Many of you seem to be looking at franchising to get into business, while this can be a relatively painless start to your own small business, caution is essential. I thought I write down some pointers of what you should have in any franchise contract, this is not a nice to have list, but the bare essentials. This list could easily be much longer, depending the area you work in:

• Sell/transfer - you need to have the right to sell or transfer the ownership of your franchise at will;
• Products & Services - obligations to the franchisor, for example buying products and services;
• Territory - exact and precise boundaries of your franchise territory;
• Training & Support - this is why your are doing this, so make sure you get what you need;
• Pricing - exact and precise pricing, commissions or rentals of all product and services;
• Termination - make sure you can get out if you have problems;
• Investment - how much and when do you need to invest.

This all should be based on previous exhaustive research and information gathering on the franchisor.

• Companies financial health, history and management team;
• Bankers and other professional advisors to the franchisor;
• Companies track record, how long has it been going;
• failing that precise details of pilot operations;
• detailed description of franchise and territory;
• number of existing franchises and the right to talk to any of them;
• Initial and any other payments to franchisor;
• realistic business planning data, cash-flow, profit and loss;
• find out how exactly the franchisor makes their money;
• realistic working capital need, long term viability of franchise;
• take a bank reference;
• training and support guarantees from the franchisor;
• help with raising finance;
• restrictions if there are any;
• get a sample contract.

Again this list is not exhaustive, but should help you to get started. Every-time during your evaluation period if you have a question, write it down and ask. It is a bad sign if questions you have will or can not be answered. Do not fall for pressure sales tactics. You should walk if your questions are not answered without a good explanation or any of the following happens:

• Says: “Act now to get in while it is still cheap”;
• If it is all too easy with huge profits from day one;
• any problems with franchisors directors or officers;
• demands large up front license fees;
• does not know the market they are operating in;
• evasive on access to existing franchises.

A franchise can be exactly what you where looking for, but it can also turn out to be a nightmare, like any business you need to be careful and do not get carried away by the sales pitch. Talk it though with an accountant, to make sure the figures add up.

If it sounds to be too good to be true, it …….. . ST.

I get regular questions about what we really mean by WinWeb’s Small Business Infrastructure?

On-demand Small Business Infrastructure™ centers around the idea that business start-ups and growing small businesses need help with numerous administrative tasks that are not core to the business success - such as bookkeeping, it services, internet services, call handling and other such services.

These services - if performed by the business owner - cause a great deal of time wasting - while the fixed cost of a business is still accumulating. This is in our minds a fatally floored business model and can easily be remedied with our infrastructure approach.

We should not expect business start-ups and small business in general to be accountants, bookkeepers, lawyers, marketing & PR gurus and so on. We should provide small business with an infrastructure in which it can concentrate on core business tasks, while at the same time enabling the business owner to stay informed of all relevant business facts like cash flow, sales, HR issues, tax position and more. This will enable him / her to make informed decisions, maybe with the help of an external advisor.

Based on these facts, we have devised a six point on-demand Small Business Infrastructure™ concept, which consist of:

1. WinWeb On-Demand Software Solutions - Anywhere At Anytime.

AccountsOffice and OnlineOffice are our two software offerings, which are based on the SaaS - Software as a Services model, to allow for the following key business benefits:

• tight inclusion of business advisors from the start,
• cultivating outsourcing techniques at the outset, i.e. virtual assistants,
• no IT knowledge needed and hassle free operation,
• real-time multi-user access from anywhere, increasing mobility.

2. WinWeb 24/7 Live Support - We Are Here For You Always.

Providing customer care and support only during business hours is not acceptable to our clients. Experience has shown us that most admin work gets done by small business before nine in the morning or after five in the evening. This practice is essential if the business is to survive it’s early years.

This is why we have provided our much acclaimed customer support for 24 hours a day, seven days a week from the outset. Saving our clients wasted time and money - while setting new standards in customer support. No manuals need to be read - all problems can be solved in real-time online.

3. WinWeb Live - Networking Community for Small Business Only.

To foster collaboration and outsourcing we have expanded our WinWeb Live™ offering to allow for small business community networking - thus enabling the business owner to make decisions about his / her current needs, with the following benefits:

• timeshare virtual assistants for professional results,
• offer contracts of work to contractors on a case-by-case basis,
• promote the business to a large audience or even locally,
• find new work and contracts online

4. Business Advice

Our On-Demand Small Business Infrastructure™ enables business advisors, accountants, bookkeepers and other advisors to have a “Up Close and Personal” relationship with the small business owner, providing key elements for the success of a small business:

• timely and up-to-date advice from anywhere at anytime,
• more efficient advisor function due to SaaS technology, less travel,
• easily expandable advisor network.

5. Solution Partners

Third parties provide external services to complement our services, such as parcel service, office supply services, printing services. These and other services are provided on a bulk buy arrangements by leading businesses in their respective sectors - to provide the most reliable and up-to date service possible - with the effect of enhancing the professional appearance of our clients.

6. ClimateByte™ Technology - For A Cleaner Future.

Our clients are among the biggest demographics concerned with climate change and carbon footprint neutrality. It is a fact that employing remote working and collaboration techniques drastically reduces the damaging business side affects on our environment. We enable our clients to be more eco-friendly and aware, by providing them with our green technology - an ongoing development commitment of WinWeb.

WinWeb welcomes any suggestion that will further enhance our On-Demand Small Business Infrastructure™ concept - especially the development of even more eco-friendly business processes - to serve our small business and business start-up client-base.

Whatever you are planning a personal business or a small business, like SOHO-, SME, SMB-, Micro-, Home-, DIY-, Hobby-, Boomer businesses, the time has never been better for starting a business. Many politicians will have you believe that the current up-rise in personal and small business activity is due to their policies, that is b*** s****, it is due to the greatest platform for entrepreneurial activity to date - the internet and related technologies.

Anyone between the ages of 13 (apparently) and 81 (?) can be a first time entrepreneur, and best of all - thanks to the technology available - it:

1. Does not need a lot of capital: bootstrapping and outsourcing techniques allow you to start your business on the side at less than what you spend on a meal out.
2. Only need very little business experience: we live in a time when business processes are rewritten, and much happens online, information, advice and tools are available for free, communities help you to build online networks and make starting easy.

So if you ever had a dream or goal in business, now is the time to start, some people make their hobby into a business, others their DIY skills and some even start social businesses for giving someone else a helping hand - the reasons and opportunities are truly limitless.

What business would you like to start today?