Tom’s Franchise Information Blog

What is there not to love about being a franchisee? You’re doing something that you love, you’re good at and you can do at your own discretion. You’re profiting in more ways than one. So why isn’t everyone franchising? Well, taking the first step is not as easy as it sounds.

Firing your old job can be hard; especially if you’ve worked there a while and have grown to love your boss. Fortunately to prospective franchisees, neither sounds practical in today’s corporate world.

Dusty was tired of being laid off. Cutbacks in the wake of 9/11, and the subsequent decline in the economy prompted her to look in to buying a franchise. When her boss told her that they were thinking about outsourcing her position as a contract specialist, she officially had heard enough, and made the move to franchise.

Her boss, who was not too keen on American business culture, and “had a problem with women in management positions,” offered to send her to Maryland; take it or leave it.

“I kind of went ‘Well. Okay. Thank-you. Bye’,” she remembered. As she stood up, she extended her hand for a final handshake. He “just about backed through the Plexiglas window,” she remembered. “He thought I was coming over his desk to kill him. The look on his face was hysterical. When I shook his hand, he was like ‘what?’.”

Today, Dusty still runs into quite a few of her previous co-workers. Soon after opening her PostNet, she ran into a colleague who has now been a customer of hers for four years. When asked if she thinks that some of her past co-workers are jealous, Dusty said, “Probably. They’re like ‘I wish I had the courage to do that.’”

The fun part of franchising, however, can be figuring out what you want to do. What do you like? Web Sites such as http://www.franchiseopportunities.com can help by doing all the research for you and providing quick submission forms for direct contact with the franchisor. To get frequently updated information on the latest in franchising trends and behind-the-scenes look into what franchising is all about, visit the FranchiseOpportunities blog at http://www.franchiseopportunities.com/blogs

Amy Greene, Staff writer, FranchiseOpportunities.com/blogs