Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Keith on July 29, 2010 at 7:26am

Out of curiosity, mind sharing a bit more about the franchise you picked and what it's been like thusfar?

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jen on July 29, 2010 at 8:43am

Its gently used teen name brand clothing. I can't really answer what it's been like cause I'm just starting. I posted on here to get insight & advice. Can you offer any?

Keith said:

Out of curiosity, mind sharing a bit more about the franchise you picked and what it's been like thusfar?

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Keith on July 29, 2010 at 8:45am

Sorry - I'm a small business owner, but only online sales, not retail or franchise :-(. I can offer advice on online advertising/social media/web site stuff though. But I take it the franchise would control most of that.

Jen said:

Its gently used teen name brand clothing. I can't really answer what it's been like cause I'm just starting. I posted on here to get insight & advice. Can you offer any?

Keith said:

Out of curiosity, mind sharing a bit more about the franchise you picked and what it's been like thusfar?

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jen on July 29, 2010 at 9:00am

What is your business? How long have you been in business for yourself? What do you find are the biggest issues/problems?

Keith said:

Sorry - I'm a small business owner, but only online sales, not retail or franchise :-(. I can offer advice on online advertising/social media/web site stuff though. But I take it the franchise would control most of that.

Jen said:

Its gently used teen name brand clothing. I can't really answer what it's been like cause I'm just starting. I posted on here to get insight & advice. Can you offer any?

Keith said:

Out of curiosity, mind sharing a bit more about the franchise you picked and what it's been like thusfar?

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Keith on July 29, 2010 at 9:05am

I'm relatively new to the game - I sell electronics kits to hobbyists. not a huge market, but its grown. open source hardware basically.

The biggest issues?

1 - Finding suppliers for everything. See, I order in large enough bulk that I can't buy things at regular pricing, but not large enough bulk compared to large electronics resellers or manufacturers that I can directly get shipments from the manufacturers of the parts. This means I have to deal with tons of resellers trying to find the proper pricing, and in terms of electronics its kind of hard to find the best deal for parts. Since that's where my profit margin is decided, that's where I have to make the most effort to cut pennies.

2 - Exposure. There's a lot of big names in the business, so I have to be clever about getting my name out there. Advertising requires a lot of careful thought of placement, especially with a tight budget.

For a franchise though those two things should be taken care of already.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Nick Olson on November 24, 2010 at 6:31am

I just now read this post, and wonder if you're still looking for advice. I own a franchise (bought it in Sept 2008, though only opened my store 4 months ago), and can give you some decent general advice regarding franchises, and some specifics regarding mine.

Shoot me an email at nick.david.olson@gmail.com with any questions you might have. While my business is my passion, I absolutely love helping others find their way with new small businesses.

All Best,
Nick

• ▶ Reply

▶ Reply to Discussion