Proofreed...er, I mean Proofread

I drive the same route to work everyday, listening to the same radio station, passing the same buildings, laughing at the same stupidly written sign. Yeah, that’s right, I find endless amusement in a sign on the side of the road.

What I find so amusing is the fact that they list their phone number, and then spell it out in parentheses to help commuters to better remember it. Not unlike how Papa John’s have arranged all of their phone numbers to end in the final four digits 7272, which neatly spells out “PAPA.” It’s a common practice, nothing odd there. Except for how this particular establishment spells out its number (I’ll hide the area code and prefix to save them some embarrassing phone calls):

XXX-XXX-5111 (LOVE)

I’ve looked at the number pads on several phones and not one has ever had 5111 spell out “LOVE.” In fact, the “1” key has no letter associated with it whatsoever. So, if a wary traveler does see the sign, and happens to associate that amorous word with the church’s phone number, he will dial 5683 instead and get the wrong business; perhaps even a confused and angry homeowner tired of the calls will berate him.

Anytime any information from your business is being published for public consumption, check, double check, and triple check it. Then, have another person proofread it, then proofread it again, and finally proofread it. Having a third person do the same couldn’t hurt.

Major corporations have staffs comprised of copy writers, technical writers, copy editors, marketing writers, etc. to check every scrap of writing for errors before it goes to print and then distributed to the public. You’ll very seldom see poor grammar or misinformation in a pamphlet or advertisement for the big boys of business.

Since you’re likely a bit smaller than them, the best you can do is proofread, proofread, and proofread. Be absolutely certain that a potential customer on his daily commute isn’t going to take a quick digital picture of your sign and send it in to the late night shows for the whole world to laugh at.

Not that I would do that or anything.

Franchise "Creature Feature" Writer

Will your business be your primary source of income?

I love people who throw out statistics in a conversation. You know, the type of person that can miraculously spout off the percentage of how many Yaks migrate from the African Serengeti to Iceland each year. If challenged on the validity of said statistic, they invariably say that they read it in a magazine.

Since I’m not one of those people, I won’t bore you with some vague memory of an outdated statistic on the failure rate of new businesses. Instead, I’ll talk from personal experience.

During college I worked at this great little video store that had very few customers. This made it very easy to study and/or write papers. Very seldom would I be interrupted to do any actual work. Great for me, but I’m sure you’re wondering how the place stayed in business without customers.

The owners did not rely on the store as their primary source of income. In fact, they kept their jobs for the first five years the business was open. It took that long for the store to build up a reliable customer base and start becoming profitable. Even then, only one of the owners could quit her job to run the business full-time.

This was a business they started from the ground up, so obviously buying the brand associated with a franchise will have a better start. However, careful consideration should be made as to whether your new business will be your primary source of income or not.

It can take several years for a new business to start reliably turning a profit. Will you be able to survive that time financially with just what the business brings in? What are your financial goals for your business? Would it make sense for your spouse to keep his/her job until the business can support your entire family?

There are many benefits to keeping one steady earner in your household. Health insurance for a small business can be cost prohibitive. You might be able to have a better, cheaper plan through your spouse’s job. A steady paycheck can make it easier to plan your household budget rather than the erratic nature of your small business.

Before taking the plunge on a new franchise, be certain that the franchise you are buying will be consistent with your goals of being a small business owner. Be ready to endure the painful teething years all new businesses require to become an eventual success!

Franchise "Creature Feature" Writer

Who Sets the Hours?

When I was growing up, I would hear with clockwork regularity my Dad complain about the local lawnmower parts store. It wasn’t that they were under-stocked on the parts he needed. His biggest issue with the store was its hours; it was open Monday through Friday, nine to five.

As my Dad loved to argue, people don’t mow their lawns during banker’s hours. They tend to perform that chore in the evenings or on weekends. For a store that deals in lawnmower parts to be closed during those prime hours, when people would be most likely to need their services, was ludicrous in his opinion. The store eventually went out of business, although not soon enough for my Dad, and a chain hardware store opened in its place where he now obtains the parts he needs for his mower.

I was relating this story to my wife right after I noticed the brand new Wing Joint that had opened near our house was closed on Sunday. Apparently, the new restaurant was only open for lunch during the week, and dinner on Saturday. I used past tense in the previous sentence because the place had already gone under after little more than a month. It’s not located in the business district, but rather near dozens of residential communities; which means they chose their hours poorly. To be successful in that location, they needed to cater to the suburbanites which encircled them and be open for dinner and weekend lunches.

One of the primary reasons employees cite for wanting to be their own boss is the ability to set their own hours. But, does the small business owner really set his or her own hours, or does the business set it for them?

Before you start your first small business or purchase a franchise, you need to carefully consider the hours your business will be running you – because it will, especially if you will be the person staffing it. If your budget doesn’t allow you to hire enough employees to run your business, then you’ll be the owner/operator. If you want to be successful, you’ll have to work your schedule around the business’s needs, not those of your private or family life.

If your primary concern about becoming your own boss is to spend more time with the kids, then be sure the business you are starting will allow you to do that and still run smoothly. It’s the first thing you should consider when deciding which business to own.

By the way, if there are any bankers reading this blog, I suggest you reconsider the whole notion of Banker’s Hours, at least for your tellers. Like the lawn mower store, I’m more available to do banking at nights and on weekends and am typically met with a locked door. There’s no pressure, I’m just throwing that out there.

Franchise "Creature Feature" Writer