Franchising

This has been a busy week.  We have learning about buying a franchise.  There are many franchises out there for you to choose from and each offers something different and each has different fees and requirements.  The nice thing about owning a franchise is the opportunity to have to have a well-known name or trademark for your business.  This helps you get customers faster and takes some of the risk out of starting a business.  Franchises offer you training, site selection, product supply, marketing plans and even assistance in obtaining financing.  

I was quite surprised to find a couple of franchises that I wouldn’t mind looking at.  One was helping the elderly and the other was caring for children.  These would be businesses that I would be somewhat familiar with and have some experience in.  If I decided to start a franchise I would need a good lawyer to look over the contracts and give me advice.  

This week I also learned how important it is to work for your business not just in your business.  If we get caught up in the day to day operations and don’t stop and strategize and put good processes and strategies into place we will never be able to grow our business and we will get tired of it and leave it to our employees to run.  It is important to find a balance in our business just as we work to find a balance in the rest of our life.  I was looking at articles on line and there was one titled, “How To Run Your Home Like a Business”.  I didn’t have time to read it but I find so many times that what I learn in class can be used in my home.  Because of the lessons I learn in class my husband is getting interested and excited in trying new things in our business and finding new opportunities. 

This week at Kl33n we worked to do the upkeep on what we have already done and also we did some outside work to clean the front of the door and sweep so that as you came to the business it looked cleaner and tidier.  The business is staying clean and the employees and others are commenting on how nice it looks.  We try each week to clean something that we have not cleaned and to make a list of what needs to be done and when it needs to be done so that it will be easier when Nathan takes it over.  I have been trying to talk my son into hiring his brother to help but he is determined to do it on his own.  He may have to hire me on occasion.  I am not sure how he will get the bathroom clean.  It will be interesting.  I have tried to show him how to do things so he can do it on his own.  I even go a hard water ring out of the sink this week with a pumice stone.  I know it is not much but I felt I had accomplished something.  

Action Hero for this week: Nicole Donnelly

Nicole Donnelly lived life on the edge for quite some time.  She spent seven years snowboarding and pretty much nothing else.  There were times when she would sleep in her car.  After her baby was born she found that the homemade leg warmers that she used on her baby helped her baby’s diaper rash go away and they were stylish too.  Now they have become a diaper bag essential and are sold in fifty countries worldwide. 

Donnelly says that you need to embrace you fear and be committed.  She said that if you are doing a snowboarding trick you can’t stop in the middle and say you are quitting because you can be hurt. You need to commit to what you are doing and not stop half way into the project.  Donnelly said it was hard for her to be a good team player and leader and she has had to work at it so that she can keep everyone together and happy.  It is also important to learn how to work with others so that you can get the desired outcome. 

Donnelly said it is also important to give back to others and has donated thousands to children’s hospitals to help others have a better life.