Tom Scarda, Certified Franchise Executive

Have you thought about strategies to attract millennials to use your products or services? How about talking to the younger generation about buying into your franchise concept as a franchisee?  

Every once in a while, there is a franchise that I get excited about. At a franchise conference, I got to met Anna Kaiser, the founder and celebrity trainer at AKT Dance Studios in Manhattan. She has always been excited about her brand but now she is really on fire because now, she is able to bring the concept to every corner of the globe through franchising.

If you're tired of the 9-5 grind, you're not alone. According to a recent survey by a job posting website, 83 percent of Americans want to change their career. Working for someone else and making them money just isn't a great way to invest in your own future. A franchise is an excellent opportunity to start working on your own terms, while following a proven path to success. Here are the top franchise trends of 2019 that you may want to consider, and what critical mistake you don't want to make when deciding on a franchise.

Is your objective to build wealth? Do any of the following statements apply to you and your search for a franchised business?  

Taco Bell is executing a large expansion across the United States and is looking for Franchise Owners. Whether you like Taco Bell's food or not, it's a good food franchise to own, if you're interested in food concepts.

I was the area developer for Maui Wowi Smoothies in the greater New York market several years ago. I was responsible for helping new franchises in my jurisdiction find their locations and help with getting set up and execute a grand opening. My support would continue after they opened offering best practices. People looking to buy into the franchise would call me and say, “If I can get Yankee Stadium as a location, I’ll buy the franchise.” I would share that I know the people who run the food concessions at Yankee Stadium and once you’re a franchisee, I will introduce you. Many would go around my back and call Yankee Stadium to talk with the food and beverage manager, Jamie, at the time. Jaime, who had been working at the stadium for 40 years, would chew them up and spit them out. I would never hear from the prospect again. One day in 2002, a prospective buyer of Maui Wowi, named of Mitch, heeded my advice and bought the franchise first. The week after he signed his agreement we got a meeting with Jamie and Mitch got a location near gate 4 at Yankee Stadium and killed it! My point is, the franchise has the resources, the clout and the know-how regarding real estate. They don’t want you to open in a sub-par location and fail. That is not good for anyone. There has to be a level of trust between the new prospective franchisee and the franchise company.

When I was in high school, more than three decades ago, music was my thing, especially heavy metal. Living in Brooklyn, NY, going to Lamour’s nightclub, was a weekly ritual for my friends and me. By 1981, the club was transitioning from a 70’s discotheque to a rock and roll concert hall. Many tribute bands played Lamour’s but every few months the band Twisted Sister would play at the venue and it was always an iconic night. My friends and I would don our Twisted Sister tee shirts and have our SMF (Sick Mother F..ker) fan club membership cards in hand and off to the show we’d go.

I get the question all the time; is it better to franchise - Buying a franchise seems to be more expensive than starting something from scratch? Yes, on the surface, franchising does seem more expensive. That’s until you understand the real costs of starting a business on your own.

September 13, is National Franchise Day. It’s not nearly as significant as President’s Day, Martin Luther King Day or national pancake day - when everyone gets free pancakes at IHOP, but it’s important, nonetheless.