Archive for March 16th, 2005

Merchant Agreements: Terms That Bind

Work Z: One of the most important and most overlooked pieces of the merchant account puzzle is the merchant agreement. In order to get a merchant account, a merchant must agree to the terms of and sign a merchant agreement. (These terms are usually found on the backs of the pages of the merchant account [...]

 

8 Things to Look For in A Franchise

American Association of Franchisees & Dealers: Select a franchising company that is primarily interested in distributing quality products and services to ultimate consumers. Although this rule may seem obvious, many (if not most) franchising companies are primarily interested in selling franchises and are less concerned with the quality of the products and services they are [...]

 

The Ins and Outs of Short-Term Loans

NFIB: Small businesses often require short-term loans to finance the start-up period, uncertain cash-flow times, seasonal purchasing, increased marketing efforts or new ventures. If you plan and use them wisely, short-term loans can provide seamless transitions. If you use them unwisely—or when planning goes awry—they can result in financial headaches. Usually, banks provide short-term loans [...]

 

Speak With Franchisees Before Becoming One

Startup Journal: Mitch York, a former publishing executive who now peddles MauiWowi fruit “smoothie” drinks at Yankee Stadium, is a fellow who does his homework. Before buying a license from the Denver-based MauiWowi franchise, he talked to nearly 100 franchisees at several companies, including about a dozen from the smoothie company itself. These conversations, Mr. [...]

 

Financing Your Franchise: SBA Lending Basics

Bison.com: “Securing adequate financing on reasonable terms can be crucial to your franchise’s long-term viability and profitability. The money to purchase your own franchise or expand your existing business must come from somewhere and often a large portion must be borrowed. Because of the low interest rates and long payment terms, an SBA loan can [...]

 

Entrepreneurs: Self Made, Not Born

Business Pundit: “Jeff Cornwall thinks that despite claims of genetics leading to entrepreneurial success, it’s still education and hard work – not just drive – that entrepreneurs need to succeed.”

 

What It’s Really Like Working in a Cubicle

Nashville Business Journal: As a senior analyst for Reliant Energy in Houston, Nicholas Holland knew that if he put his full efforts into his work, it would pay off. It did. But one of the negative dynamics of the cubicle world is that those who don’t work as hard and turn in half the effort [...]