Franchise

Billy Manzi

Franchising in Commercial Capitol

After taking the self-test on the website, I agreed with 8 questions, and it says that if you agreed with 7–10, “Then franchising has some attraction, but you have some doubts that need to be carefully considered.” Following the self-test, I started to use the search tool to find a franchise that could best suit me.

While looking, I put in that I wanted to be in business/management consulting, coaching & training in Florida, and make over one million dollars. After I searched through a list of businesses, I came across Commercial Capitol Training Group. As I researched the website, I realized that it was a type of schooling, which teaches you how to be successful in any type of business. On the homepage, it says, “Our program teaches and enables you to provide business loans from $5,000 to $500,000,000 or more to businesses of all sizes and credit types while earning 1% to 15% commissions.”

This firm will be able to help you in a management, public relations, and employee training program. As for capitol and credit, as I said before, you can receive loans from $5,000 to $500,000,000 or more to a business of all sizes and credit types while earning 1% to 15% commissions. The help given to you will give you numerous ideas and opportunities that you could not find anywhere else.

I really chose this company, because of their genuine kindness, and the way they present themselves. The franchise is welcoming, and kind, on the page it says,” Whether it's your first day as a graduate or 3 years down the road, our 1-on-1 support is available to you at any time 7 days a week. We are there for you every step of the way as you grow and progress your commercial financial business. You will have a dedicated support team with over 75 years of experience that will advise and assist you in any situation and capacity that you might need. If you have a question and it's on the weekend, no problem, our support staff is there for you 7 days a week.” I believe that some company that is willing to be there every day is worth the time.

All in all, the franchise I chose gave me all the answers I could ever want, and more! Commercial Capitol Training Group is a business where I can actually see myself going after my college years. Also the fact that it’s in Florida is amazing too!

BIBLIOGROPHY

· http://www.commercialcapitaltraining.com

· www.Franchiseexpo.com

IN2IT

After taking the free online
survey, I discovered that I fall under the category of “Franchising is probably
is not a good alternative for you”. I knew, before I took the survey, that I do
not want to start my own franchise if I ever became an entrepreneur. I am the
type of person that does not want to go to work every day and take instructions
from a higher management than me. The IN2IT business I researched is not only
all about working out and protein. The business provides full training and
ongoing support, training for membership salespeople, training regimes, and
professional trainer recruitment. On top of all that, this gym differs from all
the other because it offers fitness training, cardio boxing, kickboxing and MMA
training on top of the gym facility and personal trainers.

To start the business you need to go through five days of training at home and you need to have two or more employees. Before you start up the business, you have to learn the
proper knowledge about the store, fitness techniques, how to hire employees,
membership program information, and client retention techniques. IN2It
Nutrition& Fitness is a growing franchise that focuses of Fitness with a
required Capital to Investment of $50,000 and a total investment of $50,001 -
$100,000. For the initial investment to open your own IN2IT your expenses will
range from $117,150 to $195,950 for a Standard Model and $73,750 to $142,950
for an Express Model. To make your business a success, you need to put it in a
high traffic area and generally 1,500-3,000 square
feet. The only down fall is that they do not offer financing, you need to start
on your own.

To me, this industry does appeal to me because I love to work out and be active. I am not
the type to work in a cubicle and type on the computer five days a week. I
would be ready to spend the money and the time in the business if I had a good
feeling it would all work out in the end. If the business had a profit and a
stable income year after year, I would invest. This survey told
me that I would not fit into the entrepreneur position, but if I ever did I
would open an IN2IT Nutrition& Fitness because that’s what a business I
would enjoy working for.

My Franchise: Anytime Fitness

Alexandra M. Euglow
Professor Fleury-Lawson
Business and Society
October 6, 2011

Antime Fitness

After taking the free online survey from franchiseexpo.com, I fell under the category that “franchising is probably not a good alternative for you.” I knew from the start that a franchise was not what I wanted to do if I became an entrepreneur. Some of the questions that I had to answer that made this clear were, I disagreed with being willing to operate the business in exact accordance with the franchisor, I disagreed with forgoing sales on new ideas and products because of franchisor restrictions, I disagreed with not feeling comfortable starting my own business, and many more. I think being alongside my mom, watching and helping her every single step to opening her own Fitness Center made me realize how a business truly works. I also understand what it takes in order to run and operate a business as well. All in all, I have realized a franchise is not what I would like to own, but if I had to choose to open a franchise I would open an Anytime Fitness.

Since I have chosen Anytime Fitness, I must assess the strengths and weaknesses of my selected franchise. I understand that franchising is a major investment and I need to be sure of the company’s financial strengths before I get involved. I also must watch for scams as well. There are four major components that I must check in order to evaluate my franchise, which are the franchise, the franchisor, the franchisee and the market. Anytime Fitness is a “proven, thriving, and recession-resilient fitness franchise.” I know fitness is the right market for me because nearly one million people join health clubs each year. This number is likely to grow as more people commit to an active lifestyle. Founders of Anytime Fitness, Chuck Runyon and Dave Mortensen are backed by more than 30 years of industry and entrepreneurial experience, and they understood that consumers were looking for convenience but they were not willing to accept substandard equipment or a lackluster environment. A trend-setting business model that allows people to work in the fitness industry as an independent business owner was needed and these founders had the knowledge to develop a 24 hour, co-ed fitness franchise. This franchise stands out because they use proprietary access software, security, and surveillance technology to secure the facility when there is reduced staff. Since the founding of Anytime Fitness, in 2002, they have become world's largest, and fastest growing, 24 hour, co-ed fitness franchise, which continues to break records and receive industry accolades. These are clearly all strengths of this franchise, Anytime Fitness.

Now that I see the strengths of Anytime Fitness, I believe the weaknesses happen when the franchiser is not involved and when the franchisee falls behind. I do not believe this would happen because Anytime Fitness offers franchisee support during all phases of club development and ongoing operations and they continually evaluate the tools and information they provide for the franchisees. Also, when a new idea or better option comes along, they implement those tools on a franchise-wide basis. My search clearly gave me a lot of information on my franchise, but I know I would want to find out more before I made the decision to open a franchise. I would be able to find more information by following the link on this website, by looking up different Anytime Fitness websites and calling the owners, and by calling or e-mailing the two founders themselves, Chuck Runyon and Dave Mortensen. All in all, while I still do not want to open up a franchise, I would want to open up my own small business like my mother, but Anytime Fitness does have some good ideas.

Dunkin Donuts

Hillary White
Professor Fleury-Lawson
Business and society
10/6/11
Dunkin Donuts

The franchise that I choose to research about is Dunkin' Donuts. Founded in 1950, today Dunkin’ Donuts is the number one retailer of hot regular coffee in America, selling 2.7 million cups a day, nearly one billion cups a year. Dunkin' Donuts is also the largest coffee and backed goods chain in the world. Dunkin’ Donuts have more than 8,835 stores worldwide, including 6,395 franchised restaurants in 34 states in the U.S. and 2,440 international shops in 31 countries. Dunkin' Donuts is clearly America’s number one coffee choice.
Investing in a Dunkin' Donuts can go for $ 200,000-$500,000. Dunkin’ Donuts Franchise investment opportunities are available for both individuals and corporate investors interested in purchasing Dunkin’ Donuts development agreements. Becoming an owner and operator of Dunkin’ Donuts franchises allows you to join the established Dunkin’ Donuts brand. I personally would not mind investing in a Dunkin' Donuts only because you can make a lot of money and you have many perks to it. The article says that there has never been a better time than now to explore a Dunkin' Donuts franchise opportunity. Dunkin’ Donuts has launched an aggressive national growth strategy which includes expanding in existing markets while entering new cities throughout the country.
I explored the Dunkin' Donuts website and found out a lot of good information about franchising. Also I read a lot about what other franchisees are saying about owning a Dunkin' Donuts. Franchisee Joe White says "Dunkin' Donuts doesn't have a one-size-fits-all box. They get it. Dunkin' Donuts gives me a variety of store options that are tailored for specific retail environments." Also franchisee John Motta said “For me and my investors, it is all about growth potential." I also found out about what it takes to be a Dunkin' Donuts Franchisee. On this website I found some information about qualifications that Dunkin' Donuts candidates must meet to become a franchisee. They said, you must have a passion for, and dedication to, operational excellence .Maintains adequate resources ,cultivates an understanding and a drive for local store marketing and community involvement, possesses a clear understanding of the real estate development process, has prior management level experience in food service and/or restaurant operations , demonstrates the ability to build a high performing team and organization and capitalization to purchase a development opportunity for one or more Dunkin' Donuts restaurants and many other qualifications.

AMERICA RUNS ON DUNKINS

Rich Smith

10/6/11

Business & Society

Homework #4

Owning A Dunkin Donuts

Owning a Dunkin Franchise isn’t like starting up your own business there are many qualifications you must posse in order to buy in the franchise. When buying into the Dunkin Donuts franchise or a franchise in general a prominent business man and successful entrepreneur should always ask if your territory will be exclusive for the length of the franchise. When buying into the Dunkin’s franchise you are guaranteed and exclusive territory too. “However, franchising has grown so rapidly that many weak franchises have entered the field, so you need to be careful and invest wisely”. (Pg. 133)

Dunkin Donuts has been a successful and steadily growing business since it was first founded in 1950 in Quincy, Mass. Therefore it has been around for over 60 years, knowing that information I would come to a conclusion it is a smart business decision to open a Dunkin’s. Like any prominent business there always are legal battles, Dunkin Donuts has had its fair share or legal cases including two of them being with McDonald’s and Subway. But this hasn’t affected or altered any of the franchises business preventing them from growing. With that note being said I would say Dunkin’s has an honest and fair dealing reputation with local firms holding its franchise. There have been over 150 times since 2006 that Dunkin Donuts has sued franchise owners, but that is between the corporate sector and the owners.

Going into the Dunkin’s franchise is quite expensive at first but the benefits from a successful store inevitable. The capital required at first to invest in the franchise is $250,000, but the total investment after it’s all said and done could run you up to $500,000. This industry as a child stinks, because what kid wants to stand up all day making coffee and serving food at minimum wage; “I can say that I have worked at many fast food services, and I have found one yet to keep me from leaving”. But don’t get me wrong this business are very successful and are great to buy into if you have the business background and ability to show for the start-up costs.

Dunkin Donuts is a northeast breed company; there are thousands of them just in the northeast itself. Therefore if I was to open a Dunkin’s in the northeast which I would I should have no reason to not have a target market. Like there slogan “America Runs On Dunkin’s”.

http://www.franchiseexpo.com/franchise_locator.cfm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunkin_Donuts#Criticism

Planet Fitness

Planet Fitness is not like the typically gyms that focus around body builders, juice bars, and fancy classes, but it is rather a gym that focuses are making their customers feel safe and secure while staying healthy. And that is why Planet Fitness is one of the most successful fitness franchises in the United States. Planet Fitness was first founded in 1992 by Michael Grondahl, the founder turned a financially unstable gym into a rapidly growing and successful one.[1] However, now in 2011 there are over 400 gyms through out the United States, which proves that the gym franchise is a stable one as the continue to expand and focus of their customers.

Due to their increasing success, if one wanted to buy a single gym it would be extremely expensive. The required capital to invest in the gym would be at least $400,000. Even though the start up cost of Planet Fitness is not expensive as opening a Krispy Kreme, which is “$2 million” (pg 133), the start up cost can be seen as disadvantage to new owners. The $400,000 is the basic start up cost for opening a gym, but the total investment would be between $500,001- $1,000,000. The start up cost can be deceiving, but Planet Fitness’s success in the U.S. makes it desirable. If I wanted to open a gym franchise Planet Fitness would be the one I would pick because it is continuing to open gyms in numerous locations and its impressive revenue. “The annual membership revenue for Planet Fitness is $1.7 Million, while the average in the fitness industry is $1.2 million.[2]

However, the gym might start to face problems with expansion because to me it seems like they are opening too many stores too quickly and they continue to look for more opening. I think to be successful in the business world it is easier to perfect your industry rather than open as many as possible because the store’s quality could decrease especially since there are numerous other fitness franchises in the country like Gold’s Gym, Work Out Work, and Anytime Fitness. The competition between these franchises can be positive; “some have found a competitive edge by focusing on quality. The goal for many companies is zero defects-no mistakes in making the product”(16). If Planet Fitness keeps its positive reputation of being one the best fitness gyms then more and more people will be willing to franchise with them as long as the head of Planet Fitness stays on top of their one weakness, over population of their gyms.

Throughout my search on Google, Franchise Expo, and Planet Fitness I have become aware of the basics involving opening a franchise, but there was not enough information for me to complete the checklist on pg 132. But if I wanted to gain more information regarding the franchise I would be able to submit a form to Planet Fitness and receive more instructions and guidelines for opening a store.

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[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planet_Fitness

[2] http://www.franchiseexpo.com/Planet_Fitness_Franchise.cfm

Big Mac's Equal Big Business

McDonalds is easily one of the biggest if not THE biggest franchises in the world today. With this title, McDonalds faces many hardships as a business. McDonalds is constantly facing waves of complaints from critics. One complaint is the high calories and fat in their food. Although this may be a valid point, McDonalds answered this complaint by saying consumers have a choice in what they are eating. This is 100% true. Although their food is high in calories and fat they do not force anyone into buying their food. It is their business; all they care about is the consumer. People are still buying there food either way. In video, it showed how McDonalds fought this complaint. McDonalds released a whole new side of their menu, offering healthier foods including salads, apple fries, and fruits. This backs up my and McDonalds statement when I say the consumer makes the choice. As a customer, I love McDonalds. To me every thing tastes great, a Big Mac, fries, and a Coca Cola. Now many critics would disapprove of this meal, considering how many grams of calories and fat I am putting into my body. But the fact of the matter is that I am an athletic individual. I know that this food may not be the healthiest for me therefore I do not eat it as often as I want to. Maybe these critics should not go after McDonalds but go after the consumers.
McDonalds is always expanding. The more places to sell their product or food, the more money they are making. Where I am from there are 3 McDonalds within my city. Even the surrounding cities have these many also. These franchises are also strategically placed so McDonalds can make more money. Many of these McDonalds are place near busy streets or highways. It is a convenience for many who are on the go to go through the drive through to grab some quick food, hence the name “fast food”. Although this may be easy for McDonalds, they are trying to expand overseas. Not only do they have to venture over seas, they have to adjust to the culture. An example of this is Japan. As shown in the video, McDonalds ultimately changed their entire menu just to open up restaurants over seas. Foods that you would find on the American menu wouldn’t even be considered by the Japanese. Research, time, and money had to be spent to plan out how this was going to be done. This is why I believe that McDonalds is one of the best business there is. The food might not be healthy, but the customer likes it, and the customer is always right.