Must-Have Business Contracts Author: Robin M. Gronsky
In an ideal world everyone in business could be taken at their word and there would be no need for second guessing. The reality, however, is that business contracts are vital to success and ensure that everyone party to a transaction understands the terms and has a reference point for any potential disputes. Six contracts that every business should have include an entity agreement, a service and/or product agreement, a supplier agreement, non-disclosure and non-compete agreements for employees and an internal computer use policy. Some may be more important than others depending on the business, but having contract templates handy in these areas will never hurt. For more on this continue reading the following article from JDSupra.
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Home-Based Franchises New Hot Trend Author: Ed Teixeira
It used to be that franchises were born in a brick-and-mortar establishment, with historical examples that include McDonald’s, Dunkin Donuts and KFC. Now, home-based franchises are becoming more popular – and more successful. As of 2007, more than half of U.S. businesses were home-based and some franchise segments like home improvement and maintenance services are almost entirely dominated by home-based business franchises. Lower start-up costs, lower overhead and more advanced technology have helped attract more entrepreneurs to the market of home-based franchises.
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Avoid Common Area Maintenance (CAM) Cost Surprises Author: Mary Clapp
Common area maintenance (CAM) costs are something that is negotiated between a landlord and a tenant of commercial space, and oftentimes the lease terms amount to hidden costs for renters. Three ways tenants can reduce or avoid these costs is to 1) designate who will pay how much for the landlord’s repair work on the premises, 2) negotiate down management fees and 3) make sure there are CAM caps in place to incentivize the landlord to keep his or her own costs down when managing the property.
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Running a Restaurant Business: Tips, Trends and Observations Author: John Gordan
There are a lot of small changes restaurants can make that can result in big differences in profits if done consistently and correctly. Fast-food restaurants should focus on face-to-face upselling as well as balancing the right amount of upsell signage with verbal customer interaction. In casual eateries, reducing dessert sizes and prices may help move more post-meal items. When it comes to reducing ‘expense generators,’ owners should look at tweaking air conditioners and refining the pre-cooking times to save money.
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Starting A Business With Your Significant Other: Yes, It Can Work Author: Laurie Kulikowski
Living and working together presents an array of challenges for couples that choose to do it, but it does not mean they can’t be successful. People in this work and living arrangement say that honesty is a critical factor in their success, as is respecting boundaries and personal areas of expertise. The Street takes a look at an office cleaning company, a management consulting firm and four other businesses that are operated successfully by couples around the U.S. to find out their secrets and how they manage to leave work at work when it’s time to head home at the end of the day.
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Pricey Small Business iPad And iPhone Apps That Pay Off Author: Scott Gamm
As smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices become more prominent, so do the apps that make them so useful. Thousands of apps are free or very inexpensive and provide users with great utility, but there are some apps that cost more and yet are still great values considering what they do. The Street takes a look at eight apps that cost more, but are worth the price. A few apps in the review include Ignition ($99.99), which allows users to control their laptops from home; Navigon USA ($49.99), that turns users’ iPad into a fully functioning navigation system; and iDispatcher Pro ($34.99) lets users organize all aspects of a business, from tracking service calls to managing invoices.
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Does Your Business Website Need An Information Architect? Author: Elizabeth Blackwell
Websites are an integral part of business success for many companies. It is the face of the organization as well as the portal through which customers pass to find information and make purchases. The importance of this experience is becoming more and more apparent, and now companies are hiring “information architects” to refine the arrangement of websites to optimize the experience for users. The process involves reviewing Web analytics to find out weaknesses in the website and then tweaking Web pages to maximize their potential.
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Franchisor Bankruptcy Fears Threatens Franchisees Author: Laurie Kulikowski
Quizno’s sandwich chain has been struggling with debt woes for some time, and recently shifted ownership to Avenue Capital Group in an effort to avoid bankruptcy. Meanwhile, franchisees who aren’t facing immediate problems from the parent company’s failings are now fearing that may change. Other franchisees of companies like 7-Eleven, Denny’s and Sizzler have survived despite a lapse in leadership; however, Quizno’s franchisees may run the risk of loss of support, supplies or worse as the reorganization gets underway.
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Hashim Advocates Equality in Franchise Industry Author: Blue MauMau
National Restaurant Development CEO and “Franchisee of the Year” Aziz Hashim recently spoke to Blue MauMau about what it takes to improve relationships between franchisors and franchisees. Hashim believes franchisors have difficulty communicating with franchise owners as equal and end up relying on top-down management techniques to make up the difference, which leaves franchisees feeling like less a part of the team and unwilling to cooperate and collaborate for the greater good. Franchisees must be approached as peers and partners, says Hashim, if franchisors hope that changes will be implemented to increase bottom line sales and the overall bottom line.
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What Business Owners Can Learn From Joe Paterno Author: Laurie Kulikowski
Many business owners are known for taking their cues from sports coaches with reputations for great leadership, and the late Joe Paterno is no exception. The legendary Penn State football coach has left the world with many lessons, some of which translate well in the business community. Three business lessons that can be gleaned from Paterno’s career worth noting include having a plan for succession, addressing problems immediately and developing strong, knowledgeable relationships with employees.
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