Buying a franchise? Follow these 9 steps to lower your potential risk. 1.        Don’t start online – start inside Before you start your search for a franchise, be sure that you are a candidate for franchise ownership. Figure out why you want to be and business owner and take the time to reflect on what you want your business to look like and feel like. Consider how much time you will have to dedicate to your new venture and the potential implications for your family. 2.        Make two lists List #1   Focus on what you are good at. Are you a strong salesperson, a skilled negotiator or a people or data manager? List #2  What makes you, you? Are you competitive, socially conscious, shy or extrovert? Use your two lists as a blueprint to help you figure out what types of franchise opportunities would suit you. Search for opportunities that will allow you to use your top skills and that s...

Maxi’s puts a smile on TB suffering children’s faces   Last year Maxi’s started a Facebook campaign to show their loyal customers that they care by allowing them to select the charity that the brand would support that month. The campaign encourages their Facebook fans to interact with Maxi’s and the person who engages the most, is named the “fan of the month”.   PJ Prema Reddy was chosen as the Maxi’s Facebook fan for the month of December. Reddy chose to help the Reach for a Dream Foundation and with Maxi’s help, they arranged a surprise visit to the King George Hospital.   The Reach for a Dream Foundation encourages children to use their dreams to fight life-threatening illnesses. Their vision is to grow the foundation, enabling them to continue giving hope to children who suffer from life-threatening illnesses as they try as far as possible to make their dreams a reality. On Friday night, 31 January, Kamlesh Bhika, the manager of Maxi’s Overport, visited the Tu...

MSC Business College now in Bloemfontein How the new Bloemfontein franchise started The new Bloemfontein owners first met with MSC Business College at the FASA expo in May 2013. They identified many benefits to owning an MSC College. Some of the key benefits were the high entry levels into the college market as well as the impact that a college could have by delivering quality education - an opportunity provided for by MSC Business College. They developed a relationship with the MSC Business College staff and realised that MSC prides itself on quality, professionalism and going the extra mile for their franchisees. After extensive market research, they drafted their business plan intending to open an MSC Business College in Bloemfontein. Financing was attained through a working relationship with SA Franchise Warehouse and Business Partners. The speedy shopfitting and continuous organizational support from head office enabled the two young businessmen to set-up office and start rec...