Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue II, 2011 | Page 8

chairman’
snote
BY CHARLes sMITHGALL

Plan to attend and Plan to Win

M

y Dad once said, “Son, no matter
how good an opportunity you miss,
there will always be another one,
even better than the one you missed.
Just make sure that you operate well, keep your
eyes open, and keep a lot of cash.” That philosophy
served him well for 93 years. (Mom’s going to be
100 April 1, but that’s another story.)
There are opportunities galore
today in the franchising business, possibly more than there
have ever been. There are eager
franchisors with fantastic brands
in under-served markets. There
are successful franchisees who
just want to cash out. There are
many successful concepts that can be franchised.
And, believe it or not, there is a lot of money available to finance proven operators. (We are currently
being courted by several large banks.)
It is a wonderful time to invest in a franchise
business or to grow an existing business by: 1)
acquiring other franchisees, 2) launching a new
brand, or 3)