The BIZ is host to a great event this coming week featuring Dwolla COO Charise Flynn as she takes questions on life behind the scenes at the high growth start-up. I’ve had the opportunity to serve on a speakers’ panel with Charise and I find her personal journey and insights fascinating. Charise is a
Lesson # 4 From Hard Luck Franchisees: Buying a Franchise in a Saturated Market or Industry
I’ve seen it many times. A certain market or industry becomes "hot" and all the sudden franchises start popping up all over the place. For example, a few years ago the 24/7 fitness market took off. In the Des Moines, Iowa area there were all kinds of fitness franchises that entered the 24/7
Lesson # 3 From Hard Luck Franchisees: Franchisor Reservation of Rights to Sell or Transfer Business
This is Lesson #3 in a five-part series on the top reasons I’ve seen franchisees fail.
Tucked away in nearly every franchise agreement is a provision that very few franchisees consider when they are purchasing a franchise business. The provision I am referencing gives a franchisor the right to sell or transfer its business
Business Partnerships Need Communication
Mike Colwell of THE BIZ posted a presentation I have on Partnering for his Raising Capital series. One of the biggest things a partnership needs is communication. Like any good marriage, communication is the key. Business partners that communicate effectively are much more likely to be successful. Also, proper documentation is a key. Without
Lesson #2 From Hard Luck Franchisees: Buying a Franchise with No Brand Recognition
The franchising model is available in almost every industry. (Even law firms apparently). Reports have indicated there’s nearly 1 million established franchised businesses in the U.S. Among those franchises are many unknown (or relatively unknown) franchises. In my opinion it is critical to buy franchises with brand recognition.
Does that take out
Lesson #1 From Hard Luck Franchisees: If It Is To Be, It’s Up To Me
This is first a series of five blog posts on the top reasons I’ve seen franchisees fail.
There’s no substitute for hard work – Thomas Edison.
I often hear from franchisees that one of the main reasons they have decided to purchase a franchise business is "all the support I am going to
Iowa Business Specialty Court Pilot Project
The Iowa Supreme Court has announced that it is beginning a three-year project for an Iowa Business Specialty Court for complex cases with $200,000 or more in dispute. To begin the project, three Iowa judges will be hired for the court based upon their educational background, judicial and trial experience with complex commercial cases
Iowa Supreme Court Rules Employer Can Fire Woman Because She’s Too Attractive
Happy New Year everyone! The first blog post of the year centers on a controversial Iowa Supreme Court decision handed down right before the holidays.
In Nelson v. Knight, the Iowa Supreme Court was presented with the question whether a male employer could terminate a female employee because the employer’s wife, due to no
Evaluating a Franchise Opportunity
In meeting after meeting with prospective franchisees I am asked what I would look for in a franchise opportunity. It’s not an easy question. But trust me when I say that all franchise opportunities are NOT created the same.
What separates the good franchising opportunities from the bad franchising opportunities in my experience? Here are
Employers Should Consider Policies on Ownership of Social Media Accounts
Daniel Burnick of the Alabama Employment Law Report has an interesting post on a case involving a disputed Twitter account where the employee left his employment, changed his Twitter account name and then kept all the followers he had with his former employer.
In Kravitz v. PhoneDog, Kravitz used @phonedog for his Twitter account