Tom’s Franchise Information Blog
As the cycle of change increases its speed, leadership communication is becoming more important than ever. Since the original publication of Leading Out Loud in 1995, the development of a leader’s message has become as critical to success as the delivery of that message. In this new and revised edition of his highly praised work, Terry Pearce explains how the events of recent years, including the information revolution, worldwide focus on terrorism, and the revelation of corporate scandals, have significantly increased the importance of authenticity in leadership to build loyalty in organizations.
This new edition focuses on the source of a message for change, its development as a platform for leadership communication, and its many forms of expression from speeches to e-mails, memos, and even informal “water cooler” conversation. Pearce shows leaders in business, politics, and nonprofits how to communicate their values and vision to inspire commitment; he provides tools and examples from well-known leaders as well as less-known but effective change agents. Leading Out Loud gives readers concrete methods for improving their own communication by guiding them to do the internal work necessary for creating an honest and compelling vision, and by demonstrating how readers can find their authentic voice and articulate their messages with confidence.
People make commitments, says Pearce, to causes they value and to people they respect and trust. An authentic voice and an inclusive perspective are requisites for any leader who would inspire change. Trust is built by communicating from both the mind and the heart, speaking directly to the minds and hearts of others, listening to their response, and respecting their points of view. All leaders will benefit from Pearce’s wisdom, as will anyone else who wants to inspire positive change through others.
When I left my job as a Manager for a well known restaurant in Las Vegas for our move to Denver, my dream was to open my own restaurant. We were lucky and cashed in on the housing market before it collapsed and I was eager to be my own boss. I started to research all possible scenarios for the right business opportunity. The possibilities seemed endless and our optimism was high that we could finally realize the dream of future financial freedom.
Independent or Franchise?
My research began in earnest on what was the best fit to get up and running. I had been in the hospitality industry long enough to know that restaurants usually faced an uphill battle to survive. However, I had over 10 years in the industry and knew a thing or two, or so I thought.
My research went from; should I buy an existing stand-alone enterprise to starting from scratch or the “safer bet” a Franchise. While I knew how to run an existing restaurant I did not have the experience of starting from the beginning. I had no knowledge of negotiating a lease, hiring a contractor, locating funding, etc. I quickly began educating myself and found out that there was a world of knowledge that needed to be obtained.
After several months my attention turned to opening a Franchise. There was a well known sandwich chain that had fairly low buy in costs. The initial fee was $25,000 and the total dollars in depended upon whether you bought an existing store or built your own. We opted to go for it and built our own. Wow, now things we going to be good. Our own store and a location we picked (from a list of sites provided by the Franchisor). The Franchisor took much of the guess work out of the process. They provided a list of contractors they trusted and had used before. Information was provided on obtaining permits, who to use for payroll, food distributor and on and on. As promised, the Franchisor took the guess work out of it and showed you how to get up and running.
The Rubber hits the road
Normal problems arose during construction, we opened six months later than anticipated, but we knew there would be bumps in the road. Our opening was a disaster, bad weather, road construction and slow customer recognition. Costs were high; rent, opening costs, loan costs, abnormally high food costs (the Franchisor owned part of the food distributor) and last but not least Franchise Fees. When we opened our Franchise Fees were fairly high at 9%. This is huge in a very tight margin business. However, the Franchisor raised the fees to 11% not long after we opened. They had this right in the Franchise agreement and the reason was to increase advertising!
Beginning of the end
We quickly found out that we were not the real owners. We were at the mercy of the Franchisor and we were hemorrhaging cash. I tried to sell after the first year of operation; however we could not get any takers at any price. We had to close the doors and realize a loss of approximately $250,000. The Franchisor had a “program” to help struggling Franchises, however any requests for help, temporary reduction of franchise fees or help finding a buyer, fell on deaf ears.
In conclusion, we may have picked the wrong concept, location or time to open our restaurant. I believe Franchises can be a viable choice, but as always, buyer beware.
Christopher Benoit
Christopher Benoit is involved in an online home based business. He has over 25 years of experience in Finance and in the Hospitality industry. His goal is to enlighten investors and entrepreneurs to the possibilities and the power of working from home and on the Internet.
Into the life of every cleaning business owner, a little extra, helpful knowledge will fall.
Well, not exactly as poetic as it could be, but the point is you never know when some little trick of the cleaning service trade might help you land that all important office cleaning contract.
Take this scenario for instance.
Late at night, the deadline looms. Bleary-eyed, the dedicated office worker labors over their computer, putting the finishing touches on a special project due in the morning.
Then the absolute worst happens. In an attempt to keep awake, the dedicated person has grabbed a forbidden soda or cup of coffee and put it on their desk next to their computer screen (gasp!). An unguarded gesture, a run-away elbow, and the soda or coffee winds up spilling all over the keyboard.
Oh my-
First and foremost, advise the person to turn off the computer immediately. Or at the least disconnect the keyboard from the computer. Next, quickly flip the keyboard over and shake it above a neutral surface, like an empty table or countertop, to clear the keyboard of as much liquid as possible.
While the keyboard is still upside down, press a clean cloth or a pad of paper towels on the affected area to absorb yet more liquid. If possible, moisten a cotton ball or the tip of a clean cloth with isopropyl alcohol and run it over the affected area to help dry up any remaining liquid. Inform the person that it’s important to leave the keyboard upside down to dry completely-at least 12 hours-before turning it back on.
Assure the dedicated worker and your client-who, by the way, does not have tech person-if they follow these simple steps, they stand a good chance of saving the keyboard. Because as a wise sage once said, liquid spilled on a keyboard isn’t always fatal, to the keyboard and hopefully, the person who tried to drown it.
For more information on office cleaning, please visit Jani-King.com.
Jennifer
