Originally slated to end with the new year itself, Congress has extended a number of Small Business Association loans. For the time being, they are only extended until February, but for any small business owner, including franchisees, this is great news. The loans themselves were created through last year’s Recovery Act and guarantee the SBA loans from seventy five percent to ninety percent- a move which is going to enable many to move forward when things were looking most dire in recent years. Many who had been placed on a waiting list are going to be able to get help that they had perhaps been afraid would not come, and many more may benefit from this as well.
The Recovery Act itself created a couple of provisions that were quite popular- but they are very temporary. There is talk about the House’s Jobs for Main Street Act, which was passed mid-December and will potentially extend the deadline until September. Tony Wilkinson, president of the National Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders in Stillwater, Oklahoma states that, “The conventional credit market will not near normal until sometime in 2011 because the typical small business will walk in with negative trends on his financial statement,” commenting on the recent issues amongst small business owners in regards to access to credit, “But that’s why the SBA programs are important, because lenders can say, ‘Hey, this is a survivor who will probably make it.’”
The program, which originally began in February of 2009 has already made a great deal of progress. Bringing $16.5 billion to small-business owners and brought more than 1,200 lenders back into SBA loan programs, the benefit is clear, but it is not without its downside. By Mid November, the funds were almost gone, and lenders began to react- approving as many loans as they could under the provisions. This lead to a lengthy waiting list which the extension seeks to remedy. The waiting list itself contained 1,069 small businesses, for a total of 530 million dollars in loans. Those people that felt that they’d missed the deadline and had been put on the waiting list can now breath a sigh of relief with this extension.
For many, these provisions are going to help in ways that are too numerous to count, but the implications on those seeking start up funding for small businesses and franchises are great. It does seem as though this is one of the programs that really shows potential for helping small business owners make it through the credit crunch and be able to give back to the economic cycle. A number of small business owners already helped by the provisions are working their way back to financial stability and if these funds prove beneficial- it seems that other such programs may be on the table for review as well. The extension also brings a bit of hope to that, because it does show that the government is taking into account the needs of small business owners, and their vast impact on both the local economies and on a national level.
Usually, someone becomes a restaurant manager through experience. Many start out as wait staff or cooks, and work their way up through the business. In cases of fast food establishment, this is usually the norm, and no post secondary education is needed. Many management professionals have less than a bachelors, but in more recent times, this trend is turning around.
Some specialized degree programs are out there and available to people who want to pursue a career in restaurant management, but it is not always necessary. However, having said that, it is important to note that most food service establishments do require a fairly in depth training program for the position of manager. It’s usually more on the job but occasionally involves some sort of class room type training.
Through this, trainees generally learn things that are more geared towards the operation of the restaurant itself- personnel management, record keeping, security, sanitation, food prep, and reporting to the main office or higher management. It may also require a different sort of training for the point of service terminals, and after a time, the employee may be promoted to assistant manager and go from there.
There are a number of schools, universities and colleges that now offer four year restaurant and food service management programs. As increasing demand rises, many have options for two year degrees or other certifications that may help someone intent on this as a career path.
Either choice in higher education will offer a firmer understanding of things that typically aren’t learned on the job- for example, most have a comprehensive business law and management portion, as well as an accounting course, coupled with sanitation, food nutrition and planning. A number of these options can make it more likely for an experienced waitstaff or chef to get the position they are seeking out above other, less educated candidates. In addition to this, a number of the larger chain restaurants or higher end restaurants offer compensation or other options from within to increase the education of their management staff.
Another thing that is often taken into account when promoting from within, however, is employee performance thus far. Many businesses know which employees will be better suited for management and often groom specific employees for this. Overall initiative, hard working, and personality are usually key factors, as well as a neat and tidy appearance and punctuality. They may also seek out more diplomatic employees, those that would be well suited, calm and comfortable dealing with conflict and able to maintain composure. Business owners know that recruiting management often is a long term investment on their parts- whether they pay for further education or not. As promotion from within is the most common means of gaining a management position, this is typically something that those looking to get into will need to be aware of in how they present themselves. Owners and upper management will look for and actively seek out employees who seem the most motivated to move up and succeed within their restaurant.
As a restaurant manager, you will be responsible for daily running of a food service establishment. This means having to be able to multitask various facets of the business, not limited to just making the schedules. Other duties restaurant managers typically take on are making sure that the kitchen, wait staff and other departments in the restaurant are all running smoothly.
Another facet of the duties that a restaurant manager takes on are ordering of equipment, food, inventory and other supplies needed for the business, as well as making sure that things are well maintained and all facilities are in good order.
Usually, this is an administrative job that requires a great deal more hands-on attitude, from hiring, to training, and keeping abreast of all employee performance.
One of the many duties that a restaurant manager takes on is hiring, training or even the termination of employees based on poor work performance or other factors. Being able to keep a good staff on hand is a serious challenge in an industry known for high turn over rates. More often than not, this is done via advertising and extensive interview processes. It is usually the manger that trains the employees, or who delegates the responsibility to someone within the staff- a trainer who may be a more seasoned wait staff personnel.
Another part of this is scheduling hours and making sure that there are enough staff on hand to best take care of the volume of customers. This may mean being able to have alternates to step in when in cases of call ins, or even in many cases, taking care of that shift themselves. You may often see restaurant management waiting tables or helping out around the restaurant when it is busy.
Management will also usually deal with employee performance, making sure that customers are not only greeted in a friendly fashion, but served promptly and in a predetermined way. More often than not, it is the restaurant manager who will handle customer complaints, looking into them and resolving them about the quality and service they receive. This generally means taking care of things behind the scenes as well, ensuring that the kitchen is running smoothly and quickly- often times having to fill in and help out if there is a great deal of customer need. It is definitely a major part of a manager’s job to make sure that both the customers and the staff are able to enjoy a safe environment. This usually means making sure all employees are acting in a professional way, and that health codes and liqueur laws are adhered to.
The career path to restaurant management may mean a degree, it may mean being promoted from within. However, one thing is certain, there are a number of traits that are key to being an effective manager. The ability to adapt, multitask and pay attention to detail all in a diplomatic way are definitely a plus when working in this particular field.
Jan
Before you decide to look into purchasing a franchise, one of the best things to do is to sit down and do a self assessment. Franchising can be a really great opportunity, but it is also something that not everyone can do- some are not really cut out for certain types of franchises, as well, so this may be something that goes deeper than just franchising itself. Dig a bit deeply and ask yourself if you feel that you are really ready to take the next steps needed and if you feel that you are able to work through the start ups and all of the different aspects of business ownership. Thinking about franchising as anything less than an investment that will require work may be the wrong path to go down.
The next thing that you need to have in place is a five year plan. This may or may not include the potential franchise you are looking at- but what this does is to map out your lifestyle and this way, you can sort of cross reference it to the various franchise options you are looking into and decide if the franchise is a good fit. This will help you to narrow your choices down quite a lot and help you to really find a franchise you feel good about for the long term. In addition to this, at this time you may want to consider talking to the people at the franchise, looking into it more deeply and getting more informed so that you know exactly what this will entail and what your responsibilities and rights will be. Again, you do this in order to see if the franchises you are looking into fit into your life, and if they can stay a stable part of that long term.
Once you have this in place, you probably already have a good list of prospective franchises. The next thing to do is analyze start up cost. It’s a good idea to have not only enough for start up but enough set aside to get you through start up and keep you afloat until you have your feet on the ground a bit. Sit down and working with your five year plan, consider the long term, and consider which franchises fit into that long term budget and what you feel comfortable with. This should narrow the list even further.
Basically, the very best thing you can do is to begin with a list of prospective franchises, and then, weigh the information your receive on them as it comes in, against your own goals and dreams. One of the bigger mistakes that some people make is not going into a franchise sure that it will fit in with their lives- remember, going into business for yourself is also about quality of life. Make sure that you are reasonably aware of what the job is, what parts of it you’ll have to be very involved in, and if that franchise really is for you.
As more and more people latch on to the idea of environmentally friendly practice, many businesses find that they are having trouble keeping up. Running business as usual is no longer acceptable and many businesses that thought they could succeed still going the way they were- old, tired practices that were hard on the earth and big on waste- are finding that their profits dip, or they end up having to close their doors all together. But not one franchise. Filtafry began with an eco conscious vision- so for the franchise to continue to improve upon that in recent years comes as very little surprise.
As a matter of fact, many of the franchise owners that are currently quite successful with Filtafry also adhere to higher standards of green friendly business practices. For Filtafry, this isn’t just a new marketing idea- this is the way things have been done since the very start. Filtafry’s commitment to the environment is often seen in sponsorships and education on a local level, but as a business itself, Filtafry offers a much better service that benefits both business owner, and the environment.
Environmentalism is at the very core of everything that Filtafry does, to be sure. But what does this mean for a potential franchise owner? If you will have a look at current market trends, it is obvious that the Green trend isn’t something that is simply going away. As a matter of fact, this trend is still climbing and becoming less of a trend and a more daily part of life for most people. This means that many businesses are going to begin to take a hard look at the way that they do things and what areas they can trim the fat and cut the costs while eliminating a great deal of the waste their establishment puts out. This is where that great sales training comes in during the first days of your FiltaFry franchise ownership. One demonstration is often all it takes to convince restaurant and food service owners that a Filtafry service is something they could use to take the green aspects of their business a step further and promote a better bottom line.
If you have a passion for the environment, are a hard worker who would love to own their own business, Filtafry is definitely right up your alley. Take for instance Richard Hamilton, a former Alltel Corp work in Arkansas. He knew that he wanted to take control of his financial future, as well as a genuine concern for the economy and the environment. What did Richard do with all of that passion and drive? He started Eco Services of Arkansas Inc. But that is not where he stopped. Now, the vans that Richard drives in his business- he also fuels, with an aspect of his business. You know by now that one of the many benefits to food service places is waste oil disposal? Richard turns his collected waste oil into valuable biodoesel. Now, that’s commitment!
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be in control of your own financial future? Perhaps you have been giving some thought to becoming self employed, but between steep start up costs and not being all together sure how to make it all happen, you’re a little intimidated. Having a look into franchising options may be a good idea, but you may also notice that many franchises also have rather high start up costs, and you’d rather do something a little smaller, perhaps from the home. If someone told you that you could essentially run a very profitable business out of a van, you would likely be a little surprised to hear that. However, this is just how Filtafry has been doing business for over ten years, now. More and more people who are looking into franchising have decided that Filtafry is the way to go for them, and there are many reasons why. Filtafry is a well known leader in the franchise world, one that is seen as being a very all inclusive and supportive franchise, integral in helping new business owners make it through start up and beyond.
The Filtafry commitment to supporting new franchisees is widely known and accepted. In an uncertain economy- you want a brand that you can trust, because risk taking during shakey financial times is trepedacious enough, a solid reputation is definitely key. Of course, any franchise you are going to have a small group of detractors, and for whatever reason there are always those with negative things to say. However, when you balance the negative with the positive- specifically in the case of Filtafry, you’ll notice the scales tip quite a bit in favor of Filtafry. There are many very big name, respected clients who depend on Filtafry’s services, not only as a means to keep their fryers sparkling clean, but in a cost reduction capacity as well. One look at the testimonials list will tell you that these are satisfied customers of a much needed service, one talk with a successful current Filtafry franchise owner will assure you that there are many who are definitely benefiting from that.
Another unique factor in Filtafry’s continued commitment to the success of their franchise owners is Filtanet, Filtafry’s exclusive, Franchisee Support Intranet. First launched in June of 2004, this keeps all franchise owners directly in the loop with any changes, developments and other information. As well, Franchise owners can participate in group discussions, offering each other both technical, sales and friendly support. Filtafry has said that they really like to make their franchisees feel like family, and Filtanet definitely provides that round table, every one is included sort of feel. With many features, links, q and a sections and news sections, Filtanet is a franchise owner’s one stop, twenty four hour link to the support they need to really feel like they are a strong part of the Filtafry team.
Dec
For a restaurant owner, it can be extremely disheartening to walk into your cooler and realize that a substantial portion of your produce has gone bad before you could even use it. Even worse are the times when frozen condensation causes your cooler to stop working properly, raising the temperature and spoiling everything. Fortunately, the folks at the Filta Group have a solution to stop spoilage in its tracks and improve cooler function to help eliminate waste and save you money.
What is FiltaCool?
FiltaCool is a refrigeration filter specifically designed to meet and exceed the needs of commercial coolers. They are small, unobtrusive devices that make a tremendous impact on the environment inside of your cooler and the way that your cooler operates. They cost very little to have installed (about $12 per month) and more than pay for themselves by cutting loss and waste.
What Do FiltaCool Filters Do?
FiltaCool filters impact your commercial cooler in a number of ways. Firstly, the act to regulate the humidity inside of your cooler unit. As you well know, if the humidity inside your cooler gets too high, you produce spoils very quickly. On the other hand, if conditions get too dry your products get dehydrated, cracked and unusable. FiltaCool filters help to regulate humidity and keep it at the optimal level for your produce and other perishables.
The benefits of humidity regulation extend beyond just making your perishables more durable. By limiting humidity, FiltaCool filters also discourage bacterial growth. Reduced humidity also helps your cooler run more efficiently by preventing freezing. Your cooler will use less energy to maintain a constant temperature. Because your cooler isn’t working as hard, it will require less maintenance and could even last several years beyond its expected operational lifetime.
Other Benefits
FiltaCool filters also trap the gasses that are given off naturally by produce. These gasses, when trapped inside a cool, accumulate and cause produce to decompose more quickly. FiltaCool filters prevent this accumulation so that your produce lasts longer.
FiltaCool filters also trap noxious odors that build up in coolers. Unpleasant odors create an unpleasant work environment. Odors can also be absorbed by some produce, tainting their taste and rendering them unfit for use.
Cool Savings
When you use FiltaCool filters in your walk-in or other commercial refrigeration unit you will begin to see big savings right away. Your perishable goods will last longer and you will lose less money to waste. FiltaCool filters allows you to put more of your products on the customers’ tables and less into the waste bin.
FiltaCool filters also help you save money on energy use and equipment maintenance. Coolers that have FiltaCool filters installed are able to run much more efficiently, usually showing a 10% decrease in energy usage. Since they aren’t working so hard to keep your products cool, they experience less wear and tear. That means less money spent on expensive repairs and a longer life for your cooler. FiltaCool filters are just another way that Filta helps your business run more efficiently and saves you money.
All restaurant owners are familiar with the hassle and potential expense of disposing of their restaurants’ unwanted used cooking oils. However, many are unaware of a new trend that offers to alleviate this burden of restaurant ownership. In the face of rising gas prices and a push toward environmental consciousness, many motorists are turning to advancements in automobiles converted to run on waste oil as a solution. This growing trend offers an exciting prospect to restaurant owners. In fact, with a little bit of ingenuity and inventiveness, the advantage offered by the use of waste oils in vehicles can be expanded well beyond the realm of simply having a free means of waste oil disposal.
The concept behind the use of waste oil in vehicles is not a particularly complex one. The process is relatively inexpensive to the motorist, and is fairly simple to maintain, adding to its appeal and growing popularity. The general concept involves making very slight modification to an existing diesel engine allowing it to run on filtered waste cooking oils rather than on traditional fuel.
From an environmental perspective, waste oils burn cleaner and drastically reduce the carbon footprint of the motorist. From the restaurateur’s perspective, this is trend is a great boon in the day-to-day operation of the restaurant business. These environmentally and economically sensitive motorists have the potential to alleviate or even completely remove the cost of waste oil disposal.
The best part is, there is absolutely nothing required on the restaurant owner’s end. All of the work in filtering and processing the waste oil for use is done by the motorist. All the restaurant owner need do is conduct business in a normal manner and give the desiring motorist permission to siphon oil from the waste bins.
The intrepid entrepreneur can turn this arrangement even more to his advantage. Many of these environmentally conscious motorists are quite proud of what they are doing (at reasonably so) and are more than willing to proclaim their bold venture into environmentalism. As such, a smart restaurant owner will attract these motorists to their business, either via advertisement or marquee letting these environmentalists know that the owner supports and is willing to assist them in their cause.
Once these connections have been established they can be used to make a bold marketing campaign for the restaurant. Most, if not all, of these motorists will be more than willing to decorate their vehicle with a bumper sticker or magnetic decal in exchange for free waste fuel. Imagine the impact and the statement made by a vehicle sporting a vivid decal decrying “This vehicle is powered by waste oil from Joe’s Restaurant”. Not only is the restaurant name being shown all around town by this intrepid motorist, but the owner is getting out the message that he cares about the environment and the community.
Waste oil can be used to make a very powerful statement for a very nominal price. Not only can an ingenious owner avoid the costs associated with oil removal, but can do so in a conscientious way. As an added bonus, with a minimal effort he can turn that waste to his advantage as a marketing tool.
Have additional franchising questions? Get more franchise information with a real business example at<a href=”http://filtafryfranchise.info”> Filta Fry </a>. Additionally, you can get more information about an emerging franchise by going to <a href=”
http://ezinearticles.com/?Filta-Franchise—Learning-From-Your-Experiences&id=3138009″> filtafry</a>.
One of the greatest, and often most overlooked, resources available to a franchise owner is a network of experienced and knowledgeable peers. These business owners understand, on a practical and personal level, the intricacies of running a franchise under the same brand name. It is a shrewd and savvy businessman who builds up this inherent network and establishes connections with already successful franchise owners.
Many franchisors attempt to make this network more accessible to their franchise owners by means of scheduled retreats and seminars. Most franchisors recognize the value of practical knowledge and wisdom gained by experience and want to make that available to their franchisees. After all, the brand wants to be prosperous and to do so it must offer the individual franchisee ever available tool for success. However, the franchisor cannot force the franchisee to take advantage of the tools offered. It rests on the shoulders of the owner to seek out and make use of what resources are made available.
Seminars are an invaluable tool to the business owner. At face value, they make available a wealth of knowledge in the form of talks given by successful professionals, keep the owner current on new marketing campaigns and strategies, and keep the owner up to date on new developments within the growing brand. The smart businessman looks deeper and seizes the opportunity to pick the minds of his/her peers – those who have been operating franchises under the same name for years and have learned from the school of hard knocks what works and what doesn’t. There is no substitute for experience and learning from the experiences of others is vastly more time efficient and cost effective than trudging through on one’s own.
Outside of the confines of the brand, there are a number of national associations for business owners, as well as smaller organizations that operate on local levels. These networks can be beneficial to the business owner in gaining an overall perspective of what works in a given community and provide insight into what others have found effective, or ineffective, across a broader spectrum. Building a positive relationship with other businesses in the community is also an important aspect of building a positive relationship with the community overall.
A business owner need not feel constrained to such organized and scheduled events as a means to establish a healthy and beneficial network, though. There is no harm in a good old-fashioned sit down with other established franchise owners in the area. Most successful business owners are proud of their success and more than happy to discuss their business and how they made it thrive. In fact, it can be very beneficial to attempt to meet and converse with these existing franchise owners prior to even entering into a franchise contract. Knowing just what one is getting into beforehand is never a bad idea. Forewarned is forearmed.
From a practical standpoint, a vast wealth of knowledge is available to the new franchise owner in the form of experienced and successful peers. It is up to the owner to decide whether or not to make use of this available information. As with any business venture, the more practical knowledge an owner has, the greater the chances for success.
If you have any additional franchise questions there are many places you can go. Try out a real franchise example at <a href=”http://www.firstprizefranchise.com/filtafry/”> filtafry </a>. For even more information about this particular emerging franchise visit <a href=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukRD0q6-laQ”> Filta </a>.
One of the most significant advantages of buying a franchise, as opposed to starting up an independent business, is the availability of marketing support from the franchising company. It is readily visible how having an already established brand name, a strong pre-existing customer base and well funded, broad reaching marketing campaigns is vastly beneficial to a new business. However, all franchisors do not approach the issue of marketing in the same manner and it is important to establish just how much of the advertising is handled by the franchisor and what is left to the franchisee before entering into a franchising agreement.
When purchasing an already well known and notably successful franchise, it is easy to assume that the brand will essentially sell itself without any needed action on the part of the business owner. This is true to an extent. After all, the individual franchise owner could never hope to top a nationwide marketing campaign put out by the franchisor. Nevertheless, such marketing ventures by the franchisor are aimed at building the overall success of the brand and do not ensure the success of individual franchises. It is up to the owner to build to local clientele and relationship with his/her specific community that will make or break his/her individual franchise.
It falls to the franchise owner to determine just how much of the burden of marketing lies with the franchisor and in what ways he/she can improve upon that existing framework at the local level. Many franchises offer marketing advice and materials for use by the franchise owner. After all, the success of the brand depends on the overall success of the franchisees and the franchisor wants to see their franchises flourish. It is up to the owner to avail him/herself of these resources and to seek help in deciding on appropriate local marketing channels and promotional campaigns that will benefit the individual franchise.
If a franchise offers little or no marketing support at the local level there are still options open to the franchise owner. Marketing firms can help build successful local ad campaigns and offer insight into marketing strategies. They are in the business of advertising and know what works for your area and targeted demographic. However, when using a marketing firm, the franchise owner is still limited by the guidelines set forth by the franchisor and any contractual restrictions as to how the franchisor wishes their brand to be marketed.
Establishing a strong peer network can also be invaluable to the new franchise owner. One of the benefits of operating a franchise lies in the very basic fact that there are other owners out there, even in the same region, that have already been operating successfully under the same brand. Creating relationships with fellow owners can open up a wealth of practical information and experience, not only in the areas of marketing and promotion, but in all aspects of running a franchise.
It is absolutely essential to the new franchise owner that he/she enter into the contract understanding exactly what amount of the burden of marketing rest on franchisor and what will be required on the owner’s end. There will always be a need for the owner to be proactive in generating business to some degree. Having a clear perspective as to what marketing tools will be available from the onset, and establishing a proper course of promotion on a local level can help ensure the initial and continued success of the franchise owner.
Starting a business and being your own boss is an exciting venture, but it should not be taken lightly. Proper support for your business is very important. Check out an example of a real franchise and how they run by visiting <a href=”http://filtafryreview.info”> FiltaFry </a> or <a href=”http://www.franchisegator.com/Filta-Environmental-Kitchen-Solutions-franchise/”> Learn about Filta </a>.