Audio

Dr. Shane, Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies at Case Western Reserve University, speaks about common entrepreneurial myths and how they derail the typical entrepreneur.

He says the average franchisee and entrepreneur will pick low profit industries and unprofitable businesses to buy and run. He then explains why.

mp3 podcast is slightly under 10 minutes.

Scott Shane is A. Malachi Mixon III Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies at Case Western Reserve University. He is the author of seven books, the latest of which is Illusions of Entrepreneurship: The Costly Myths that Entrepreneurs, Investors, and Policy Makers Live By.

National Public Radio's State of Affairs program for the University of Louisville's station, WFPL, rebroadcast on Monday a 50-minute interview about buying a franchise with experts Dr. Wayne Jones of the University of Louisville, who teaches a franchising class; Otis Brown, a UPS franchisee; Thom Crimans, a local FranNet franchise broker; and Billy Fox, Jr., founder of the J. Gumbo's Down Home Cajun Cookin' franchise. Here are a couple of excerpts from the show:

Q: Are banks more apt to finance a franchise?
A: "They [franchise systems] have a more proven track record. Most small businesses, especially the restaurant business, may have a 90% failure rate as opposed coming in with a plan and experience behind you. - Billy Fox, Jr., founder of J. Gumbo's Down Home Cajun Cookin' franchise

Q: Is there a personality profile of someone who does well?
A: "In franchising, you have to be a people person. People skills are important...." "If you are a consummate entrepreneur, you will be in constant conflict with your franchisor." - Prof. Wayne Jones, University of Louisville, teaches franchising

Dr. Jerry Newman packed up his business PhD and took up a secret life in various franchise stores throughout the country, including McDonald's. Interviewed by Peter Birkeland, himself a franchise expert. Dr. Newman shares his insights with the Blue MauMau franchisee community on:

• how to motivate when raising salaries are difficult
• how a few simple adjustments to the franchise owner's management style can invigorate your workplace

Where is ultimate ad ROI?  Beyond the newsletter.  Microsoft and Apple have been doing it for 30 years.  A true franchise visionary will link word of mouth, broadcast and print to the computer/email/icon space – regardless of durable goods, services or consumables.  From dry cleaning to sandwiches, oil changes to latte, transmission to travel – Connect your brand to your local desktops with simple free entertaining software toys, along with an offer of course ☺

Your profit is far more interesting than your product. There are 10 touchpoints on the desktop that ad agencies miss every day.  Give a free software toy that links behavior to your brand.  Don’t have a software toy?  If you’ve gotten this far, you get the picture.

Jim Coen interviews Bill Ackerman, of JD Byrider, a used car dealership franchise.

The interview was first broadcast on the weekly talk radio show Let's Talk Franchising on WBIX AM 1060 in the Boston area on November 21st, 2005.

For more information regarding JD Byrider, visit: www.jdbyrider.com

Here is a sad tale of a franchise leader gone nuts. To help us discuss the franchise owner leadership lessons in Moby-Dick, Mr. Blue MauMau speaks with Dr. Beth Schulz, professor emirita of English and Art History at the University of Kansas and Shaun Higgins, CEO of Movies for Business.

The ship Pequod, which Ahab captained, was a business within a business, much like running an individual franchise that operates within the business of a franchiser. And at the time Melville wrote Moby-Dick, America was in the height of being the world's leader in whaling for oil, much like the bulk of the world's major franchisers is centered in America today.

Yet, despite all the ships coming back to New England laden with lucrative whale oil to fuel the economy, Captain Ahab's ship met with disastrous results. Here is a discussion of Moby-Dick and its leadership lessons that franchise owners can learn from a scholar and business consultant.

Length - 14:15 min

Other resources:

An interview with the organizer of Detroit's National Franchise & Business Opportunities Show. U.S. Show Manager Ken Muir sat down with Mr. Blue MauMau to discusses how a franchise show can help in the selection process, this year's attendance in Detroit, and Ford's laying off of employees.

KFC's first franchisee, a master franchise group called Harman Management Consultant, speaks on how to keep managers. Restaurant managers and assistant managers that stay on between 17 to 20 years? And the name card shows the uncommonality of this Master Franchise of some 325 units, KFC's largest master franchise. It shows a mission statement that says, "To provide a caring culture of service, success, and ownership." Blue MauMau speaks with Jay Alexander, Operations Liaison. Here's their secret (in mp3 format for your Podcast library).

Jim Coen interviews Tom Spadea, Franchise Development Director, of Rita' Water Ice, a franchise based in Philadelphia.

The interview was first broadcast on WBIX AM 1060 in the Boston area and worldwide at wbixonline.com on February 18th, 2006.

For more information regarding Rita's Water Ice contact Jim Coen, 877-469-3002 or jim@franchiseperfection.com

This interview hosted by Jim Coen with Karl Morningstar the Regional Director of the Allegra Network was broadcast on the Let's Talk Franchising radio show on December 5th, 2005.

The Allegra Network has an interesting conversion model where a franchise candidate purchases an existing print shop and converts it to an Allegra Print & Imaging Center.