Steering Your Franchise Business to Safest Harbor
Your complete trust and belief in the Almighty will become your solid anchor in navigating the sea of opportunities present in the business world. A business built on solid ground will withstand the tests of time. A business erected on solid foundation will flourish and will stand shoulder by shoulder and head to head with competitions.
The nature of the franchise business in not that complicated than what it seems. It adheres to the same set of business principles employed by all businessmen. It may have variations but still the business fundamentals are similar. Your success will depend on your resiliency to adapt to the demands of the times. When starting your franchise business, it is imperative that the important aspects will be processed and not a single stone will be left unturned. The business registrations must be processed, proper taxes must be paid and corresponding registration of your trademarks and signs must be facilitated to protect the intellectual property rights of your business.
The franchisor must make sure that franchise operations manuals and franchise agreements are properly prepared. The legal and accounting aspects will play key roles when negotiating with prospective clients. Since a business is not only business but also a personal investment of owners in terms of time and money, it is important that all angles must be considered and that it must positioned to benefit not only the franchisor but more importantly, the franchisees. Nobody engages in business to lose money but to earn profit to support concurrent operations and to pay the payroll of employees.
Your business may experience headwinds during the course of its operations, which is normal in any business endeavor, and it is paramount that it must be commanded and controlled by experienced navigators who can travel the high seas using reserved arsenals to steer the business into safe harbors. The winds of change will always be there, the sea of opportunities may be rough and the cyclones of competitions will deter your from achieving your goal of becoming a successful businessman but your firm resolve and unyielding guts will spell the big difference.
As Louis L’Amour, a best-selling American writer once said “ Victory is won not in miles but in inches. Win a little now, hold your ground, and later, win a little more.”
( July 4, 2011-Bluefire Franchise Development and Management Co. website)
The nature of the franchise business in not that complicated than what it seems. It adheres to the same set of business principles employed by all businessmen. It may have variations but still the business fundamentals are similar. Your success will depend on your resiliency to adapt to the demands of the times. When starting your franchise business, it is imperative that the important aspects will be processed and not a single stone will be left unturned. The business registrations must be processed, proper taxes must be paid and corresponding registration of your trademarks and signs must be facilitated to protect the intellectual property rights of your business.
The franchisor must make sure that franchise operations manuals and franchise agreements are properly prepared. The legal and accounting aspects will play key roles when negotiating with prospective clients. Since a business is not only business but also a personal investment of owners in terms of time and money, it is important that all angles must be considered and that it must positioned to benefit not only the franchisor but more importantly, the franchisees. Nobody engages in business to lose money but to earn profit to support concurrent operations and to pay the payroll of employees.
Your business may experience headwinds during the course of its operations, which is normal in any business endeavor, and it is paramount that it must be commanded and controlled by experienced navigators who can travel the high seas using reserved arsenals to steer the business into safe harbors. The winds of change will always be there, the sea of opportunities may be rough and the cyclones of competitions will deter your from achieving your goal of becoming a successful businessman but your firm resolve and unyielding guts will spell the big difference.
As Louis L’Amour, a best-selling American writer once said “ Victory is won not in miles but in inches. Win a little now, hold your ground, and later, win a little more.”
( July 4, 2011-Bluefire Franchise Development and Management Co. website)
To Tread the Entrepreneurial Path
Our educational system is designed to produce workers and employees not entrepreneurs. In other countries the opposite is the same. From first day of school, they train their students to become entrepreneurs and innovators instead of just ordinary workers and employees.
It is often said that the wealth of the nations depend not only on its natural resources but also on the education and knowledge of its people. Nations become wealthy because they consider their people their best assets. They invest heavily on training their citizens to eventually become captains of industries by taking the entrepreneurial path.
I think it’s about time that we train our students to become not only as thinkers but doers as well. We have to train them as businessmen at an early age. Comparatively, the Philippines has lower percentage of business owners compared to our Asian counterparts.
We should not be ashamed to start our own business. Having your own business is a source of pride because it reinforces our dignity and confidence as a person plus it enables us to earn more than what ordinary employees get from their employment.
( Bluefire Franchise Development website, July 4, 2011)
It is often said that the wealth of the nations depend not only on its natural resources but also on the education and knowledge of its people. Nations become wealthy because they consider their people their best assets. They invest heavily on training their citizens to eventually become captains of industries by taking the entrepreneurial path.
I think it’s about time that we train our students to become not only as thinkers but doers as well. We have to train them as businessmen at an early age. Comparatively, the Philippines has lower percentage of business owners compared to our Asian counterparts.
We should not be ashamed to start our own business. Having your own business is a source of pride because it reinforces our dignity and confidence as a person plus it enables us to earn more than what ordinary employees get from their employment.
( Bluefire Franchise Development website, July 4, 2011)
Bluefire Franchise Development Team visits Manila Food and Beverage Expo 2011
The officers and staff of Bluefire Franchise Development and Management Co. visited the Manila Food and Beverages Expo (MAFBEX) 2011 last June 18, 2011. This is part of the concentrated effort of the company to keep itself updated on the latest trends and information about the food and beverage industries.
They were able to reconnect also with industry friends who might need the technical and management expertise of Bluefire Franchise Development in the near future.
( Bluefire Franchise Development Website, June 20, 2011)
They were able to reconnect also with industry friends who might need the technical and management expertise of Bluefire Franchise Development in the near future.
( Bluefire Franchise Development Website, June 20, 2011)
Bluefire Franchise Development and Management Co. rolls out plans for 2011
Bluefire Franchise Development and Management Co. rolls out its corporate plans for the third and fourth quarters of 2011.
Among the plans of the company are to strengthen its website presence by adding the latest updates and features to its website. Other things on the pipeline are launching of the inspirational franchising book that will cater to franchise neophytes, individuals, students of franchising and management, graduate school students and entrepreneurs. Included also are exhibit participations, seminars and speaking engagements to share the benefits and advantages of venturing into franchising, strengthening the online content of its e-Magazine ( online franchise magazine), mentoring and consulting activities for franchisors and franchisees and the improvement of its franchise development offerings.
Among the plans of the company are to strengthen its website presence by adding the latest updates and features to its website. Other things on the pipeline are launching of the inspirational franchising book that will cater to franchise neophytes, individuals, students of franchising and management, graduate school students and entrepreneurs. Included also are exhibit participations, seminars and speaking engagements to share the benefits and advantages of venturing into franchising, strengthening the online content of its e-Magazine ( online franchise magazine), mentoring and consulting activities for franchisors and franchisees and the improvement of its franchise development offerings.
Franchise Business Plus Franchise Developer Equals Success
Every businessman who wants to get a headway in the franchise industry knows the advantages of engaging the services of a Franchise Developer in developing their franchise program. As a practicing Franchise Developer, Bluefire Franchise Development and Management Co. shares to you some tips and advantages of partnering with a Franchise Developer:
1) Designing and Upgrading of Franchise Operations Manual
A businessman may or may not have a set of operational manuals. In both cases, the expertise and background of a Franchise Developer in enhancing the Franchise Manuals will help a lot in promoting someone else’s Franchise Business. The operations manual embodies all the procedures needed from acceptance of franchisees up to the nitty gritty of things including store operations, personnel management and others. The enhancement of an existing franchise manuals will benefit your franchise business.
2) Mapping Out of Plans for Your Franchise Business
If the business is a battlefield, then the owners are the generals and the Franchise Developers are the advisors and intelligence officers. It is a must that before launching or converting your existing business into a franchise format, everything must be properly planned before it will be executed. For franchising, the improvement of operations and financial systems rest on the shoulders of the owners while the designing and development of the franchise manuals, franchise agreements, franchise marketing materials and the likes are the responsibilities of the Franchise Developer. Both of them must work hand in hand in order for things to materialize as planned. It is a working partnership from beginning to the end.
3) Financial Systems Review
The most common slip-ups of most businessman is neglecting their accounting and tax systems. The common misnomer is that because one’s business is not yet operational, they are not yet bound to file the proper forms with government agencies especially the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). Review your BIR Certificate of Registration (COR). Every tax listed on that certification must be properly filed, otherwise, the pain of paying penalties will affect the cash flow of your business. The need to establish an adequate accounting and tax system for the franchise business from the point of registration up to the operational stage is not be ignored for it will have a material bearing on your business. The importance of having an accountant on your side is a necessity because they knew better the ins and outs of tax matters. All successful businesses in our country know this matter. If the big guys are doing it then the start-up companies must do it also.
4) Time, Motion and Money Advantages
If time is money, then every motion lost is money also. A businessman may be able to do all the manuals and everything for his franchise business but the professional inputs and experienced works of a Franchise Developer cannot be set aside and is irreplaceable in the long run. Every establish Franchising Brand in the market today, in one time in their operations, hired the services of a Franchise Developer in order to launch a more professional franchising program for their business. The time saved on getting the services of Franchise Developer will add value to your enterprise. The businessman knows the business entirety but the Franchise Developer dissects the important details that are often neglected that lead to the downfall of the business.
5) Two Heads Are Better Than One
That popular adage is almost always true in every situation in our life. The businessman may have the operational, sales and marketing knowledge but the franchising part is a blind area for him. It takes two to tango. Just like in a dance, it is important that the other person not only knows how to dance but he knows how to dance well. Imagine the formula, established business plus a franchise developer equals a working franchise business. The benefits that your franchise business will reap will outweigh the cost of engaging the services of a franchise developer.
( Bluefire Franchise Development and Management Co. article dated January 1, 2011)
1) Designing and Upgrading of Franchise Operations Manual
A businessman may or may not have a set of operational manuals. In both cases, the expertise and background of a Franchise Developer in enhancing the Franchise Manuals will help a lot in promoting someone else’s Franchise Business. The operations manual embodies all the procedures needed from acceptance of franchisees up to the nitty gritty of things including store operations, personnel management and others. The enhancement of an existing franchise manuals will benefit your franchise business.
2) Mapping Out of Plans for Your Franchise Business
If the business is a battlefield, then the owners are the generals and the Franchise Developers are the advisors and intelligence officers. It is a must that before launching or converting your existing business into a franchise format, everything must be properly planned before it will be executed. For franchising, the improvement of operations and financial systems rest on the shoulders of the owners while the designing and development of the franchise manuals, franchise agreements, franchise marketing materials and the likes are the responsibilities of the Franchise Developer. Both of them must work hand in hand in order for things to materialize as planned. It is a working partnership from beginning to the end.
3) Financial Systems Review
The most common slip-ups of most businessman is neglecting their accounting and tax systems. The common misnomer is that because one’s business is not yet operational, they are not yet bound to file the proper forms with government agencies especially the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). Review your BIR Certificate of Registration (COR). Every tax listed on that certification must be properly filed, otherwise, the pain of paying penalties will affect the cash flow of your business. The need to establish an adequate accounting and tax system for the franchise business from the point of registration up to the operational stage is not be ignored for it will have a material bearing on your business. The importance of having an accountant on your side is a necessity because they knew better the ins and outs of tax matters. All successful businesses in our country know this matter. If the big guys are doing it then the start-up companies must do it also.
4) Time, Motion and Money Advantages
If time is money, then every motion lost is money also. A businessman may be able to do all the manuals and everything for his franchise business but the professional inputs and experienced works of a Franchise Developer cannot be set aside and is irreplaceable in the long run. Every establish Franchising Brand in the market today, in one time in their operations, hired the services of a Franchise Developer in order to launch a more professional franchising program for their business. The time saved on getting the services of Franchise Developer will add value to your enterprise. The businessman knows the business entirety but the Franchise Developer dissects the important details that are often neglected that lead to the downfall of the business.
5) Two Heads Are Better Than One
That popular adage is almost always true in every situation in our life. The businessman may have the operational, sales and marketing knowledge but the franchising part is a blind area for him. It takes two to tango. Just like in a dance, it is important that the other person not only knows how to dance but he knows how to dance well. Imagine the formula, established business plus a franchise developer equals a working franchise business. The benefits that your franchise business will reap will outweigh the cost of engaging the services of a franchise developer.
( Bluefire Franchise Development and Management Co. article dated January 1, 2011)
Bluefire Franchise Development and Management Co. visits International Food Expo 2011
Officers and staff of Bluefire Franchise Development and Management Co. visited the International Food Expo (IFEX 2011) last May 12, 2011 at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City, Philippines to keep them abreast of the latest products and trends in the local and international market. This is also part of the continuing mission of the company to reach out to small and medium enterprises so that they can mold their businesses into a competitive one.
Foodcart Franchising: Riding the winning horse
The Philippines is now experiencing the tingi culture. We can now see toothpaste in sachet, soap in sachet, coffee in sachet and other things now finding its ways in small packages.
Its the sign of the times. Due to the changing economic landscape of the Philippines, people are now beginning to miniaturize everything, from food to things and even the restaurants.
This development leads to the Philippines fast becoming a foodcart nation. Three years ago when I handled the first foodcart exhibit in the Philippines, there were only few businessmen who ventured into the foodcart business. The few notable names way back then were Potato Corner, Nacho King, Kiss King of Balls, Oddballs among others. Now, there are almost thousand names ringing in our ears from products such as siopao, siomai, dimsum, takoyaki, churros, juices, balut, tokneneng, mais, hotdogs and so many others.
The malls nowadays are being filled up withthese mobile restaurants. The MRT and LRT stations are now host to these ubiquitous foodcarts. Majority of participants in the expos and exhibits are foodcarts with designs that become an envy even by foreigners.
Compared to foreign foodcarts, the Filipino foodcart designs are dynamic, creative, colorful and highly attractive.
Some are graphic representations of regional cultures and generation X and Y whose imaginations are boundless and unlimited.
(This article was written by Alvin Laurente. He previously handled 16 foodcart exhibits before he and his wife formed their own company . He was also connected before with MANILA TIMES AND TODAY NEWSPAPER. He regularly blogs in the internet about the foodcart and the franchising industry. No part of this article can be reproduced in whole or in part ( electronic and written) without the express written permission from the author. You can reach him at [email protected])
The dawn of the foodcart era in the Philippines
Who will imagine that the business that will propel the economy in greater heights in 2009 is the foodcart business?
The story of foodcart business in the Philippines is being told from one generation to another.
It is a common knowledge that the products that the foodcart franchisors are offering today are not really new.
These products are ordinary products that are being patronized by the common Filipino consumers.
These are the ice cream, cakes, taho, fishballs, kikiam, mani, French Fries, banana que, isaw, popsicle, bibingka and lately, ice scramble.
Nothing new can be said about these products.
What then makes the foodcart products unique from these ordinary and common Filipino foods.
The answer is branding and packaging. The Filipinos being creative and entrepreneurial in nature had repackaged and repositioned common Filipino products into something commercial and international in nature.
Take a look at a common foodcart. Be observant. One of the very popular French Fries foodcart have the following unique and outstanding features.
ATTRACTIVE AND LIGHTED SIGNAGE. A foodcart will not be complete without a unique and popular name ( MANG KIKOS ISAWAN, MANG JUANS JUICE and others). Names are important for brand recall.
POPULAR PRODUCTS. Any successful foodcart owners will tell you that no matter how beautiful your foodcart is, it will not become profitable without a products or products that will sell. After all, sales is the essence of business.
CLEAN AND UNIFORMED CREW. The reason why the fastfood stores attracted number of clients is the clean, clean cut and uniformed crew. Nobody wants to buy products from a crew who dress shabbily, who hasnt taken his or her bath, who have long hair, unshaven face and most especially with crew with long nails and unclean hands. Hygiene and sanitation always go side by side with saleable products.
PROFESSIONAL SALES AND ACCOUNTING PROCEDURES. There is a wide spread belief that since you are selling only foodcart products, you dont have to devise an accounting system for your cart. That is entirely wrong. Business is business, no matter how small it is. The right and proper time to implement stringent accounting and sales procedures is when you are just starting. You solve a problem when they are just beginning to happen not afterwards. This is preventive measures. Corrective measures are very costly and time-consuming. Visit www.bookkeepingandacctng.multiply.com for more details.
BE A MEMBER OF FRANCHISE ASSOCIATION. The foodcart industry is a big industry. The association that will understand the complexities and peculiarities of its problems are the individuals who have dealt with numerous foodcart franchisors and foodcart owners in the past. You may visit www.bluefirefranchising.multiplyl.com
ATTEND AND JOIN TRADE FAIR AND EXHIBITS. The easiest and cost effective way of promoting is to join trade exhibits. During the exhibit, you can promote your products and services, you can give introduce new business ideas, you can benchmark with your fellow businessmen and adapt their successful methods of doing business and even become part of SEMINARS during the exhibit proper.
(This article was written by Alvin Laurente. He previously handled 16 foodcart exhibits before forming his own company . He was also connected before with MANILA TIMES AND TODAY NEWSPAPER. He regularly blogs in the internet about the foodcart and the franchising industry. No part of this article can reproduced in whole or in part ( electronic and written) without the express written permission from the author. You can reach him at [email protected])
The story of foodcart business in the Philippines is being told from one generation to another.
It is a common knowledge that the products that the foodcart franchisors are offering today are not really new.
These products are ordinary products that are being patronized by the common Filipino consumers.
These are the ice cream, cakes, taho, fishballs, kikiam, mani, French Fries, banana que, isaw, popsicle, bibingka and lately, ice scramble.
Nothing new can be said about these products.
What then makes the foodcart products unique from these ordinary and common Filipino foods.
The answer is branding and packaging. The Filipinos being creative and entrepreneurial in nature had repackaged and repositioned common Filipino products into something commercial and international in nature.
Take a look at a common foodcart. Be observant. One of the very popular French Fries foodcart have the following unique and outstanding features.
ATTRACTIVE AND LIGHTED SIGNAGE. A foodcart will not be complete without a unique and popular name ( MANG KIKOS ISAWAN, MANG JUANS JUICE and others). Names are important for brand recall.
POPULAR PRODUCTS. Any successful foodcart owners will tell you that no matter how beautiful your foodcart is, it will not become profitable without a products or products that will sell. After all, sales is the essence of business.
CLEAN AND UNIFORMED CREW. The reason why the fastfood stores attracted number of clients is the clean, clean cut and uniformed crew. Nobody wants to buy products from a crew who dress shabbily, who hasnt taken his or her bath, who have long hair, unshaven face and most especially with crew with long nails and unclean hands. Hygiene and sanitation always go side by side with saleable products.
PROFESSIONAL SALES AND ACCOUNTING PROCEDURES. There is a wide spread belief that since you are selling only foodcart products, you dont have to devise an accounting system for your cart. That is entirely wrong. Business is business, no matter how small it is. The right and proper time to implement stringent accounting and sales procedures is when you are just starting. You solve a problem when they are just beginning to happen not afterwards. This is preventive measures. Corrective measures are very costly and time-consuming. Visit www.bookkeepingandacctng.multiply.com for more details.
BE A MEMBER OF FRANCHISE ASSOCIATION. The foodcart industry is a big industry. The association that will understand the complexities and peculiarities of its problems are the individuals who have dealt with numerous foodcart franchisors and foodcart owners in the past. You may visit www.bluefirefranchising.multiplyl.com
ATTEND AND JOIN TRADE FAIR AND EXHIBITS. The easiest and cost effective way of promoting is to join trade exhibits. During the exhibit, you can promote your products and services, you can give introduce new business ideas, you can benchmark with your fellow businessmen and adapt their successful methods of doing business and even become part of SEMINARS during the exhibit proper.
(This article was written by Alvin Laurente. He previously handled 16 foodcart exhibits before forming his own company . He was also connected before with MANILA TIMES AND TODAY NEWSPAPER. He regularly blogs in the internet about the foodcart and the franchising industry. No part of this article can reproduced in whole or in part ( electronic and written) without the express written permission from the author. You can reach him at [email protected])