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Entrepreneur InformationOil Change Guys History; Part IIFranchise companies are not born they are made and when studying the history of franchise companies, it is amazing how similar they really are. To continue this story we are in the height of the Dot Com Bubble with money flowing in Silicon Valley and personal services and labor is at a premium indeed; Oil Change Guys History; Part IIIStudying the history of franchise companies is interesting is watching all the ways they grew and all the partnerships, vendors and mergers along the way. It is a myriad of deals and team building, which makes it all possible. Continuing Part III of the saga: Oil Change Guys History; Part IVOne trait of franchisors and something you will find in all their biographies both; official and unofficial is their competitiveness and refusal to give up. Now onto Part IV of our saga: Double Down on MarketingIf you want to compete in the world of high growth startups, you better know how to play the marketing game. Marketing has become a big stakes game where companies are betting fortunes on the success of their products. Nowadays if you can?t play the big marketing game you may not even get the attention of the customers you need to grow your business. Identify the Growth FactorsIn ?The Incredible Hulk?, mild-mannered scientist Bruce Banner discovered that when he was exposed to ?gamma rays? he was transformed into a massive beast that could ferociously muscle his way to victory in any situation. Other than being disfigured, green, and in nothing but his boxer shorts, the Hulk discovered that a single growth factor could drastically change his ability to handle his problems. A Startup Never ClosesWhen it comes to a startup, the luxuries shared with established companies are few and far between. Chief among them is the luxury to close at the end of the day. Big companies have the benefits of capital, customers and receivables. Startups, on the other hand, have jack squat. They need to work twice as hard to make half as much, and even then they?re not working nearly enough. Be Where the Pucks Going To BeThe "Great One" said it best Learn how to Compress TimeIn the popular 1980?s movie ?Dune,? man learned that by ?folding space? the distance between two points shortened and he could cover those distances faster. Around 1995, we found a substance that could bend time in the business community -- it was called Venture Capital. With enough of it, we could compress the evolution of a startup company from a few decades to a few years. Companies like Amazon, eBay and most recently Google showed us that billion dollar companies could be built in years, not decades. The Magic of FloatIf you?ve ever received a service today and paid for it in 30 days you?ve experienced the concept of ?float? ? the time difference between when you receive a service and when you paid for it. In most cases this time period is a convenience to you as a customer, but in the world of business marketing it can absolutely transform your business. In the last 18 months we?ve grown our marketing budget at Swapalease.com (the company that owns me) by more than 1000% by simply leveraging the concept of float. The Power Of Personal EnvironmentsI?ve got to admit, I?m a big fan of comfort. I like it when things in my world are stable and reliable. For example, my home is my sanctuary. I live here, and I work here. I like it to reflect peace, order and beauty, so when a messy remodeling project was underway - like the recent replacement of a water-damaged bathroom ceiling - it affected me. I was stressed and cranky. My husband might not have been quite so generous and called me downright crazed. Entrepreneurial Hate, its out thereToday, I got an email from a lady who hates all business people and entrepreneurs, because they are Greedy, Arrogant and a Host of other atrocities. She was replying to an article I wrote about entrepreneurs and how they bring to the civilization; everything you see, everywhere you go and without us, you would have nothing. Here is the email I received: Starting Your Business By The BookI've gotten several questions recently about the legalities of starting a business. So, this week I thought I would address a few of the more common legal issues most new businesses face. But first, let's get the mandatory legal disclaimer out of the way: the advice dispensed by this columnist is probably no better or worse than the advice dispensed by other columnists. Do not take the following advice as gospel or bet the future of your business on any advice given herein by said columnist. Near-death Experience is the Mother of Invention for Two Dallas ElectriciansTo morning commuters, the hulking truck encircled with barricades and traffic cones may be nothing more than a road-clogging nuisance. Coating Service Business Case StudyThere are many coating businesses in the market today, but have you ever asked yourself how one gets into this line of work? How they are formed or what prompts someone or some entrepreneur to go out and start a business to fill this niche? Well this is an interesting case study that shows how we became interested in this industry from a sub market of the coating business; Spray in Bed Liners. Our company is in the auto detailing business, www.detailguys.com and we often service auto dealerships. Our customers need service for spray in bed liners for the pick-up trucks they sell. So we looked around at all the possible Biz Op companies doing this and the franchises too. The Entrepreneurial DifferenceWho would ever have imagined that going door-to-door in my neighborhood selling figs from a bright orange shopping cart would have been my entrepreneurial beginnings? I surely did not. But, now that I look back and also look around me at other business owners, I see clearly that so many of the traits common to entrepreneurs are present at a very early age.
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