Thursday, March 31, 2011

Employers VS Employees

EMPLOYERS VS EMPLOYEES

Have you ever wondered why some people own businesses and others just work for those businesses?  What separates people?   What makes the difference?

For our purposes today, let us just classify all those who work for someone as EMPLOYEES.  May we, also, take the liberty to classify all those who own a business as EMPLOYERS.

What kind of an individual is an EMPLOYER?  I strongly believe they are the kind of people who see an opportunity, possess the commitment, and have the guts to go for it.  That opportunity may have some obstacles, but the employer sees through them.  He knows there will be challenges and even welcomes them.  Why?  Because, in the end, it reduces his competition as others won’t be so bold and entrepreneurial to tackle those problems.  Thus, an employer is one who sees an opportunity, and through his own hard work and the work of his employees, constructs the foundation of a thriving business.  Over time, as he becomes more comfortable with employees assuming more of the daily operations, the employer is able to slowly step away from the business, thereby creating a valuable asset that is working for him.  He envisioned the end results from the beginning and worked toward establishing that business.  Minor challenges were smoothed over, the business opened, and soon the employees provided him with a nice and comfortable living.

What kind of an individual is the EMPLOYEE?  He is one who would love to be an employer, but sees too many problems in his way.  He just wasn’t lucky enough to have found that perfect business like his employer.  He discusses matters of the company with other employees, and usually they discuss how they could drastically improve the bottom line.  They see all kinds of things wrong with the company and wonder why changes aren’t made.  Meanwhile, they continue to punch their timecard, the employer continues to make money off their efforts, and they wonder why the stars have never been perfectly aligned for them to realize their dream; never imaging that the stars have never been perfectly aligned for anyone, including their employer.

 Employees vs. employers are much like dreamers vs. doers.  Business owners see beyond the barriers of entry into business.  Those same barriers block the employee’s vision keeping him in the labor force.  The employee, however, continues to see himself as an employer.  He just never had the commitment, vision, or the guts to make it happen!

By Brian Melaney
Business owner &
Mayor of West Haven, Utah

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

How 7 young men became millionnaires before 22 years old.

Many people doubt the power of entrepreneurism.  Here is a link from Forbes talking about 7 different young men who have become millionaires before the age of 22.  All of them did it will little money and all within the last year or two.


If these young people can come up with an idea, so can you.  If you want information on how to make a good web site for less than $300, let me know.  It might be your first step into becoming a millionaire.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Marketing your business

Marketing is the key to the success of any business.  The old saying, "Without advertising, Nothing happens!" is true.  Poor advertising is almost as bad as no advertising.  Wasting money on the wrong marketing program takes away from getting your information out to the right customer.  Free advertising is always best.  Many businesses think that just by throwing money at any advertising and they will be fine.  They then wonder why customers are not responding.
    
This video is the new way to advertise and costs very little. There are many other free ways to get your company in front of the customer.  Feel free to call or email me for suggestions.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Why someone starts a franchise

Why would a doctor leave her practice and buy a “maid service” franchise? Why would a District Manager for “Best Buy” leave his job and buy a “computer service” franchise? Why would a “stay at home” mom decide to get back into the business world and purchase a “tax preparation” franchise?

Over the past couple of years I have helped these and other people find a franchise so they could follow their dreams. We all have our reasons to get out of the “rat race” of the sometimes mundane world that we live in.

Back in 1984, I felt I was being held captive by the corporate world. The pay checks were steady, but more importantly, I was just glad to have a job. I was handcuffed and shackled to my circumstances, which included a house payment, a car payment and providing a living for my wife and 4 children on a salary of $22,000 a year. There was a major personality conflict between my supervisor and myself. I eventually came to the realization that I was not happy working for someone else, that I was an entrepreneur at heart but was being held hostage by my environment. I knew I needed to escape. When you have a wife and children that you love and who depend on you, how can you dare bolt for freedom?

Every day, thousands of men and women find themselves asking the same question. How can I risk my job security and make a break when it could put my family’s well being in jeopardy? That question can make you do a lot of soul searching.

The answer to that question can be answered in many ways. Here is how I answered it. What good am I to my family, if I am angry, unhappy and miserable to be around? How can I contribute if I have nothing to look forward to when going to work? The Bible states, “with no vision, the people will perish.” To properly take care of my family, I knew I had to have vision about how the future could improve.

For months, my supportive wife and I brainstormed, dreamed and tried to create a vision of the future. It was not easy. We tried and tested many different ideas, to no avail. In order to try one of my potential businesses, we sold our house and moved out to a farming community. Even though the business didn’t work, we still enjoyed raising our small children in that environment.

One day while getting ready to leave for a wedding in Los Angeles, my ten year old son asked me if I would bring him back a “real” Dodgers baseball hat. Of course I promised I would. Due to the lack of the “real” Dodger’s caps in any store we visited, this ended up being a promise I could not keep. As my wife and I traveled home, we continued to brainstorm business ideas. Then an idea struck--we should open up a store that sold souvenirs of every fan’s favorite team. I was a Chicago Cub’s fan, my son a Dodgers’ fan and we lived in Utah. There had to be others like us that lived away from their favorite team, but would be interested in buying a hat or t-shirt to show their support. I really believed that we had a winning idea.

To make a long story short, I opened a small store in a local mall. It became successful rather quickly. I even had customers requesting my help in opening their own store. Within six months of opening my first Pro Image store, with the help of my brother, we began franchising. Our company grew rapidly and within 18 months we had 32 Pro Image stores open. By the time we sold the franchise chain nine years later, we had over 250 stores in 46 states and six countries.


This experience taught me how important it is to have someone helping you start a business. Seeing many others try to copy our concept and fail showed me there is a lot more to keeping a business open than just having a great idea. The Small Business Association (SBA) has stated that the chances of success for a franchise company are much greater than someone starting out alone and by themselves. I have read that the majority of non-franchised businesses are closed down within 5 years after starting, whereas in franchising it has been reported after 10 years that most franchised concepts remain open. To me, it is almost a no brainer. Do you want to be open and making money, or closed, having lost your investment.

The reason doctors, bankers, accountants, corporate management and others decide to get out of the “rat race” and break away from those holding them back is to gain their freedom and be their own boss. It is a dream for most of us, to control our own destiny. Hundreds of thousands of people have found that by buying a franchise, they get help in advertising, hiring, management, inventory, start-up procedures, major product discounts among other bonuses. They therefore avoid costly mistakes most independent owners make.

What did I do after starting and then selling two franchise companies? My son, the Dodger’s fan who had just received his MBA, and I purchased three franchises from a local franchise company. If I am going to risk my money, I am not going to reinvent the wheel. I have always said that getting help from a franchisor is the smart way to go. I am just putting my money where my mouth is.

Being an entrepreneur and finding a franchise

This blog is set up to give hope to those looking to get out of the rat race of the corporate world, for those dreaming of becoming their own boss by starting your own business. Becoming an entrepreneur is not for everyone and as a matter of fact is NOT for most people.

There are risks a business owner has to take which is not for the faint hearted. Can you imagine risking all or most of your net worth for your dream? If you lose, you are left without a home and can be deeply in debt. You just have to make sure you do not lose!

First, a person needs to have a deep passion and a good reason to break the model of working for others their whole life. Before starting or buying a business; do your homework, know the industry, understands your customer, have a plan and work on the skills to implement the plan. This will give you the best chance to be successful.

In my opinion the benefits of being the ‘owner and not the employee’ out way all the risks a person has to take. The chance at unlimited income, the chance to build equity, control of your own hours and the freedom of answering to no one but yourself and the pleasure of seeing your own business grow far out way the risks someone has to take. You just need to take away most of the risk by doing your research and know what you are getting into.

Remember "Knowledge is Power!"

There is a great business book on franchising called Street Smart Franchising. It talks about the good, the bad and the ugly of being a business owner. This book will help you look at yourself to determine if you might be one of the few who have what it takes to be an entrepreneur. If you have any thoughts of becoming one, it is a must read.

Also feel free to check out my web site at: FranchiseInvestigate.com to learn more about how to start a franchise business and why a consultant might be able to help you.