franchised business, the
IFA's annual convention is a great place to start getting some
ideas. This year, approximately 1,600 franchise professionals
attended the convention. It's a great place to attend seminars
and listen to compelling speeches, but the real gold is dispersed
in the quiet conversations of the inner circle that take place
during the breaks.
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