Posts Tagged ‘careers’

Franchise Ambush: Don’t be Misguided by Advice from Others

by Rick Bisio

Youre in the market to buy a franchise, and youve found a concept that you like. Youve read the website, reviewed the marketing materials and examined the Franchise Disclosure Document. In addition, youve talked to the franchisor a number of times. While your spouse may not be completely on board, youve kept him or her in the loop. Its looking pretty good so far.

Advice that Helps If you are serious about being a franchise owner, the next step would be to seek advice from business professionals who have practical experience in franchising, in the industry that you are considering and better yet, in the franchise you are considering. The franchisees are a wonderful resource and in most franchise systems they are open and willing to help. An accountant that has experience in this industry and knows the norms regarding profit would be very helpful. A franchise consultant that has years of experience in franchising can provide you with a balanced point of view regarding the opportunity. Finally, a lawyer that specializes in franchising can be helpful in reviewing the structure of the relationship.

Advice that Disorients Far too often, potential franchisees get so excited about the idea of being a business owner that before they fully see the risks and rewards, they start reciting their loosely defined dreams to anyone who will listen. They talk about their business idea with their drinking buddies and even with Great Aunt Edna. Now lets be realistic, Great Aunt Edna loves you but shes been out of the working world for 25 years - she does not have an email address and still enjoys watching reruns of Bonanza. There is very little she can do to help you as you seek out more franchise information. There is a lot, however, that she can do to disorient you. Be careful.

How about your buddy who works for the U. S. Postal Service? His lifetime has been spent avoiding risk, maximizing salary, establishing his pension and surviving until retirement. Theres nothing wrong with that, but is he able to provide you much guidance? Probably not.

Many people have your best interests in mind. But well-meaning advice from people who simply dont know business ownership, the industry you are looking at or have practical franchise information can be incredibly disorienting.

Advice that Matters Spouses commonly balance each other in temperament. If you are a go-getter, theres a high probability that your spouse is more cautious. She will remind you that the paycheck is good, and will worry about what will happen if you fail. These are critical conversations to have. But you want to be prepared.

First, gather all the facts and be sure you have a clear idea of what it requires to be successful in the business. How long does it generally take to break even and what level of income would a successful business create. Learn everything you can and involve your spouse every step of the way. If you spouse has a concern, listen to the concern and get as much information on the topic as you can to share with your spouse. These decisions are normally made as a partnership. If you and your spouse decide not to move forward with a business opportunity that you love, wont you feel better knowing youve given him or her all the facts? At least then you know you gave it your best shot.

Here are a few of the most frequent objections you are likely to hear, as well as some facts to combat those perceptions.

1. Dont most small businesses fail? Several long-term surveys have shown that, contrary to independent start-ups, franchises have a strong success rate. Owning a franchise (vs. starting an independent business) gives you a tremendous head start, including: A proven operating system that can predictably create success. National marketing programs Group buying power Training and on-going support Manuals, procedures, job descriptions, accounting help, and so much more.

2. Why dont you just change jobs? Any book you read on wealth creation will tell you that very few people get wealthy by working for other people. Wealth is normally created in three ways ” the Stock Market (less than 10% of millionaires created their wealth by investing in the stock market), Real Estate Investment ( 10 ” 20% of millionaires created their wealth by investing in real estate), and Business Ownership (70 ” 80 % of millionaires created their wealth by building businesses).

Getting another job will not move you to the next level. If you are looking to create wealth and a better future for you and your family, business ownership is the best path.

3. Perhaps you should think about it some more. You should not make a decision of this magnitude rushing but you do not want to postpone either. Do your homework, ask all the questions and take notes - then make a yes or no decision in a timely and businesslike fashion. One characteristic of successful business people is their ability to make good business decisions with incomplete information. If you find yourself paralyzed, be careful, business ownership may not be for you. Yes or no, the most important thing is your ability and willingness to make a decisive decision and move forward.

4. What if you fail? You want to enter business ownership with the knowledge that you may fail. Naturally you could also lose your job. There are no guarantees with anything that we do in life. Nobody can assure success. All you are able to do is stack the deck in your favor.

If you know that most franchisees in your chosen system are pleased with their success; that you have similar skill set to successful franchisees; that you are adequately capitalized; that you trust and can follow the franchisors system; and that you are willing to work hard, you are on your way to being confident that you can succeed.

Before you begin to share franchise information with your friends and family make sure you have the facts straight. Educate them. Help them join your team. And if they cant be on your team, maybe thats OK. Everyone likes to give advice, and naturally, everyone gives advice from their point of view ” their reference base. As long as you know that, you can appreciate their concern, and not let it overly influence you.

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Resume Objectives - Your First Steps

by Cynthia Penfold

The main objective of a resume is quite simple. It is to find a job that lies within your set of skills. In other words, it is to find a job with a company that needs you skills to get done what they need to get done. If you’re a carpenter, you’re not going to apply for a job as an accountant. You are going to apply for a job that needs your carpentry skills. But the issue at hand is being able to highlight those skills so that you can achieve that objective.

The objective is the first part of the resume. This is the space in which you tell the company what it is you hope to accomplish on a professional level. You can also make sure you add a personal touch by telling them what you want to get out of it. For example, you may want to point out that your objective is to “use my past experiences and my expertise to aid in the growth of the company and to achieve personal growth” or something like that.

You then have certain objectives you are trying to reach when you create the employment history section of your resume. The objectives are to show the potential employer that you are exactly what they need based on your experiences with past jobs. You have to outline your job duties in a way that is easy to understand. Even if a job skill is very small, you want to include it because you never know how relevant it may be to the business that you are looking to acquire a position with.

You also don’t want to leave out the other relevant areas of your life. You are showing that you have range when you add something such as a volunteer section. The same rules apply when including other things such as licenses and certifications. These may be determining factors when it comes to getting the job. You want to show the employer that you are able to do a number of things that require different skills. You want to bring attention to your talents and show the potential employer that you are rare. This is not considered being full of yourself, but shows that you take pride in the things that you do.

It is very important to make sure you include all you can in your resume. Resume construction can seem rather exhausting, but it does pay off when you get the job. Your resume is also proof to you that you are a hard worker. It proves that you are very valuable, have many talents, and are goal-oriented. Sometimes it takes physical proof to prove to ourselves that we are great, which is the same reason why an employer must have a resume to make an employment decision.

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Bay Area jobs are an IT heaven

by Alex Wu

The Bay area is one of the most desirable areas to live in the US, due to a variety of reasons, including the fact that the Bay area jobs are among the most well paid in the US. What makes the big difference in the Bay area is the concentration of IT jobs, more than in any other place in the US. Numerous IT professionals live and work there, adding to the fame and significance of the area. During the last two decades the numbers of job openings in the area regarding the IT field have expanded dramatically, mostly due to the operation of a great number of key businesses in the area. Google and Digg, Technorati and Typepad, Sega and Cnet are a small sample of the IT leading companies located in the Bay area.

In these last five years not everything has been as great as it used to be, but the Bay area jobs in information technology are still at the top of the nationwide list. What happened lately is that more manufacturers moved to the area, in order to work permanently from there, creating huge numbers of job openings every year. Both experienced professionals and recent graduates benefit equally from attractive job packages that Bay area creates. In addition, diversity of job description and opportunities for growth, that industry offers by default, appeal to more and more job seekers.

One of the industry secrets is that the Bay area jobs appeal to already confirmed professionals and professionals-to-be with significant intellectual potency and technology expertise. The Bay area is known as heaven to recent graduates.

For those who adore numbers, the 45% of the residents have at least a BA, while the 60% of those who move to the City and the Bay area are doing so because there is an IT job waiting for them. IT savvies appreciate the Bay area mostly because they can work on the field of their studies.

The increasingly growing need for IT professionals and restructuring of market demands towards IT services, create mere opportunities for information technologists. This is fact that also brings higher salaries and benefits for the employees. The Bay area is the leader in this department as well.

One of the greatest advantages of the Bay area jobs in general, is that employees enjoy generous packages of revenues, holidays and health insurance. Moreover jobs in the area are accessible to everyone on an equal basis. An area renowned for its diversity could not do otherwise anyway. Full benefits for gay partners and people with special needs and abilities are recognized in the entire area by all major or not companies.

If looking for a well paid in a well appointed place, then you should consider expanding your search in the Bay area. There is probably some well paid job for you too.

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