Nowletting Franchise Opportunity
June 13, 2011 | 
Author Nowletting | Realty
The fastest letting franchise opportunity in South Africa.
Telephone | 0861 33 55 46
Contact| Glen Smale
About | To be in business by yourself is really tough especially if you’re in Real Estate. The realty industry is really tough if you’re on your own but we have a solution to help generate annuity income to keep your business going and the Nowletting business opportunity does just that – it allows you to still be in business for yourself but not by yourself.
The Nowletting opportunity allows Estate Agents to make 100% commission and provides new online proven marketing methods and a business infrastructure that let’s you concentrate on doing what you do best! The franchise is low cost with a fixed monthly fee, it can be stand alone or incorporated into your existing realty business. You can continue with bigger revenue generating sales activities but now you can also get quicker rental annuity income or faster income that is very much needed while you wait for sales to transfer.
Proposed Opportunity sites | Exclusive territories still available
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Latest Franchise Opportunities
New franchises that present opportunities for you to own your own business in South Africa are:
Kauai | Fast Healthy Food
Telephone | 021 552 0222
Contact | Kerusha Tucker
About | Kauai is about natural, tasty and healthy quick service food. Systems and infrastructure were developed over 12 years in a mainly company owned format. This allows for our famous smoothies, sandwiches, wraps, salads and juices to be made efficiently, quick and to meet quality standards.
Proposed Opportunity sites | Clearwater Mall, East Rand Mall, Fourways Mall, Hyde Park Mall, Brooklyn Mall, Centurion Mall, Kolonade Mall, Somerset Mall, Gateway Mall, Midrand, Nelspruit, Johannesburg CBD and Sandton Business Node. Company owned stores looking for franchisees: On request.
In business for yourself but not by yourself
The mutually beneficial relationship that exists between franchisors and franchisees makes franchising unique in the world of business.
It provides entrepreneurs with an affordable means of accelerating expansion and achieving development goals more quickly than might otherwise be the case, and with far less risk. Similarly, franchisees have a head start because of the support provided by the franchise system. Franchising means being in business for yourself but not by yourself. Whether it’s accounting and financing, advertising and public relations, personnel management, purchasing, or inventory control, franchisors are there to provide hands on one-to-one assistance. While franchising does provide opportunities, it does not create miracles. Franchisees combine knowledge and resources with entrepreneurial drive and spirit to form a business relationship unique to franchising. Franchising is a field of expanding economic opportunity in which each and every person can play a part based on talent, initiative, and dedication.
Is franchising for me?
A successful franchisee should be suited to the industry of which he or she is a part, suited to the particular franchise company, and suited to the franchise system generally.
Important questions to ask yourself include:
Am I suited to the industry physically and by experience, education, learning capacity, temperament and financial ability?
What type of work is most appealing to me? for example, do I enjoy working with food, mechanical things, people, real estate, books and recordings, sporting goods, etc.?
Am I prepared to work hard and take financial risks?
Do my advisors, family, and friends think I am adaptable and trainable?
How do I react to controls?
Am I a loner – resenting authority and restraints, or can I accept guidance and direction happily?
If I prefer to act as a passive investor in the franchise, will the company accept this?
How do I personally feel about the company’s image and products and services?
The right answers to these types of questions help determine your potential success as a franchisee.
In exchange for the security, training, and marketing power of the franchise trademark, you must be able and willing to give up some of your independence. If you are a person who likes to make most decisions on your own or to chart the course of your business alone, a franchise may not be right for you. As a franchise owner, you must comply with the various controls and procedures established by the franchisor. Then, too, all successful businesses require a lot of dedication and plain, hard work. You must be prepared to make that commitment.
You must recognize that your success can come only through hard work. Success or failure ultimately depends on you.
Which Franchise?
There are a great deal of franchises to consider.
How can you choose which one may be best for you?
First have a good understanding of your financial capability.
Do you have capital available to invest?
Don’t forget the possibility of obtaining additional capital for the investment from a loved one or a friendly investor or the bank.
Next, think about what you like to do, and what you do not like to do, and choose accordingly.
If you don’t like working with the public, then a retail business should not be considered.
If you like working with children, animals, crafts, or involvement in sports, then target a franchise in that matching category.
Think carefully about what value you want to add and what will keep you motivated.
If you have a sense of purpose then staying motivated will be much easier.
What happens after I’ve chosen a franchise?
After you speak with the franchise representative, if you are still interested, and if the franchise is interested in you, then you will be requested to complete a formal franchise application, which will involve typically a credit check and sometimes a background check.
If you meet the franchisors guidelines, then to move forward by law the franchisor is required to send or provide to you a disclosure document, known as a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
Read the FDD carefully since it will include a vast amount of information on the franchise such as: history of franchise and its key principals, financial statements, litigation, franchise openings/closings/terminations, franchisee contacts, franchise agreement, requirements, and more.
One of your key questions to the franchise representative early on may be “how much can I make”. By law a franchise salesperson cannot provide you with an Earnings Claim, unless it is included in the disclosure document. There is no legal requirement that the franchisor must provide you with an Earnings Claim, however some franchisors do provide it. If the franchisor has chosen not to provide it, then it remains important to contact other franchisees listed in the disclosure document. Other franchisees can answer many of your questions.
Many franchisors will also require you to visit their headquarters before signing the agreement, so that you can both get to know each other better.
Ultimately your new business’ profit or loss will be determined by such factors as your franchise territory, site location (if not home based), and your individual efforts and commitment to following the system.
While you will be your own boss, when owning a franchise you will not be “on your own”.
The franchisor will have also committed to fulfill their promises to you as stated in the franchise agreement.
What you need to consider when choosing a franchise
a. the type of experience required in the franchised business;
b. a complete understanding of the business;
c. the hours and personal commitment necessary to run the business;
d. who the franchisor is, what its track record has been, and the business experience of its officers and directors;
e. how other franchisees in the same system are doing;
f. how much it’s going to cost to get into the franchise;
g. how much you’re going to pay for the continuing right to operate the business;
h. if there are any products or services you must buy from the franchisor and how and by whom they are supplied;
i. the terms and conditions under which the franchise relationship can be terminated or renewed, and how many franchisees have left the system during the past few years;
j. the financial condition of the franchisor and its system.
Trends 2011
There are 3 trends in Franchising
The globalization of franchising as people become more mobile and information becomes easily accessible around the world.
Among the most important trends in franchising today is the globalization of business and franchises becoming increasingly international with many franchises expanding across borders. Consumers are becoming more mobile and want to experience consistency, quality, service and value. Foreign based franchisors are offering individual franchises to operate a single unit or they are offering the development rights to operate multiple units and ‘master franchise’ rights.
The emergence of women and previously disadvantaged individuals in business
Women and previously disadvantaged individuals are becoming more prevalent in the franchising arena because it offers a unique way to overcome the lack of business experience, lack of support and lack of capital to start your own business. These obstacles that otherwise competent and capable small investors face, can use franchisors to fast track their success and get managerial training and assistance on an on-going basis and, in some cases, arrange for property leases, provide equipment financing, product stock, and assist in obtaining financing.
Finally the increased use of technology and the role of the internet.
The internet is for many the main method of communicating with franchise owners and suppliers through secure extranets in order to share critical information, facilitate discussion amongst the franchise network, get access to training material and video tutorials, webinairs, marketing material, engage in supply chain management and gather sales tracking and reports automatically.
Franchisors make extensive use of technology in offering their services directly, making this a very exciting time to own a franchise business.
The internet is fast becoming the main source for leads and marketing. The market has expanded dramatically with the internet and more and more people use the internet to gather information and make decisions online. In many industries, printed media has become less effective and face to face interactions have reduced to more critical operations. Mobility has seen that operating, responding and leveraging business anywhere, anytime, has seen a rapid development of online tools that can be utilized by franchisees to their advantage.
Social Media & Franchising
As social media engagement and practices become more of a requirement for franchises, it’s now more important than ever for franchise owners to adapt to the social media and location-based platforms, where their consumers are already creating conversations. The majority of locally owned franchises still don’t know which platform would be most engaging and measurable, or which will justify the cost for taking the leap into social media. So where are these conversations taking place? Facebook has over 500 million users; Twitter has 150 million, and Foursquare has 8 million. But those are just the main stream platforms, I thought I’d share a list of 5 platforms that local franchise owners can use to build their social media presence, engage their customers and grow their social media communities: 1) Facebook- According to a recent study released in January 2011 from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research, 71% of companies in the U.S used Facebook as a marketing tool in 2010, up from 61% in 2009, with only 9% of those being Restaurants and Franchises, which leads us to the first platform: Facebook Places; As defined by Facebook, “Places is a Facebook feature that allows you to see where your friends are and share your location in the real world. When you use Places, you’ll be able to see if any of your friends are currently checked in nearby and connect with them easily. You can check into nearby Places to tell your friends where you are, tag your friends in the Places you visit, and view comments your friends have made about the Places you visit. Use Places to experience connecting with people on Facebook in a completely new way.” But what does this mean for franchises, and why should you care? Simple. Having a Facebook Places page, (NOT to be confused with a regular Facebook fan page) will give you access to free word of mouth marketing of geographically targeted existing and new customers. When a customer checks-in via Facebook Places while visiting your establishment, the indication of that check-in will appear on your Place page, their friends’ News Feed and their Wall. This will also be visible to their friends nearby, which will, in turn, drive more people through your doors. You can also up the ante by launching a Facebook deal on your places page. Deals gives your franchise the opportunity to reward customers when they check in on Facebook, and this helps generate awareness, encourage in-store traffic and build customer loyalty. Deals connects businesses with people and helps them become an even larger part of their customers conversations, as explained by Facebook.
2) Twitter- Also according to the recent study from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research, Only 59% of companies in the U.S used Twitter as a marketing tool in 2010, with only a fraction of that percentage being actual locally owned franchises. Twitter, being not even close to the community size of Facebook, can still be as effective. Just keep these 3 critical rules in mind when launching a Twitter presence for your franchise: I) The 80/20 Rule – It is very important to follow this rule. Tweeting is easier said than done, but when done correctly and consistently, you can create lifetime customers who will follow your brand and freely share your message with their friends. Now to start with the “80″, tweeting consistently is not rocket science, so when you’re updating your franchises’ Twitter page, remember to focus on keeping your customers engaged. 80% of the your tweets should be about facts, menu, community information, current events, customer stories, tips, and tweets that your consumers find important and not intrusive. Now for the 20% rule, which we call the “Money Tweets”, these tweets should be about your daily deals, specials, contest, and giveaways. II) Listen – This is evenly as important as the 80/20 rule. Pay attention to what your customers are saying and genuinely respond if there are any complaints, or problems, and solve them immediately. You can also use it to retweet great things your customers are saying about you, for your other customers to see Twitter can serve as a medium to effectively enhance your customer service, so use it to your advantage and listen, listen, listen. III) Engage – Your customers are already talking about you, it’s your job to join in on the conversation. Use contests, trivia, and polls to create engagement, interaction and most importantly, to reward your customers. 3) Foursquare- Having a community of only 8 million members, Foursquare still accounts for 5% of the tools businesses use as a part of their social media strategy, with 75% of businesses viewing it as successful. Franchises use this to attract new customers or reward the loyal ones by offering Foursquare specials, such as mobile coupons, prizes or discounts, which are presented to users when they check in at their establishment. Foursquare is what we refer to as a ‘location-based social network.’ As with Twitter and Facebook Places, the conversation has already started, because your customers are already checking in your establishment, even before you claim it. So it’s important that you join in on the conversation, create specials and reward your customers. 4) Google Places – This is probably one the most powerful social platform, out of the 5 listed here. When a customer finds you on Google Places, its because they are searching for you, your products, your services or competitor. “More of your customers search for your business on Google than anywhere else, so it’s important to make sure your business listing is up to date and can be easily found on Google.com”, according to Google. Google also make it easy to enhance your Google Places and overall online presence with Google Tags and Google Boost. Tag is used to promote your specials, while boost enable you to create online search ads from directly within your Google Places account. These ads will appear in the ‘sponsored links’ section of Google.com and in the maps.google.com results page. When these two products combined along with a creative campaign, the sky is the limit to the effectiveness, reach and return on the investment of your Google Places social media strategies. 5) Groupon – A collective buying Daily Deal platform. Each day, Groupon features an unbeatable deal on the best stuff to do, see, eat, and buy in a particular city. Groupon is best when used to create a quick boost of consumers walking through your doors. Still many local franchises are scared to do it or if they do it, they don’t completely understand it. What happens after the Groupon is sold is the most important aspect of the entire campaign. How do you keep those customers coming back and most importantly how do you connect with them after they leave your establishment? The answer is simple, put together an up-sell strategy and a retention plan. This can be anything from capturing data via a loyalty program, a mobile campaign , or even rewarding your Groupon customers for joining your Facebook Places page or Twitter account. The social platforms listed above sound easy to execute, and sometimes they are. But if done incorrectly, it could backfire. Unlike other mediums, you do not need millions of dollars to execute a successful social media campaign and strategy. But, to stay above your competitors and stand out amongst all the social noise, always seek consultation from a professional social media marketing, management and advertising company. This will help you through the process of executing a dynamic social media plan, strategy and campaign, which will effectively build, engage and grow your social media presence and community.
About the Author – Andre Kay is the Ceo for Sociallybuzz, Inc.
How to Buy a franchise
The foundation of business format franchising is that the franchisor has developed a system, which has been proven successful, which can be duplicated by others – they in turn become the franchisee.When a business, whether it be associated with food, automobiles, building, or consulting decides to grow by franchising, that business must develop documented systems which have contributed to that business’ prior success, and which can be replicated by its future franchisees.
The new franchisee will be trained and provided with, or access, to manuals covering the mission critical functions referred to earlier.
Selecting the franchise in itself is a serious and time-consuming process. While many new franchisees select a franchise after having a personal experience at a franchise outlet, most use the Internet to search for a franchise to buy.
When you are interested in one or more franchises of interest, just complete a contact us ‘request for further information’ with personal information on how to be contacted by the franchisor.
While some companies want only basic information, others will want the candidate to provide much more since they do not want to waste their time. Some companies receive literally hundreds of leads daily from seemingly interested prospects, many of which are not qualified to own their franchise. Expect to receive a phone call from the franchisor, and if you are genuinely interested in becoming a serious candidate, then it is imperative that you respond, in order to be considered a genuine contact.