There are people decided to enter the business world, but without the necessary experience to commercially exploit certain product or service. For them, acquiring the rights to use a trademark, along with experience and key knowledge, is without doubt an attractive business formula and a very good investment option, but sometimes you can get unpleasantly surprised.
Fairs and franchising exhibitions are becoming increasingly frequent, and they are already part of the usual agenda of each year. As you know, this fairs are attended by the owners and representatives with a clear desire to sell, and therefore strive to project an image of reliability and solidity.
Trying to show the best image possible has always been important in all areas in which human beings are involved, but here is at stake both your money and your financial future; therefore, when evaluating a franchise, the first thing to avoid is to get yourself caught by the attractiveness of a franchise stand, the utilities and items offered, or multicolored well-designed commercial brochures.
Since not all franchises are equal and to avoid exposing your money and taking unnecessary risks, you should look to invest in a franchise for which you can assess how attractive it is and how much its strength is. One of the first signs that you receive from a reliable franchise, is that when you show interest in it, their representatives strive to make you understand the history of the franchise along with all its business information, putting financial data at your disposal as well as growth and expansion plans. This would be a good way to get the confidence you need to further evaluate other options. Transparency is the fundamental base of business; so you must demand it in matters that really are of your interest. In the opposite case, unreliable franchises do not try to convince you about the attractiveness of the business, instead they are trying to make an immediate sell, offering “great advantages” if you sign the contract right away.
Once you overcome that first and very important contact, common sense dictates that if you are interested in a particular brand the second step is to know certain details that will provide you greater certainty and reliability; for example: how strong is the brand you want to market in your geographic market space? What do other people who share the sector of activity in which you want to dabble in think about that brand? It’s also important that you inquire about the innovation policies that have launched the franchise and what benefits you will get from such policies. This question should also be asked about the technical and commercial assistance and in relation to product development.
Of course, it’s not enough to know the appeal of the brand to make the decision, do you already you have information on the loan and the conditions required by your creditor bank? Have you analyzed the performance figures? How long before the business will start giving profits? Can you afford that time? If the franchise gives you part of the financial support you need, in what terms would be agreed such conditions?
Finally, before getting any obligation or contractual commitment, and even if you are convinced of the attractiveness in terms of technical, financial and commercial aspects, it is advisable to seek advice from a lawyer with experience in the world of franchising. The legal advice will not only protect you against possible cases that may arise, but also will advise you on proper financial aspects, including of course the tax and labor issues you cannot ignore. As you can see, there is no way to separate franchises from finances; both go hand in hand, and while it is true that franchises aimed at the fashion industry and fast foods are the most demanded, do not forget to evaluate other options in non-traditional sectors, since the investment will be substantially lower and return rates are quite significant.
On many occasions you’ve probably felt like money controls your life. Perhaps you wanted to go for the weekend to the countryside or to the beach, but you could not because you had no money; possibly you needed to pay the electricity bill, but you had to leave it for the next month because you just barely had the money needed for groceries; your vehicle broke down, but you could not fix it because you had to deal with other priorities; In addition, your credit card was about to burst and you didn’t even pay the minimum quota in hopes that the bank would not notice that default in payment.
Surely, these miserable experiences made you feel bad; your mood and your self-esteem were markedly reduced, you got locked in your money problems, you lost your friends, and your thoughts just invited you to believe that it was all “because of money.”
Money is not responsible for our mood or our daily practices. Fortunately, we alone are responsible for our life and our future. A healthy way to change our perception of money is trying to answer these questions: How do I feel about money? What are my beliefs and expectations about money? Am I able to control my expenses and my savings? Is money the one that is controlling my life, or is it me who should control the money?
Your beliefs, perceptions and expectations affect your emotions and determine the actions you can take to sort your finances and expand your financial slack. I give you an example: as long as you don’t believe that you can be successful in life, you will think that there is no need to succeed in finances, so neither you will be convinced about the need to raise your income or moderate your expenses and, consequently, you won’t have reason to change your patterns of consumption, savings habits or your ideas on investment.
Another example: if you believe you’ll never have enough money to do what you please and live as you dreamed, you will unconsciously deny the control you have over your future (which nobody else but you has) and therefore you will not have aspirations, you won’t feel the need to take on challenges and design your financial road map; you’ll just feel resigned.
The concepts you have about yourself and money significantly influence your attitude and the actions you undertake to achieve your goals. Remember that the only person who controls what you think and feel is you. If you just repeat the phrase: “I have no money” I assure you that you will not be doing yourself any favors; On the contrary, you are reinforcing your negativity and slowly you will drag yourself down emotionally. Similarly, if your favorite phrase is: “my salary is not enough at all”, you will be reinforcing the idea that you are not responsible for what happens to you, but that the fault of your ills belongs to your salary, the employer who pays your salary, the government, or the bank.
Always keep in mind that your personal or familiar experiences with money have an influence on your beliefs and the expressions you use on a regular basis when you refer to it; also, those beliefs influence your values, your attitude and your spending, savings and investment habits; in other words, they affect how you manage your money.
Financial ignorance or poor money management can also cause you mental exhaustion, stress, low self-esteem, and even a decrease in the affection and the quality of our relationships with family and friends. Stay focused on your projects and improve your relationship with money; remember that this relationship affects you personally but also affects your relationship with other people.
Lastly, learn to control your feelings about money. Get rid of negative thoughts like “I’ll be poor all my life”, “I don’t know how to earn more money” or “I can’t do more than what I’m already doing.” Do not forget that you’re the only person able to control your future.
So now you know, control your feelings so that money does not control you.
Many times we complain about not having enough money to cover our monthly expenses; it seems that we never have enough money, because the greater the amount entered in our bank account, the faster we spend it.
Although the issue of money is a sensitive subject for most of us, it is very likely that we are unaware of what we spend, or do not know for sure what we do with our money (we just realized that we no longer have it ), and those little recurring and regular expenses are the main routes where it escapes from us. Unnecessary purchases, unnecessary expenses, certain habits and certain social compromises, undo our pockets allowing our money to “Drain”, significantly reducing our ability for saving and investing.
If you take out your pen and play around with the numbers, try to calculate what you spend on coffee, bottled water and cigarettes; sum the monthly payments you make when you invite your classmates or workmates; try to calculate all the money you spend making small purchases of what you like or what attracts you, even when you don’t really need them.
It is not about depriving yourself of the things that please you, but to become aware of what you do with your money and the need to preserve some leeway that allows you to handle unforeseen situations.
If you want to prevent your money from leaking, try to get enough discipline to stop eating at fast food restaurants, reduce your consumption of coffee and cigarettes; have fun with outdoor recreational activities such as parks and rides that do not require large outlays of money activities. If you go to the movies, think about what you spend on popcorn and soda (these costs are quite significant). Try to go to work on foot or by public transport, and attempt to reduce the use of your own vehicle to avoid payments for fuel, parking and even an occasional fine which you would be exposed to.
And if you go to groceries stores, do it after eating; that way you can resist the lure of buying what you do not need, or purchasing too much (remember that the more you earn, the more you consume). Of course, avoid buying items for their beautiful packaging, as well as articles and magazines that are on the waiting lines of the cashiers (if they are there, it’s because they are not really needed).
In short, start identifying the small holes from where your money is escaping. You may be surprised when you see that without realizing it you’re losing up to 30% of your salary, and that that amount can be used far more intelligently to reduce some of your debts at your own pace, and make investments that increase the value of your money.
MONEY RACE STUDIOS 2020 - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - LEGAL NOTICE - PRIVACY POLICY