The Future is Now
Tech franchises are hot. Whether you're teaching kids all about computers or consulting for big business, don't get left out of this great opportunity.
The franchise industry is all abuzz, and the talk is about
technology-for good reason. Technology is paving the way to the
future, leaving a need for entrepreneurs who can help lessen the
impact of today's rapidly widening digital divide. Stepping up
to bat are technology consulting, service and training franchises
offering a broad range of services, such as hardware repair,
networking, software/security consulting and website development.
We talked to some of the franchise players about what factors are
causing this demand, how the digital divide is shaking things up
and why the time is ideal for franchisees in particular to enter
the scene. Tech AddictsPeople are becoming increasingly dependent on technology, using
computers for a range of activities from shopping online to finding
love. A 2004 survey conducted by the Stanford Institute for the
Quantitative Study of Society determined that the average U.S.
internet user spends three hours a day online. The internet has
actually caused a decrease in the amount of time these users spend
watching TV and doing other activities. The study also confirmed
that Americans are more connected than ever, with as much as 75
percent of the U.S. population having access to the internet either
at home or at work. Chip Reaves, 35, national director of Decatur, Georgia-based
Computer Troubleshooters USA, a computer services and support
franchise, has noticed that residential users have become a higher
percentage of the franchise's customers in the past two years.
"More home users are willing to pay to have us come out and
work on their computers," he says. "People are becoming
so dependent on e-mail and [the internet], with kids using it for
homework and parents balancing the checkbook on it." Content Continues Below
Businesses have also discovered an online presence is necessary
for brand awareness and company sales. A 2004 survey by market
research firm Harris Interactive estimated that 70 percent of U.S.
small businesses have an online presence, a sharp increase from the
SBA's 2002 figure of 35 percent. "Technology not only
helps you run your business more effectively-sometimes it's the
only way you can do it," says Camille Hamilton, 44, who has
been a franchisee of on-site computer training and support
franchise CM IT Solutions, based in Austin, Texas, for nearly four
years. "When companies don't have internet access, that
can impact their bottom line."
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