According to HomeWorking.com, working at home is becoming more popular with an estimated 1.7 million people in the UK working from home at least 1 whole day per week for their employer. Freelance workers working at home represent about 9% of the working population in the UK. Whilst figures for the self-employed at home are difficult to determine, it has been suggested that as many as one in 6 of the working population are working from home running their businesses or enterprises. This all means that starting your own business from home is now a very popular option.

The internet has expanded so much that many businesses are now operating entirely online. So while there are many businesses depending on online traffic to sell their products to, there are also online services helping these online businesses attract the right traffic and also provide the appropriate online experience to their customers. In this regard, home based marketing has really taken off as those running their marketing businesses from home have the unique opportunity to provide a top service to businesses literally anywhere in the world if those businesses are based online. While skills in search engine optimisation and online marketing are important as well as a great internet connection, starting your internet business from home is not too difficult and can be extremely low on overhead costs. With a franchise, you can benefit even more, as the franchise can provide you with all the training and knowledge you will need to provide a top service, as well as ongoing support as your develop and grow your own business from the comfort of your own home.

Let’s take a look at what’s important in starting up your own business from home:

Children

Starting your own business from home is often recommended to women – which us women always think is a bit sexist as nowadays it can apply to both men and women. For women or men who have had children and taken a few years out of the workplace to rear their children, and now are exploring other avenues of working without going back to a full time workplace situation; starting your own business from home can offer you the flexibility and freedom to work how and when you please and to what degree you really want to immerse yourself in working life. However, there are things to consider about being a mum or dad working from home.

Will your children, if they are not of school going age, be ready to give you time alone while you work? One of the biggest complaints from working mums is that they tend to get easily distracted from their children while they are still in the home, and often the devil finds works for idle hands and that report you just printed off could end up as a perfect doodle canvas! Make sure that both you and your children are ready for a situation where you are present but not always available to them and that they understand when “Mummy or Daddy is working” and cannot be disturbed … unless absolutely necessary.  It can be a huge mistake to think that you can mind your children and run a business both full time, therefore you should be prepared to have your children attend a crèche or playschool for a few hours a week to give you the chance to run some work errands and attend meetings with local clients if necessary.

Internet connection and PC

For most businesses operated from home, you will need your own PC or laptop. Some franchises include this in the franchise fee and the machine will come with all the necessary programs and applications installed. However, some franchises don’t, so you will need to work out what kind of PC you will need, if any at all, as well as what programs and applications you will need for the operation of your business, for example, for the administration of the business you might need an accounts package such as Sage or Big Red Book. In addition to this, if you are thinking of starting your own web design business, some designers won’t use any computer other than a Mac.

Hardware and software aside, you will also need to think about your internet connection. Running your own business from home while living in the countryside can be idyllic however; this dream can be smashed easily if you can’t secure a quality broadband connection. Working from home, a lot of your communication with clients will most likely be through email and phone calls, so a good broadband connection and a good telephone line. You should ensure that you will be able to secure and support both of these if you want to be able to run your own business efficiently from home.

Dedicated area in your house

You will need to be able to find a dedicated area within your own home that is your dedicated workspace. Preferably this would be another room where you can have your own office; however it can also be a work desk in a quieter area of your home. Most people find that having all their work materials organised in the same way can maximise their work performance as they can easily access everything they need and also, the same surrounding every day is less likely to distract you than if your workspace is in a different location every day. It can also help you achieve a proper work life balance, as you can literally shut the door of your office in the evening and spend some quality time with family or friends.

The ability to work on your own, and set your own deadlines

When you are in an office or workplace situation, your fellow work colleagues as well as your boss will always secure your dedication to the job – if you’re not doing your job properly they’re going to notice and question your lack of motivation. Therefore if you have any doubts about your self-motivation, you really should think twice before starting your own business – especially from home. Those working from home battle daily with the temptations to sleep late, watch day time TV, take sunny days off, give too much attention to children or housemates and shock horror – work in their PJs! Before taking the plunge, you really should make sure that you will be able to motivate yourself and set your own deadlines and restrictions in place. Just like any other business person, you should be getting up early every morning, setting certain times for breaks and lunchtimes and also be able to block out whoever else is in your home.

Industries particularly suited to home based business models

Internet Franchises – including web design, web services and online business franchises
Marketing Franchises – including online marketing and telesales
Vending Machine Franchises – administrating your business from home, while spending a significant amount of time “on the road” stocking and servicing your machines
Education Franchises – offering home tutoring either in your home or in your customers’ homes.
Cleaning Franchises– administrating your business from home, with a team of cleaning staff to carry out the work in your customers’ homes

As long as you make the right decisions and choices, the operation of your own business from home; can help you transcend the problems of ridiculous house prices in the urban areas, along with the exhausting commute, kids in tow to and from work every morning, as you can still achieve success running your own online business from your own home in the middle of the countryside. Click on the following link to find out more about opportunities to work from home.

It turns out that the King did not die, but is very much alive and well in the form of Joel Libava – the Franchise King.

Joel keeps a regular blog on the franchise world, as well as helping franchise companies grow by finding potential franchisees with innovative online and social media marketing techniques, and through direct consultations with prospective franchise owners. Based in the US, Joel helps people all over the US find fantastic franchise opportunities with his superior personal franchise matchmaking methods.

Joel describes himself as “a brutally honest, but not always politically correct, entrepreneur-who’s hyper-focused on the world of franchising.”

With a diverse background as a radio and TV announcer, Las Vegas Maitre’D, food and beverage manager, Joel has also worked in automobile franchising in a management capacity, and a sales trainer.

You will frequently find Joel giving presentations on the topic of franchising, and he is the “Franchise Expert in Residence,” and columnist for the award winning Small Business Trends website. Joel is also The Community Promotions Director for Small Business Trends. Joel also writes over at the OPEN FORUM by American Express blog, joining other small business experts like Guy Kawasaki, Chris Brogan, and Anita Campbell.

In addition to all of this, Joel also regularly contributes as an expert source to The Wall Street Journal, Fox Business News.com, Entrepreneur Magazine, MSNBC.com, Bottom Line Personal, Crain’s, The Plain Dealer, and numerous other US national and local publications and websites. He is also interviewed regularly on Jim Blasingame’s Small Business Advocate radio program, as well as on Barbara Weltman’s Build Your Business radio show.

Pheuw! And if that wasn’t enough, Joel was recently approached by Business.Gov to contribute articles about the business model of franchising. This website is the official business link to the US Government, and Joel says he is very excited to be a part of it!

Check out Joel’s Franchise King blog (http://www.thefranchisekingblog.com/) to read about all the goings on in the franchise industry, as well as some insightful observations on the nature of franchising and the environment in which franchisees operate their businesses.

When people think of franchising, the first thing they think of, almost anywhere in the world, is McDonald’s. So I was pretty keen to have a look at how McDonald’s operates in India, given the exploding market there, as well as the country’s varied ethnic identities.

McDonald’s opened their first store in India in 1996. India, while a huge market, posed many cultural challenges for McDonald’s. Hindus, by far the largest religious group in India, are traditionally vegetarian. On top of that, they treat the cow as sacred (for instance, there were four cows tied to tree outside my hotel in Mumbai and they would sleep every night on the street). At the same time, there are also 133 million Muslims in India, who do not eat pork. So McDonald’s, before they even opened their doors, were at a quandary. Is a McDonald’s without a Big Mac or a Quarter Pounder really a McDonald’s? Bravely, they removed all beef and pork products from their Indian menu and created a number of meals to satisfy the Indian palette.

But problems have occasionally flared up. When McDonald’s revealed in 2001 that they cooked their french fries in beef fat, there were riots outside Indian restaurants. They seem to have gotten their cultural sensitivities in line though, and based on my own eyewitness evidence, their urban restaurants are thriving.

The McDonald’s I have documented below is in The Fort area of Mumbai. It’s the traditional business area of the city and throughout the whole day, it is a hive of activity. There are many beautiful Victorian buildings in this area. McDonald’s is in one of them actually, with a nicely-designed interior with outdoor picnic-style seating along the street. The menu might be the most diverse of any McDonald’s in the world. You can get veggie burgers, hot cheese (paneer) wraps, and even something called a McPizza Puff.

The McDonald’s in The Fort was packed the evening I visited, as was the one I passed by in New Delhi a few days later. For the generation of wealthy young Indians, McDonald’s, remarkably, has a reputation as a healthy, vegetarian-friendly restaurant. Also, they offer delivery, which is an exciting frontier for McDonald’s. It seems as if the Golden Arches have a great future in India.

This is a photo of an advertisement outside of the McDonald’s at The Fort. There are some menu items to the right and in the background you can see the umbrellas for outdoor eating. The warm climate in Mumbai makes India perfect for outdoor eating.

This is outside the door of McDonald’s. The most interesting thing here is that they are advertising their delivery service. This is pretty unique for McDonald’s. Obviously, they feel they need a delivery option to compete with Mumbai’s many other food services.

Here we have a closer look at some of McDonald’s food options. Notice the Veg Pizza McPuff and the ice cream at the bottom.

Here’s an interior shot of the restaurant. You can get a sense of how the distribution works. All of the eating takes place outside, as far as I can remember. The store was strongly air-conditioned, as well.

You can read our earlier post here on franchising in India. Keep an eye on the blog over the coming days for further insight on Indian franchising.

For years now, we have been hearing that the 21st century will be the Asian Century, lead by China and India. You read this claim so often in the business pages of the international newspapers, you sometimes begin to wonder if it is merely hype. I was fortunate enough to visit Mumbai and New Delhi recently and can say with some confidence that the future of business lies in India, especially where franchising is concerned.

Before I discuss my own experiences, let’s just state some of the reasons why franchising is working in India and certain to grow in the coming years. This is a country of over 1billion people. There are more than 3 times as many people living in India compared with America. In a few decades, it will be the third largest economy in the world.

Now India may have a huge population, but that’s not the whole reason why it is so ripe for franchising. India’s rise is being driven by a rising middle class who are increasingly looking to the west, and to the US especially, for cultural input. I had the pleasure of sampling New Delhi nightlife and it was remarkable just how similar Indian nightclubs were to American ones. Much of this wealthy young generation of Indians has spent time in the US or the UK and picked up a taste and an interest for Western goods, foods and services. Foreign investors should also note that India is a country with a historical relationship with the English language and a decidedly pro-business, low-tax ethos. I was there on Budget Day and it was remarkable to witness the hundreds of media outlets debating the various points of the budgets.

On the other hand, it is still a country weighed down by bureaucracy and with corruption issues at grassroots political levesl, but India’s business practices have come on by leaps and bounds in recent decades. There are also some pretty vast cultural divides between India and the West, but perhaps the spread of wealth will shrink this gap. With a vital national entrepreneurial spirit, compared to other developing economies, one thing is sure- India is open for business.

As for the franchising scene, it is growing fast. I traveled around Mumbai and New Delhi, largely on foot. The franchises that I encountered, both Indian and foreign, were mostly food franchises. UPS and a few other shipping franchises are also set up on the ground. Many people still choose to eat from vendors on the side of the road, but more and more people are looking for cheaper, Western food.

I’m proud to say my first meal in India was from a franchise operation: Felafal’s Veg Hummous House, a very clean and air-conditioned restaurant at the Colaba Causeway, one of main arteries around Mumbai’s big tourist area. The food was cooked quickly and with a coke, the meal only cost about 90 rupees, which is less that two dollars. I was fully satisfied and I was thanked by management on my way out the door. It couldn’t have been a better experience.

In the coming days, visit the blog as we’ll be providing more insight on our travels through Indian franchising. Our next post will be about the experience of McDonald’s in India.

Brian Rogan, our Sales Manager, commented that the show was very busy and successful in that “a lot of people were approaching our stand and had clear ideas of what kind of franchise they would be interested in - this is great because our site can help those people find a variety of franchise opportunities to suit what they are looking for”. There is a lot of choice in the franchise industry nowadays and with franchise in attendance from such diverse industries as home services franchises to business consultancy franchises - there is something to suit everyone.

Franchise Direct girls Lillie and Sandra most certainly enjoyed their weekend in London and especially enjoyed meeting YourPlumber’s novel mascots:

Brian ready to help attendees discover the world of franchising through Franchise Direct! 

Over one week, 250 volunteers will build approximately 40 houses to provide much needed homes to families affected by poverty in Haiti. Following this amazing week, Karen doesn’t intend on taking a break and will spend another 3 months carrying out other charity work in Haiti – she’s our very own Mother Teresa!!!

While we are all sad to see Karen go, but we are all immensely proud of her big heart and wonderful enthusiasm to help others in need. Karen needs to raise €4,000 to get herself out to Haiti along with materials and supplies to help build the homes in Haiti. If you would like to find out more about Haven or to donate, then visit Haven’s donation website and remember to cite Karen Wrafter as the person you want to sponsor!!

Here is a video from last year’s Haven Build it Week in Haiti, we’re all sure our Galway girl Karen will have loads of fun teaching the Haitian kids the lyrics to The Fields of Athenry or The Galway Girl!!!

The British & International Franchise Exhibition, endorsed by the British Franchise Association (bfa), will bring a vast range of new career opportunities to Olympia, London on Friday 19 and Saturday 20 March 2010.

Featuring a host of new and leading franchise industry businesses, valuable conference presentations and helpful experts from banks, accountants and lawyers, the event will provide aspiring business owners with all the knowledge they need to take a major step forward into a new venture. 
 
This year the exhibition will feature more than 100 franchising companies covering a vast range of industry sectors from travel and recruitment agencies to food and drink, health and fitness, cleaning companies and automotive repairs. The choice of franchises available at the exhibition is huge, giving visitors the perfect opportunity to find the business that is an ideal match for their interests and skills.

As well as many leading names in franchising, the list of exhibitors includes new companies with exciting proven ideas and concepts from all over the world. Exhibitors will include 0800 Handyman, Agency Express, Business Doctors, Cash Generator, Castle Homes, Computer Xplorers, Esprit, Expense Reduction Analysts, Explorer Travel, Gas-Elec, Go Cruise, Kumon Educational, Home Instead, Lloyds TSB, Lasertech UK, McDonald’s and Thebestof.

The extensive conference programme, with keynotes speakers including Toni Mascolo,co-founder of Toni & Guy hair salons and Brian Mullens of McDonalds, will cover the key franchise-related topics including couples in franchising, high level investment franchising; franchise resales; management in franchising, hands-on franchising, women in franchising, franchising your business and Growing Your Own Business. The International Conference, sponsored by the UKTI, will discuss both how to launch a franchise in the UK and how to take a UK based franchise overseas. The bfa will also address the key issues of trends, benefits and challenges associated with franchising.

To find out more, visit this website. You can gain FREE admission by using the promotional code FRDT when you register on the website.

Today, we’re providing you with a direct glimpse of the convention itself. We’re collated some images from the event. Below you’ll see photos of the Convention floor, plus images of the Franchise Direct team that were in San Antonio- Chaz Williams, Jill Ptacek and Marie-Andree Maurice as well as some photos of The Alamo.

We hope you had as good a time as we did…

Franchise Direct sales representative Chaz Williams meets a very realistic George W. Bush impersonator.

Here is a view of the Convention floor. Nearly 1100 franchise companies were in San Antonio, plus 10,000 franchisees and more than 500 firms that cater to the industry.

Jill Ptacek and Marie-Andree Maurice of Franchise Direct enjoy a conversation at the Franchise Direct stall.

Here’s a glimpse of the hustle and bustle of the Convention. For 50 years, the IFA convention has been an essential meeting place for the franchise community.

You can see from these photos just how easy it is to network with various groups and organization in franchising. Everyone in the industry is under one tent for one weekend.

Jill and Chaz of Franchise Direct outside the FD booth.

Here’s a photo of some of the stalls you’ll find around the historic Alamo.

You’ll always find a few cowboys around San Antonio.

And of course The Alamo itself, which we will always remember.

Those at the exhibition will have the chance to attend various talks from established figures in the franchise and entrepreneurship sector such as Steve Bolton of Platinum Property Partners, Professor Roy Seaman and Richard Holden – Head of Franchising for Lloyds TSB. To find out more about attending, visit the show’s profile on Franchise Direct.

Franchise Direct will also have a stand (no. 567 to be exact!) at the exhibition and the team is looking forward to meeting you there. Below is a list of the franchises, which currently feature on Franchise Direct and will also be at the Excel this weekend. Why not read about them today, so you can decide who you really want to meet this weekend. Can’t make it this weekend, explore our calendar of upcoming franchise expos and events.

Sign-A-Rama
Cash Generator Ltd
Dent Wizard
Signs Express
FASTSIGNS International
Esquires Coffee Houses
Pink Connect
Fortune Networks Limited
Earle’s Direct
The Global Travel Group Plc
Hometyre Group Ltd
Platinum Property Partners LLP
Mobi-Tyre
Mathnasium Learning Centers
Dietcare
YourPlumber Ltd
The best of
LawnScience Ltd
Coverall
Driver Hire Group Services Ltd
Fortuna
Wheel Wizard
Go-Kart Party (U.K.) Ltd
The Club Scrub Ltd
Mail Boxes ETC
EmbroidMe
Jan-pro Cleaning Systems
Oscars
Bairstow Eves Franchising
The Alchemy Network
DepiCool

The convention also features an awards ceremony, honouring those who are deemed to have contributed significantly to the international franchise community, along with a tribute to the lifelong contribution of Russell J. Frith, former member, treasurer and chairman of the IFA .

The convention is a great networking opportunity, and attendees at this year’s convention also have the chance to meet with representatives from many franchises available across the globe including such recognisable brands as 7-Eleven Ltd., Ben & Jerry’s, Build-A-Bear Workshop, ComForcare Senior Services, McDonald’s, Subway and NexCen Brands who are responsible for some of the most successful food franchises including Great American Cookies and Maggie’s Moos IceCream. Some of these franchises ranked very high in our recent Top 100 Global Franchises and have a lot to offer in terms of advice to new and growing franchises.  The convention should prove a wonderful opportunity for those franchises looking to expand their franchise network across the globe.

Franchise Direct representatives Jill Ptacek and Chaz Williams along with Marie Andrée Maurice are currently attending the convention so we’ll be sure to provide you with an update of all that went on when they return…and recover!

To find out more about the event, visit the IFA’s website, or to find out more about any upcoming franchise expos and events, why not visit our franchise expo and event calendar.