Franchising World

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Are your leads generating new franchisees?
For franchise companies to survive during this challenging time, leads must foster the emergence of new franchisees and marketing campaigns must excite existing customers and attract new ones. This . . .

Setting the course for the next half century.(IFA PRESIDENT AND CEO'S COLUMN)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The author of the popular futurist book "Megatrends," John Naisbitt wrote, "Strategic planning is worthless--unless there is first a strategic vision." Keeping this proposit . . .

Lead generation and the Internet: as the relationship between lead generation and the Internet continues to evolve, franchisors
Though it may seem hard to believe in this day and age, information wasn't just one click away a decade or so ago. School children scoured leather-bound encyclopedias when writing research papers in . . .

Solving the mystery of "AdWords" to generate leads: search marketing is an effective method for generating sales.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Henry Ford once said, "Whether you think you can or you can't, either way, you're right." A hundred years later, that statement still applies in the global marketplace. As t . . .

Maintain your identity, connect franchisees with an online store: the options for a company store are endless. Launching a compa
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Image is everything. Now, more than ever, it is imperative that franchisors work smarter to maintain a consistent, effective corporate identity and branding that positions t . . .

Extend your reach with e-mail marketing: spending your marketing dollars wisely and developing a strategy that includes both you
Franchise owners are adept marketers with an arsenal of tools at their disposal to meet their marketing goals. Many franchises rely on e-mail marketing for its most common purpose: customer communic . . .

On the G.R.O.W: what retailers should do now: identify the stores that are performing well, and then pinpoint the variables that
In the current retail environment, franchisors who are using customer analytics to drive business decisions are faring better than those who aren't. With declining sales and fewer store openings, it . . .

Creating recession-ready financing options: do not be afraid to invest in new financing programs that will keep your brand movin
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] For franchisors and franchisees, nothing beats the vibe of a fully-charged, fully-driven franchise system. The feeling that everyone is united, behind the brand, in-sync wit . . .

Assisting franchisees in financial stress: get in quick, put a plan in place, create a good working relationship with the franch
Franchisors face a dual challenge in these uncertain economic times--ensuring their organizations are financially viable and providing support to struggling franchisees. It would be wonderful to hav . . .

Break-even analysis--making it work for your franchise: break-even analysis provides a quick and easy tool to screen opportuniti
Break-even analysis can be a simple yet powerful tool to help franchisors manage their business. It is also one of the oldest financial analysis techniques with the earliest mention of break-even an . . .

IFA supports bill to help veterans buy franchises: award-winning IFA VetFran program reaches new milestone.(International Franch
The International Franchise Association applauded Congressmen Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) and Leonard Boswell (D-Iowa) for introducing The Help Veterans Own Franchises Act that encourages franchise busine . . .

Florida: a profile: this profile is part of an occasional series examining the issues and atmosphere guiding politics and policy
The Facts Florida--Named on Easter 1513 by Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon for "Pascua Florida," meaning "Flowery Easter" Capital--Tallahassee Nickname--The Sunshine State 27th state, en . . .

IFA Pres. and CEO Matthew Shay participates in choice hotels international's capitol hill update.
The opening session of the Choice Hotel's 55th Annual Convention focused on the theme "Achieving more together," by highlighting that if the industry stands together the franchise and hospitality in . . .

IFA Public Affairs Conference to host Franchisee of Year Awards this fall.(International Franchise Association)(Brief article)
Another good reason to make the trip Washington, D.C. for the International Franchise Association's Public Affairs Conference this fall, besides sharing the industry's story of economic recovery and . . .

Supporting federal candidates: report card.(Brief article)(Statistical data)
The International Franchise Association's current financial support to candidates for federal office as of mid-May is reflected in the following "report card." Supporting Federal Candidates IFA's p . . .

Evaluating franchisees for multi-unit growth: identifying high-performing operators as potential multi-unit operators can be acc
Simply put, franchisors have two ways to expand their systems: same-store-sales growth from existing units and expansion of the franchise system by adding more units. With many concepts experiencing . . .

What the heck is "social media?" Are you taking advantage of social media? Are you really "Web 2.0?".
Today, the ever-evolving ways of communication are moving at lightning speeds across e-based platforms. To compete effectively and communicate their brand message quickly and cost-effectively while . . .

Advertising and marketing: advance or retreat? Cutting your marketing budget is akin to being in a war and cutting your budget f
We all know we're in a bad economy. Let's not beat that dead horse. Instead, let's take a look at how your marketing is reacting to the economy. First, the franchisee. There you are with your life . . .

Stand out from the competition: don't let the competition turn your business into a commodity brand.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It's a jungle out there Franchises are proliferating (more than 3,000 at last count), and so are the channels through which they are attempting to reach their franchisee p . . .

Great American dine out fights childhood hunger: Sept. 20-26 program unites thousands of restaurants across America for vital ca
Each year, more than 12 million children in America (one in six) worry about when their next meal will come. Share Our Strength, a leading national organization working to make sure no kid in Americ . . .

IFA legal forum: outpacing challenges: Legal Symposium generated ideas for franchise companies to turn challenges into opportuni
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The franchising community's leading legal and business minds gathered to address some of the latest laws and regulations affecting the industry and offered suggestions on ho . . .

Budgeting for international expansion: lots of alternatives, but all require serious research and planning.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Most of the world is going through times not seen in several generations, but the impact on franchising, although difficult, has not been terminal. This is due primarily to . . .

West Coast Franchise Expo to feature top financial experts: IFA-produced franchise expos offer more than just great concepts and
With all the doom and gloom about the economy, it would appear that obtaining a business loan is nearly impossible. Though that's not the case, in these difficult times, banks are more conservative . . .

Keith Mueller has joined Bookkeeping Express.(People)
Keith Mueller has joined Bookkeeping Express' advisory board. . . .

ColorTyme and RimTyme hired Ryan Alford.(People)
ColorTyme and RimTyme hired Ryan Alford as corporate communications specialist. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] . . .

F.C. Dadson.(People)
F.C. Dadson named Marie VanDrisse as senior account executive for the company's Display & Exhibit Division. . . .

Firehouse Subs.(People)
Firehouse Subs selected Michael Fattizzi and Ashley Miles as members of its marketing team. . . .

Fitness Together Holdings.(People)
Fitness Together Holdings promoted Kristine Fisher vice president of human resources. . . .

FranchiseMastermind.com.(People)
Dr. John Hayes has launched FranchiseMastermind.com. . . .

Gamer Doc.(People)
Gamer Doc named Bill Noah its first area developer for North Carolina. . . .

Paciugo Gelato Caffe.(People)
Paciugo Gelato Caffe named Steve Berkman CFE named president of franchising. . . .

Paul Davis National.(People)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Paul Davis National picked Art Dickerson as executive vice president of business development. . . .

Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers.(People)
Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers hired Mike Watson as director of construction and Sean Bishop as director of facilities. . . .

Soccer Shots.(People)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Soccer Shots named Justin Bredemann national director of store support. . . .

Stevi B's Pizza.(People)
Stevi B's Pizza announced that Scott Knight joined the company as senior director of franchise operations. . . .

Einstein Noah Restaurant Group.(Growth)
Einstein Noah Restaurant Group signed a multi-unit development agreement with JAC Development Corp. of Grand Junction, Colo. to franchise six Einstein Bros. Bagels restaurants. . . .

MBE Worldwide.(Growth)
MBE Worldwide, a new affiliate of Italy's Fineffe Group, has acquired the Mail Boxes Etc. international network, becoming the franchisor outside the United States, Canada and India. . . .

Pinkberry.(Growth)
Pinkberry acquired more than $9 million of new funding from current and new investors and signed its first global expansion agreement with M.H. Alshaya Co. to expand into the Middle East. . . .

Ramada Worldwide.(Growth)
Ramada Worldwide continued expansion in the Middle East with the development of two new hotels: the 299-room Ramada Plaza Kuwait City hotel and the 183-room Ramada Hotel and Suites Amman hotel in Jo . . .

Red Mango.(Growth)
Red Mango, with the opening of its first Indiana store, reached the 50-store milestone. . . .

VR Business Sales.(Growth)
VR Business Sales' is opening locations in Panama City, Panama; Baja, Mexico; Santiago, Chile, as well as its 25th location in Spain. . . .

7-Eleven.(Marketing)
7-Eleven launched a new franchise-recruiting Web Site: www.franchise.7-Eleven.com. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] . . .

CiCi's Pizza's served more than 800 free slices of its new Tater Tot Pizza to guests at the reception that followed the wedding
CiCi's Pizza's served more than 800 free slices of its new Tater Tot Pizza to guests at the reception that followed the wedding of Miss Cheese Pizza and Mr. Tater Tot in Centennial Olympic Park, Cop . . .

ColorTyme.(Marketing)
Epic Ventures LLC, owners of five ColorTyme franchises in Maryland, challenged seniors from five high schools to participate in the 2009 Epic Ventures People Helping People Senior Essay Competition . . .

Critter Control.(Marketing)
Critter Control created its own "stimulus package," rolling back initial franchise fees, and introducing a minimum up-front investment option offering franchises for as little as $5,000 down. Any ba . . .

Great American Cookies.(Marketing)
Great American Cookies launched "The Great American Dad Contest," challenging participants to tell what makes their dad great. Prizes include 52-inch TVs and gift certificates. . . .

Liberty Tax.(Marketing)
Liberty Tax has launched an SMS Messaging campaign to provide text message coupons and automatic reminders for key tax dates. . . .

MAACO Franchising.(Marketing)
MAACO Franchising will sponsor the annual college postseason football game that will, for the next three years, be known as the Maaco Bowl Las Vegas. Kickoff for the 2009 game will be 5 p.m. PT Dec. . . .

Massage Envy Limited.(Brief article)
Massage Envy Limited unveiled a new model, the Massage Envy Spa, which offers customized therapeutic facials and massages at discounted membership rates. The franchise also partnered with Murad Inte . . .

Sport Clips.(Brief article)
Sport Clips launched an "It's Good to Be a Guy" macho creative campaign featuring a "Big Big Burger" ad challenging a guy to live up to his words and eat a surprise seven-pound hamburger. "Guys live . . .