Who hasn’t eaten there? If you’re reading this and you haven’t then you stand very lonely in that minority. Even as others give it up in regards to healthier eating, there aren’t many people who don’t harbor fond memories of Big Macs and fries from their youth.

McDonald’s has franchises that scatter the globe. Those golden arches are one of the most recognizable brand images throughout the world. What are the things they did that made them grow so large and so successfully?

Theirs was a restaurant and a franchise that was built on extremely sound business concepts. They provided a product that people loved.  They did an amazing job of branding, with brand recognition spreading far past those golden arches. The names of their foods are recognized worldwide. Not to mention the beloved cast of children’s characters they created to identify with their company. This drew in generation after generation of child who would take their children someday to McDonald’s for their first Big Mac and experience with Ronald McDonald.

McDonald’s built itself on consistency and recognition. Those two factors helped it spread throughout the world to have more franchises in the globe than any other company.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to rush out and try to acquire a McDonald’s franchise. But there are lessons to be learned.

Consistency is something that people look for in a franchise. When they see a name they recognize they want to be greeted with a product they know and trust. Individuality and originality might be great tools in marketing for your franchise, but when it comes to presentation, product, and service, people want to know exactly what they’re getting. The closer a franchise sticks to the vision of the original company the more people will be likely to return.

Recognition is the other big factor in success. If you are operating a well known franchise you have the advantage. All you have to do is try and increase the visibility as much as you can.

I remember driving across the country, and so often driving into a new city the first thing you spot is those golden arches. If all of our franchises could get that same kind of visibility, I think we’d all be very happy with the results.

Entrepeneur.com lists the two fastest growing franchises of 2008 on their website. It is important to consider not only just that these are clearly opportunities that are growing rapidly, but it’s also worth thinking about why they are growing rapidly, and how maybe it can help you spot another sure bet besides those for a franchise opportunity. The number one growing franchise is Jan-Pro franchising international, a commercial cleaning company. So why is it growing so fast? If we look... (Read More)

The New Year always brings a fresh crop of "top ten" lists and the editors at Entrepreneur Magazine have just declared a new champion in their annual rankings for best franchise. From the looks of it, there seems to be a high failure rate for resolutions to stop eating so much fast-food. 7-Eleven Inc., the retailer that gave us the Slurpee and the 44 ounce Super Big Gulp, has been named the No.1 franchise opportunity, according to Entrepreneur Magazine's 2008 Annual Franchise 500. 7-Eleven moved... (Read More)

You decided to take on franchising. You know how it works but you can never be too sure. In business, every single decision matters. The minute you make the wrong one, this can result to the downfall of your franchising business. Thanks to financial consultation services that are rampant nowadays, franchising newbies have people to turn to when it comes to gathering information about the self-employment options and wide-range topics concerning the business. Financial consultation serves as the... (Read More)

The quintessential dream of any worker who has ever punched a time card is the glitzy world of self-employment.  Being your own boss, setting your own hours, and working for yourself rather than to enrich someone else - these are just a few of the perks that an entrepreneurial life has to offer.  Yet how can someone realize this dream?  What does it take to strike it rich and become another successful business owner?  The answer, for many, lies in franchise ownership. ... (Read More)

Simply stated, a franchise is a business that has been expanded beyond its original owners.  The process of franchising usually involves a franchisor business that sells their trademark products or services to a franchisee.  A franchise can range anywhere from a small business opportunity (for instance, a vending machine can be franchise) to a very complex multi-unit franchise (several large corporations, for instance, require franchisees to develop several stores or business locations... (Read More)