Rick Bisio

The Increasing Role of Private-Equity Firms in Franchising

Those who are familiar with the business side of franchising may know that private-equity firms have viewed franchises as attractive investments. Due to several recent high-profile examples of private-equity companies purchasing franchises, this growing relationship has come into greater focus as...

By Rick Bisio | Posted April 04, 2018

Gratitude is Key to Good Health, Happiness and Success

Seeing as Thanksgiving is this week, I thought it might be a good idea to touch on the concept of “gratitude”. Why gratitude? Because gratitude is the single most important factor in both health and happiness (and business). Have you ever run into those people who are always griping about...

By Rick Bisio | Posted November 20, 2017

When Enough Is Not Enough

As a franchise coach, I have worked with a large variety of folks over the past 15 years - some wealthy and some not. There are obvious reasons for starting a business when you are not especially wealthy, but what about those folks who are wealthy enough to retire? At what point is enough not...

By Rick Bisio | Posted September 22, 2016

Finding the Perfect Franchise, Part 2: The Educated Franchisee

How do you find the perfect franchise for you? In this article, Part 2 from The Educated Franchisee, we will discuss five approaches to choosing the perfect franchise. 1. Passion Approach "Do what you love." If only it were that simple. If that was all it took, everyone would be happy...

By Rick Bisio | Posted September 13, 2016

What's Stopping You? Part 1: The Educated Franchisee

Oh...fear. It is true. Fear, anxiety and the unknown stops all of us sometimes. But properly harnessed, fear can also motivate us. You need to learn how to leverage fear. How do you use fear? Get educated. Fear is driven by the unknown, so change the unknown into a known. Know the risks....

By Rick Bisio | Posted September 06, 2016

Success in Three Easy Steps

As a Franchise Coach, I mainly deal with entrepreneurs and people who want to run their own business. I am commonly asked share my “secrets” to success. If you Google “secrets to success”, you’ll get 145 million responses in about two-thirds of a second! Moreover, this is such...

By Rick Bisio | Posted March 21, 2016

The Key to Success: Courage & Fear

Many future entrepreneurs dream of success, and the financial and personal rewards often associated with success. These would-be entrepreneurs buy and read countless “self-help” books and articles designed to guide or point them in the right direction. But in the end, the answer is not in...

By Rick Bisio | Posted March 08, 2016

When it Comes to Business, Teach Your Children Well

When I was growing up, entrepreneurship was the norm in our household. Dad always ran his own business. Mom worked in the business a few days a week. My sister and I helped on the weekends. Like most family businesses, my father enjoyed some exceptional years and a few lean years. He was smart and...

By Rick Bisio | Posted September 28, 2015

Today's Job Market: The Modern Day Slave Trade

You’ve probably heard this a thousand times: “Go to school, get an education, find a job, show up on time, put in your 40 hours each week, and you’ll secure a good retirement for yourself”. We were led to believe a myth - to expect 3%-5% annual wage increases, some form of job...

By Rick Bisio | Posted August 11, 2015

Limit Your Time and Resources to Truly Master Your Universe

For some, punching a clock and working for the ‘man’ for an entire career is not as rewarding as working for yourself and building something of value with legacy potential. The challenge confronted by many business owners is to establish limits on not just their resources, but on their time as...

By Rick Bisio | Posted June 24, 2015

Manage Your Expectations as a Business Owner

Learning the Right Way In everyone’s life, there are some simple truths: you are not expected to hit a golf ball 250 yards down the middle of the fairway the very first time you swing a golf club, you are not required to hit a home run the very first time you swing a bat and you are not...

By Rick Bisio | Posted May 01, 2015

The Secret to Success for Entrepreneurs

Where Does Success Begin? If you're an entrepreneur or future business owner and are looking for the secret to success, it all starts with fear and doubt. Growth - some may use the word evolution - is the result of trying new things. There is always the element of the unknown when you do...

By Rick Bisio | Posted April 08, 2015

Mid-Life Hurdles: Taking Control of Your Career

Middle-Aged, Former Execs-Turned-Franchisees Fast Becoming a Trend An interesting development in the business world has been the trend of middle-aged, middle-management executives making mid-career corrections and investing in a franchise business. Some make these investments out of necessity...

By Rick Bisio | Posted January 29, 2015

Top 3 Lessons for Franchise Business Success

Like many franchise coaches, I'm on the road quite often. And while it's never fun to be living out of a suitcase and spending time away from your family, road trips are an excellent excuse to get out of your comfort zone and connect with new people who can provide you with a fresh and exciting new...

By Rick Bisio | Posted January 20, 2015

Fixed vs. Percent: Understanding Franchise Royalty Fees

If you’re reading this article, chances are that you’ve been researching Franchises. By now, you should be familiar with a Franchise Disclosure Document or FDD. This is one of the most important documents detailing many of the costs associated with a particular franchise. This article...

By Rick Bisio | Posted October 28, 2014

12 Reasons You Probably Should be an Entrepreneur

In a recent online article authored by Scott Dinsmore titled: Full Disclosure: 12 Reasons You Probably Shouldn't Be An Entrepreneur (The story no one tells), Mr. Dinsmore, an accomplished entrepreneur, eloquently catalogs the pitfalls often associated with building a small business. As I...

By Rick Bisio | Posted September 10, 2014

How Long Will It Take Before Making a Profit?

Determining time to profitability for a franchise opportunity From the time you sign the franchise agreement to the time you can reasonably expect to make a profit varies greatly from franchise to franchise. Due to the fact that franchising exists in approximately 75 different and distinct...

By Rick Bisio | Posted July 02, 2014

Franchise Discovery Day: Who Should Pay The Costs?

A common question asked by prospective franchisees is who should pay the cost of attending the Franchise Discovery Day? Should the prospective franchisee pay for their own costs or should the franchisor cover the prospective franchisees costs? In the world of franchising, there is no...

By Rick Bisio | Posted June 04, 2014

Can I Trust a Franchisor's Financial Performance Representations (Item 19 of the FDD, Part 2)

Understanding Item 19, Part 2: The 4 Types of Item 19’s In our previous review of Item 19, we provided a general guide to items found within a company’s Item 19 Financial Performance Representation (formerly known as an Earnings Claim; also known as Article 19). In part 2, we...

By Rick Bisio | Posted May 12, 2014

How Much Will I Make With a Franchise? (Item 19 of the FDD)

Understanding Item 19: Financial Performance Representations At the core of every potential Franchisee is the age-old question: How much money can I make? The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has enabled Franchisors the ability to offer an educated answer to this question via Item 19 of the...

By Rick Bisio | Posted April 17, 2014

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