When you are getting ready to open your new business finding the right location is your first major decision, and one that you need to get right. You probably have heard the saying location, location, location, that may be even more true when finding a location for your new business. We are going to focus on retail and service businesses and three things you need to do to find your ideal location
1) Define What Your Looking For Before You Drive Around - What are your key ingredients? What are your must haves? These most likely will include things like visibility, foot traffic, Drive-by, parking. But what about synergistic businesses, are they close by? Another factor may be things like Density and easy in and out. So before you go out looking clearly define what your looking for, or more importantly what your customers are looking for.
2) Our There Enough Customers In Your Market - You know I am amazed at how many people buy a business and haven't counted the number of potential customers in there area. Use the demographic research available and get a good idea and how many potential customers there are for you to be successful.
3) Growing vs Graying Areas - What is the age demographics of your customers and where are they congregating? In real estate terms this is called growing vs graying areas. You know a funny thing happens in most markets. Young people like to hang out with young people, older people like to hang out with there age group, ever heard of a young couple moving into a retirement community?! Find out where your age demographics are congregating, and focus your search there.
At Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids we do lots of that demographic research for you BEFORE we come for site selection. Because finding the right location is the first step on your road to building a successful business. If you would like to explore our opportunity then just fill in the link below and someone from our executive team will give you a call to discuss your next steps!
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I was recently on a website where franchisees can go to complain about there franchisors. The common theme amongst the complaints was that the franchisor made a lot of promises that they didn't keep, the numbers weren't adding up like the franchisor said they would and they weren't being trained properly.
Of course, it's important to understand that when you buy a franchise, you'll need to wear a lot of hats! Not only are you the head of operations, but you will need to recruit the best employees and constantly train them, give customers great service, track the numbers and watch your expenses and keep your finger on the pulse of your business.
There are lots of reasons that franchises fail. Running a business is not for the faint of heart. But if you bought into a franchise, you bought into a system or process that has succeeded at some level. So my suggestion is if your franchise is not performing like you want it to, make sure that you are following the system! Franchisees often get their business up and running and then begin to change or modify existing services, advertising, products and even the quality and consistency of the customer service that they are delivering. This not only can lead to poor franchise performance, but can unfortunately be a violation of the franchise agreement as well. Yikes! So long story short, you'll definitely want to be sure to follow the franchise system you invested in, as it's a proven model for success!
The Shear Madness Franchise Advantage!
Shear Madness Franchising franchises Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids salons. We have worked with franchise stores in providing franchisee support (in order to encourage continual growth and business success), and have sometimes seen the unexpected happen! When it does, we help by identifying and helping with challengean help prevent these events as well. As many franchise owners may not have opened a business before, having someone who can advise them is a significant advantage of franchise ownership!
Are you interested in learning how YOU can join the Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids family and run your own successful small business? We are one of the fastest growing kids hair salons in the industry today! If you would like to learn more about this franchise opportunity or small business marketing, great marketing strategies, resources for small businesses, franchise success, how to grow your small business or how to become a successful owner of your own kids hair salon franchise business, please click below or call 1-888-98 GONE MAD!
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best kids hair salon,
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There are lots of moving parts to a franchise, including your franchisor's opening assistance, training and ongoing support. All of the aforementioned are important to your success as a franchisee, and the best way to measure these are to talk to current franchisees.
As important as all these factors are, many people looking to buy a franchise fail to look at what is arguably the most important component of all: the customer. More specifically, how many customers are there for your concept where you want to open? Or, how many times will they come back in a given year, and how long can you hold on to them? This is called customer long term value, or CLV, and it can be the difference between your success or failure.
Think about this, would you rather own a business where your customer comes back twice a year, or 8 times a year? Will they come back for the next 2 years, or the next 8? Will you be able to create a loyal customer or one that only needs your service once or twice per year?
Customers are fickle! Make sure that you have lots of them in your trade area, and that the franchise you are looking at can hold on to them for a long time.
The Shear Madness Franchise Advantage!
Shear Madness Franchising franchises Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids salons. We have worked with franchise stores in providing franchisee support (in order to encourage continual growth and business success), and have sometimes seen the unexpected happen! When it does, we help by identifying and helping with challengean help prevent these events as well. As many franchise owners may not have opened a business before, having someone who can advise them is a significant advantage of franchise ownership!
Are you interested in learning how YOU can join the Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids family and run your own successful small business? We are one of the fastest growing kids hair salons in the industry today! If you would like to learn more about this franchise opportunity or small business marketing, great marketing strategies, resources for small businesses, franchise success, how to grow your small business or how to become a successful owner of your own kids hair salon franchise business, please click below or call 1-888-98 GONE MAD!
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Shear Madness Haircuts for kids,
business growth,
franchising,
franchise research,
franchise, franchise success, franchising,
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business success,
kids hair salon,
business skills,
franchise success,
business ownership,
best kids hair salon,
smart investments,
small business success,
owning your own business
I was floored recently when I talked to a friend of mine about the franchise she bought. You see this wasn't what I would call your "typical" franchisee. Jane (as I will call her for the sake of this blog) has been in the franchise consulting business for 25 years. She has trained and taught both franchisees and franchisors about what to look for in a franchise, how to run a successful franchise business and what makes franchisees successful.
After years of consulting and teaching, Jane had decided about a year ago to buy into a franchise. Unfortunately, it failed after less than a year. With all of her expertise, all of her knowledge and all of her coaching, she forgot to ask herself one of the most important questions, "Can I see myself in this business?" People tend to look at franchises by how much money they can make and the cost of the franchise without ever stopping to look at what their day-to-day lives will look like.
Most of us are creatures of habit. We pretty much follow the same daily routines like planning vacations in advance, or trying to schedule our lives the best we can. As humans we get into our "comfort zones". The problem is that when you become a franchise owner, your comfort zone becomes disrupted. That's what happened to Jane. She told me she was surprised at how hard it was to manage the people and how much time she spent working on her business.
When Jane went from consulting to ownership, she experienced "where the rubber meets the road" if you will. Her comfort zone was disrupted, and the very things she had taught for 25 years she could't apply to herself. Now, try to picture what your day will look like in the franchise that you are considering. Call existing franchisees, as they are your best source and can give you an accurate assessment. And don't forget to ask yourself, "can I see myself in this business?"
The Shear Madness Franchise Advantage!
Shear Madness Franchising franchises Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids salons. We have worked with franchise stores in providing franchisee support (in order to encourage continual growth and business success), and have sometimes seen the unexpected happen! When it does, we help by identifying and helping with challengean help prevent these events as well. As many franchise owners may not have opened a business before, having someone who can advise them is a significant advantage of franchise ownership!
Are you interested in learning how YOU can join the Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids family and run your own successful small business? We are one of the fastest growing kids hair salons in the industry today! If you would like to learn more about this franchise opportunity or small business marketing, great marketing strategies, resources for small businesses, franchise success, how to grow your small business or how to become a successful owner of your own kids hair salon franchise business, please click below or call 1-888-98 GONE MAD!
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business growth,
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business skills,
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owning your own business,
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"YOU ARE DOING WHAT!? That's the question we heard most when we told our friends and families that we were franchising a Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids," says Janon Otto CEO of Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids Franchising - as well as a multi-unit franchisee for Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids. "They would also ask us what franchising is, and if we had gone crazy! Looking back, it's obvious that although there are franchises all over the place, most people have no idea what a franchise is. That's why the Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids franchising toolkit (available below) is so important. It really helps explain what franchising is, as well as the advantages of owning your own franchise business."
Ultimately though, it's important to understand that a franchise is a business model. When a business owner decides to expand their business, they have options. One of those options is to franchise. Franchising allows others to own their own company yet use the name, logo, and systems of the franchise business owner (the franchisor). And although a franchisee is responsible for the success or failure of their franchise location, there are some significant advantages to franchise ownership. This includes the following...
1. The franchisee doesn't not have to come up with their own unique business idea!
2. The franchisee can use the systems that have already been developed and used successfully by others, which dramatically shortens the learning curve!
3. The franchisee gets training and support with a business partner who knows and cares about the success of their new business.
4. If the franchise system is progressive, the franchisee doesn't have to worry about ongoing costs or keeping up with trends needed to develop the concept further, as the franchisor is responsible for this. Meanwhile, as the system grows, the name brand recognition grows - thus growing the business of the franchisee!
5. Tools to use for advertising and graphic design / marketing is usually provided as well.
And there is a BIG bonus to being in touch with business owners who are all trying to do the same think you are is a wonderful thing - many heads are much better than one!
Shear Madness Franchising franchises Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids salons. We have worked with franchise stores in providing franchisee support (in order to encourage continual growth and business success), and have sometimes seen the unexpected happen! When it does, we help by identifying and helping with challenges that might arise for franchisees. Additionally, we work to present options that can help prevent these events as well. As many franchise owners may not have opened a business before, having someone who can advise them is a significant advantage of franchise ownership!
Are you interested in learning how YOU can join the Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids family and run your own successful small business? We are one of the fastest growing kids hair salons in the industry today! If you would like to learn more about this franchise opportunity or small business marketing, great marketing strategies, resources for small businesses, franchise success, how to grow your small business or how to become a successful owner of your own kids hair salon franchise business, please click below or call 1-888-98 GONE MAD
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evaluating a franchise,
franchise ownership,
business success,
kids hair salon,
why buy a franchise,
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owning your own business
I recently attended a webinar with one of the largest franchising financing lenders in the United States. I would like to explain all the graphs that they showed us but the bottom line was this: all the signs point to the next recession hitting sometime in the next 24 months.
- Credit Card debt and margin buying of stocks are back to record levels.
- The small business optimism indicator is at record levels (this is a contrarian indicator).
- Retail rents are at extreme levels causing over building, even though demand is decreasing for retail space!
But what I was most interested in was a chart of the top 15 franchises according to the SBA. I can't tell you those names, but what I can tell you is some commonalities they had.
- Four of the top 15 were child related.
- Most all were recession resistant.
At Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids we feel like we combine both of these traits. As most parents look at a haircut as a necessity and not an option, and a haircut will never be replaced on the internet! Parents will always spend money on their children. They will cut out a lot of luxuries and services for themselves, but never a service that makes their children look better and feel better about themselves!
Shear Madness Franchising franchises Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids salons. We have worked with franchise stores in providing franchisee support (in order to encourage continual growth and business success), and have sometimes seen the unexpected happen! When it does, we help by identifying and helping with challenges that might arise for franchisees. Additionally, we work to present options that can help prevent these events as well. As many franchise owners may not have opened a business before, having someone who can advise them is a significant advantage of franchise ownership!
Are you interested in learning how YOU can join the Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids family and run your own successful small business? We are one of the fastest growing kids hair salons in the industry today! If you would like to learn more about this hair salon business opportunity or small business marketing, great marketing strategies, resources for small businesses, franchise success, how to grow your small business or how to become a successful owner of your own kids hair salon franchise business, please click below or call 1-888-98 GONE MAD
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Shear Madness Haircuts for kids,
kids haircuts,
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growing a small business,
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franchise research,
evaluating a franchise,
franchise, franchise success, franchising,
franchise ownership,
business success,
kids hair salon,
franchise success,
haircuts for kids,
best kids hair salon,
small business success,
owning your own business,
hair salon business
I often
get contacted by people who want to buy a franchise or business to be their own boss, take control of their destiny and live the American dream! Well, that's all well and good. But I'd like to take a moment and add a small bit of wisdom from one who has been there and has interacted with lots of people who who have also been there.
It takes time. Three years to be precise.
While some can do it a little faster and some might do it a little slower - on average it's going to take you about three years. If you were to pin me down, or get upset with me, or even tell me I'm crazy, I wouldn't mind. As a matter of fact, I really can't explain it other than to to tell you that after countless observations, research, and doing it myself, three years is about what it takes to create a business that gains enough traction for the owner to rightfully claim their business is on it's way to being successful.
So the bad news here is this: If you're going to quit your job, make sure that you have lots - and need I say it again - LOTS of working capital. Because you may have a long runway. The other option is to keep your job and run your business on the side. This option will test your business skill, your ability to manage and find the right people, and trust them.
The good news here is: owning your own franchise or business can allow you to be your own boss, allow you to control your own destiny and allow you to live the American dream.
But like I said, it's going to take you about three years to get there.
Shear Madness Franchising franchises Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids salons. We have worked with franchise stores in providing franchisee support (in order to encourage continual growth and business success), and have sometimes seen the unexpected happen! When it does, we help by identifying and helping with challenges that might arise for franchisees. Additionally, we work to present options that can help prevent these events as well. As many franchise owners may not have opened a business before, having someone who can advise them is a significant advantage of franchise ownership!
Are you interested in learning how YOU can join the Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids family and run your own successful small business? We are one of the fastest growing kids hair salons in the industry today! If you would like to learn more about this franchise opportunity or small business marketing, great marketing strategies, resources for small businesses, franchise success, how to grow your small business or how to become a successful owner of your own kids hair salon franchise business, please click below or call 1-888-98 GONE MAD
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hair salon business,
business
It's a mystery! As a business owner, you just can't figure it out. You have a great location in a high traffic area, and you have a great store with a product or service that you KNOW the people of your community need or would love. However, you just aren't getting people to come through your door. What do you do?
I was thinking about this the other night when I was out with my family. We have an extremely busy intersection near our home, along with a nice shopping area where hundreds (if not thousands) of potential customers drive by every day. As we were looking for a little time to kill, we decided spur-of-the-moment to visit one of the stores that we had passed by every day for over a year, but had never visited before. After we had spent a little time there, we were all impressed with what the store had to offer - and wondered why we had never been enticed into shopping there before. After my spouse and I talked about it for a while (as we always find marketing and why people do the things they do to be of interest), I came up with the following...
1. We didn't recognize the brand: Even though the store was one we passed by every day, we didn't recognize the sign of the store and unfortunately had nothing to pull us into the store. Take for instance "Hobby Lobby" or "Michaels". The logo is instantly recognizable, and when you see the sign - you more than likely know what's inside. True, these are national brands that have a huge amount of marketing dollars behind them in order to build brand recognition But smaller brands who may not have those expansive resources can still work on getting the brand out to the immediate community through flyers, advertising in local papers, advertising at local sporting events, parades, guerrilla marketing efforts, etc.
2. The exterior of the store was bland: Don't get me wrong, the exterior of this particular store is very nice. But there was nothing to actually communicate to us what was inside the store. No posters or window displays to attract our attention and help us understand what was actually waiting inside. Some local stores that we didn't know anything about prior to visiting, actually were able to get us to walk through the door through a cool window display, a banner on the outside advertising what's inside, or some kind of poster in the window showing more about what to expect inside the store.
3. Awareness of Service or Product Costs: Sometimes as a customer, we've decided not to visit a store because we don't really know how much the services or products may cost. It isn't until we look up a menu (for a restaurant) or find a sale advertisement in a local newspaper that we decide to pay the store a visit. For example, I love coffee shops. However, it wasn't until my local "Dunkin Donuts" sent me a flyer in the mail advertising their drinks that I was suddenly made aware that they were even in the community. And seeing that their drinks were comparable to what I was already spending, I was enticed to give them a try. After their effective marketing and great service, I now go there frequently.
Do you have a store that needs more customers? Take a look at the exterior from a different viewpoint - use some of the tips above to communicate!
Shear Madness Franchising franchises Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids salons. We have worked with franchise stores in providing franchisee support (in order to encourage continual growth and business success), and have sometimes seen the unexpected happen! We provide poster designs (to help communicate who we are), do photo shoots so our franchisees always have content to communicate with their potential customers! We know that most franchise owners may not have opened a business before, having someone who can advise them is a significant advantage of franchise ownership!
Are you interested in learning how YOU can join the Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids family and run your own successful small business? We are one of the fastest growing kids hair salons in the industry today! If you would like to learn more about this franchise opportunity or small business marketing, great marketing strategies, resources for small businesses, franchise success, how to grow your small business or how to become a successful owner of your own kids hair salon franchise business, please click below or call 1-888-98 GONE MAD
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small business how-tos,
growing a small business,
marketing strategies,
business growth,
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business skills,
why buy a franchise,
business ownership,
Guerrilla marketing,
small business success,
owning your own business,
advertising your business
There has possibly never been a better time to start a franchise business, ever. Not only is the franchising model proven, but with a pro-business administration in Washington, the regulatory, and tax environment, along with consumer spending power has never been better! Please don't take my comments as a political endorsement of any politician or political party. I simply think that the facts stand on their own.
For example:
- 4.1% unemployment rate is at historic lows
- Consumer sentiment on the economy is high and improving
- The stock market is at record highs
This begs the question, will the good times continue? And if so, what franchises should I be looking at? A good place to start is by asking yourself what type of business you see yourself operating. You'll also need to give an honest personal assessment in regards to the type of hours you'd like to operate, what you enjoy doing and what you're truly passionate about. Then you will want to look at franchises with strong brand recognition, a good track record of performance and a good reputation between past and present franchisees.
Do your homework, make sure your significant other is on board, and get your financing in place. Then go for it! Because the way I see it, there's never been a better time to start a franchise, ever!
Shear Madness Franchising franchises Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids salons. We have worked with franchise stores in providing franchisee support (in order to encourage continual growth and business success), and have sometimes seen the unexpected happen! When it does, we help by identifying and helping with challenges that might arise for franchisees. Additionally, we work to present options that can help prevent these events as well. As many franchise owners may not have opened a business before, having someone who can advise them is a significant advantage of franchise ownership!
Are you interested in learning how YOU can join the Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids family and run your own successful small business? We are one of the fastest growing kids hair salons in the industry today! If you would like to learn more about this franchise opportunity or small business marketing, great marketing strategies, resources for small businesses, franchise success, how to grow your small business or how to become a successful owner of your own kids hair salon franchise business, please click below or call 1-888-98 GONE MAD
Would you like to sign up for our Monthly newsletter? If so, click HERE!
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franchise opportunity,
Shear Madness Haircuts for kids,
Small Business Franchise Information,
reinvent your career,
Business Tips,
growing a small business,
franchising,
franchise research,
franchise growth,
evaluating a franchise,
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business success,
kids hair salon,
franchise success,
business ownership,
sales,
smart investments
Are you or someone you know interested in owning your own business, but not sure how to go about it? Perhaps you're looking for an opportunity to diversify your portfolio, or gain a little more financial security for the future? Or maybe you just want a change of pace, and want to find a way to help make a positive difference in your community? Whatever the case may be, Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids is currently experiencing rapid growth in this profitable industry.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, America's salons and spas do around $46 billion in sales annually (
see professional beauty association)! And with opportunities all across the United States to own your own kids hair salon franchise business, perhaps now is the time to take the first step towards finding out how YOU can become a part of the Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids family! Following are our five important steps towards potentially owning your own fantastic kids hair salon!
1. Take time to investigate! Is running a kids salon right for you? Can you do it on your own, or will you need help? Joining a franchise system provides help - but they are not all created equally, nor do they all have the same culture, etc. Not only are there quite a number of hair salon franchises available out there, but there's a number of kids hair salon franchises too. And understandably, they aren't all the same either. Some may have different costs associated with them, or different ways of trying to help a franchise owner achieve business success. So make sure you take the time to carefully research those options which are most appealing to you by talking with the franchisor, taking a look at their franchise documents (like the item 7) and discussing how the franchise system works with other franchisees who have invested into it. How much support do they offer? Is there a significant operating manual? How long is training? Are there good systems in place to prevent theft, train staff, communicate with the franchisor, continued development for the future?
2. Explore Your Finances! As you might guess, starting up a business takes a lot of time and money. Prospective franchisees may have a significant amount of savings in place, while others might have to secure some additional financing options through business loans or partnerships. Some of the ways you can determine just how much you'll need is by talking to the franchisor of the system you're interested in. When you do, be sure to ask them about licensing fees, franchising fees, costs for technology (computers, televisions, etc), how much rental space for your business might be, furniture costs, employment and insurance costs, utilities and retail. Again, this is where documents like the item 7 can be very useful!
3. Select Your Space Carefully! A great franchisor will help franchisees research the demographics of an area, and will assist in selecting the right site for your business. Shear Madness Franchising, for example, will carefully analyze demographic data and even travel to the area to help the franchisee in determining which locations might be best suited for their kids hair salon. For example, some areas might not have many kids that live close by, there might be a competitor already there, or the drive-by or walk-by traffic might be too low. Additionally, a franchisor should help assist in rent negotiation and making sure there are no hidden fees or unusual situations involved with a potential space.
4. Hire the Right Staff! Sometimes it can be quite a struggle finding the right people to manage and work at your new business. However, franchisors can help in this area by providing resources, marketing materials or advertising to help in hiring staff. They also help in training staff, and assisting managers and employees in adhering to the franchise system (which in turn helps contribute to your business being successful).
5. Network and Set Realistic Goals! While running your own business and making a positive difference in your community can be extremely rewarding, as stated above, it can take a lot of time and money too. Be sure to set realistic goals for your business that can be achieved without burning you out, or putting undue stress on family relationships. Also, it can be a good idea to network with other franchisees within the franchise system, or join professional trade organizations for the ideas and encouragement that can come from fellow business owners. However, a great franchise system will help provide many of the resources you need so that you don't feel like you're going at it alone. For example,
Shear Madness Franchising franchises Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids salons. We have worked with franchise stores in providing franchisee support (in order to encourage continual growth and business success), and have sometimes seen the unexpected happen! When it does, we help by identifying and helping with challenges that might arise for franchisees. Additionally, we work to present options that can help prevent these events as well. As many franchise owners may not have opened a business before, having someone who can advise them is a significant advantage of franchise ownership!
Are you interested in learning how YOU can join the Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids family and run your own successful small business? We are currently looking for franchise prospects throughout the United States - and especially Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Lincoln, Denver and St.Louis! We are one of the fastest growing kids hair salons in the industry today! If you would like to learn more about this franchise opportunity or franchise investments, great marketing strategies, resources for small businesses, how to grow your small business or how to become a successful owner of your own kids hair salon franchise business, please click below or call 1-888-98 GONE MAD
Topics:
buying a franchise,
franchise opportunity,
Small Business Franchise Information,
how to begin a business,
franchising,
franchisee support,
franchise research,
evaluating a franchise,
franchise, franchise success, franchising,
franchise ownership,
business success,
kids hair salon,
why buy a franchise,
franchise success,
business ownership
