ATLANTA (Blue MauMau) - A hospitality research firm predicts strong growth for the U.S. hotel industry.

BREAKING NEWS! CFA to Leverage Collective Strengths of Franchisee Leaders

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Blue MauMau) - Leaders of major franchisee organizations made a bold statement today in announcing the formation of the Coalition of Franchisee Associations, Inc., with the mission "to leverage the collective strengths of franchisee associations for the benefit of the franchisee community."  The CFA will focus on government affairs at the state and federal levels; education and training; leadership development; and collective buying opportunities. CFA Chairman Frank J. Capaldo said, "Franchisee groups have long been managing similar issues, which range from navigating government mandates to negotiating meeting venue contracts." He added, "Through CFA, leaders from some of the best-known franchisee organizations are collaborating to share ideas, knowledge and resources for the benefit of the entire franchisee community."

Capaldo is also the executive director and CEO of the Atlanta-based National Franchisee Association, which represents Burger King operators.

The CFA board of directors comprises the founding members of the organization, including leaders from Brown Board Owners Association (UPS Stores), DD Independent Franchise Owners, Inc. (Dunkin' Donuts),  Independent Hardee's Franchisee Association, Meineke Dealers' Association, National Association of Buffalo Wings Franchisees Inc., National Coalition of Associations of 7-Eleven Franchisees, National Franchisee Association, Inc. (Burger King), and North American Association of Subway Franchisees.

Today is Blog Action Day (October 15, 2007). Since I am a franchise industry blogger, I am putting a challenge out to the entire global franchise industry........... It is time for our industry to see the light! 

If you are a franchise owner...If you are the franchisor...If you have the ability to influence buying decisions..Here is something you can do to be green.

Replace your old, non-energy efficient light bulbs with CFL's! By purchasing energy efficient light bulbs for your retail, restaurant, office, or home based environments, you can impact your own business, and the entire world!

Here is how we all benefit:

MARKETING: Smart Media Use Can Help Small Franchises and Vendors Reach Previously Unthinkable Markets

LOS ANGELES (Blue MauMau) - Structuring a smart ad campaign can help the small franchise chain or vendor reach previously unthinkable markets.

Take the marketing efforts of FranSurvey, a franchise vendor who specializes in orchestrating franchisee satisfaction surveys. FranSurvey selected four relevant franchises to help spread the costs through cooperative marketing. The firm then purchased four weeks of television advertisement in the Los Angeles metro area leading up to the West Coast Franchise Expo (see video of commercial above). Local or regional ads can be in the low thousands, affordable to many small franchise vendors.

Lawsuit Alleges Nebraska Franchisee Management Aware of Soiled Food Aimed at Local Police Officers

A family filed a lawsuit against a North Platte, Nebraska Taco Bell franchisee, alleging that an employee, Casey Diedrich, urinated and spit in a meal that their four- and seven-year-old sons were served. The soiled food had been intentionally prepared for local police officers who ate at the restaurant, but inadvertently mixed up with food for regular customers.

Small Businesses Add More Jobs, Confidence Index Rises

ROSELAND, New Jersey (Blue MauMau) - Businesses with less than 50 employees are seeing the sixth straight month of outpacing job growth in the private-sector. Small businesses, which includes the majority of franchise units, added 58,000 new jobs in May, according to a New Jersey-based firm's report, Automatic Data Processing. Larger businesses accounted for just 39,000.

Joel Prakken, Chairman of Macroeconomic Advisers, observes, “This is the continuation of a longer trend that has existed almost uninterrupted since 2001”

Meanwhile, small business professionals in the second quarter of 2007 are indicating a strong growth in confidence, signifying their optimistic view of the business growth for the next 12 months.The Small Business Research Board's study shows their Small Business Confidence Index jumped 5.22 points from the previous quarters to 46. Small businesses in the Northest, South and Midwest were the largest contributors of increased confidence.

More than 700 small business owners and senior managers participated in this SBRB poll. The SBRB study is a voluntary survey conducted via phone and email.

Franchisees Try to Cope With 2 Out of 5 Emails Being Spam Messages

A study by market-intelligence firm IDC estimates that some 97 billion emails are sent DAILY worldwide, of which 40 billion are spam. And its growing due to successful new image-based spamming technologies.

Such spam volumes are pushing emailers to other technologies, pushing email from its perch as the primary method of electronic communication. (No time table given in the press release though.) Small businesses are advised to use multiple layers of antispam software. Push technologies can also help reduce unproductive electronic mail. Small businesses should explore instant messaging, text messaging, VOIP and other technologies to increase communication with no spamming.

Free entertaining toys work best.

It’s your baby. eMail marketing is one part of effective media mix but first you need a private local list. Every “Click to Join” is truly the moment when your customers desire turns from curiosity to a sales relationship in the making. Contests, fishbowls, instant rewards, and rebates are old.

Advertising hasn’t changed since Romulus claimed his water was cleaner than the Etruscans.   Repeat contacts produce sales. Loyalty will be the difference between surviving or thriving.  What’s your gimmick? Collecting names take a useful gimmick – Kids need free entertaining toys.

Watch those files and computer disks that you dump! You may be fined.

Movie Gallery agreed to pay the state of North Carolina $50,000 for illegally disposing of files that contained information on customers, job applicants and employees. Businesses there are required to destroy files so that identity thieves cannot retrieve it. 

N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper told bizjournals.com, "These companies turned trash into treasure for identity thieves by dumping their customers' personal information."