Potential franchisees sometimes wonder why they couldn’t simply go out and start a business indepen-dently, without being part of a franchise. When evalua-ting that question, consider the findings of the International Franchise Association, a membership organization of franchisers, franchisees and suppliers, as reported in the Wichita Business Journal. That article suggests that franchisees enjoy a significant competitive edge over the stand-alone business operators. They noted a study showing that 86% of franchise companies, which opened in the previous five years, were still in business under the same owner. Only 3% of these businesses failed. Conversely, a US Small Business Administration (SBA) Survey in that same article showed 62.2 percent of all new businesses dissolved within their first six years. The percentages of success may vary with the study. And while not all studies may reach the same conclusion, most suggest that the franchised businesses are given a higher chance of success than independent, start-alone businesses. Reasons contributing to this include: 1. A franchise is a “duplicate” of an already successful business. The real value of a franchise is the experience, know-how, and operating plan that come with it. 2. With franchising, there is the value added advantage of name-brand recognition and a network of support. 3. Franchisees avoid the costly trial-and-error period that causes so many problems for start-up businesses. We bring significant experience and the right industry contacts to the table. We are looking to expand our concept nationally, and we are looking for people to grow with us. Interest and motivation count high on our list of qualities we seek in a franchisee! We look forward to hearing from you!