If you are a franchisee and need a pep talk, watch this video: 40 INSPIRATIONAL SPEECHES IN 2 MINUTES

Too funny….

The Sizzler restaurant in Antioch will stop serving students during school hours. It’s a way to stop them from cutting class.

Call me crazy, but I would rather kids hang out at Sizzler than hang out totally unsupervised somewhere else!

You’ve probably heard that a couple of teenage female KFC employees took a bath in the big kitchen sink and took pictures.  I’m sure the franchisee was outraged to wake up and deal with this PR disaster (not to mention the parents of the kids).  A news crew was outside showing the pictures to customers who unanimously said “GROSS!”  Ditto…see image to the right.   The article mentioned that zee fired the employees. 

If you thought Curves and Lady’s Fitness were as niche as the workout industry was going to get, think again. Stroller Strides

At 8:45 a.m., the moms begin to arrive at the Thomas Jefferson Center. Jackets, gloves and hats are shed, children are strapped into strollers, and at 9 a.m., they’re off for a power walk around the gym.

They start with a 5-minute warm-up. During their

45-minute routine, the students will go through three body-toning exercises as well as stretches, lunges and an accelerated power-stride pushing their strollers. A 10-minute abs, stretch and cool down finishes the class.

Blended into the exercise routines are nursery rhymes, the chicken dance and singing of childhood favorites such as “Farmer in the Dell,” “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” and “Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes.”

As mothers breeze by drinking from their water bottles, the babies in the strollers have started enjoying their bottles of breast milk and water, too. One woman breaks from the crowd, rushes to the bleachers, and digs through a diaper bag to retrieve a small package of crackers for her teething baby.

Physical fitness aside, one of the fun parts of Stroller Strides is the social aspect of it, Ashley said.

“While you’re at home caring for your children, you can feel a little isolated,” she said.

As a result of that, Ashley has incorporated Luna Moms Club to seamlessly following the fitness class. The club includes a built-in play group that meets on Wednesdays at 10 a.m., monthly community projects and Mommy Time, which offers discussions about books, music, craft projects and an occasional night out for dinner or a movie.

AmeriVestors, Inc. announced yesterday that it has commenced the preparation of legal documents to be filed with State and Federal Government agencies in order to offer franchise opportunities for Justice by the People . Upon filing of the UFOC, the company will file notice and fees with the Texas Secretary of State, so that it may commence the sale of franchise opportunities in the State of
Texas.

Justice by the People, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of AmeriVestors, Inc., serves consumers that wish to save hundreds, even thousands of dollars, in their simple, uncontested legal matters. The
US legal industry is a $184 billion sector. The company offers approximately 80 legal documents for uncontested legal issues such as uncontested divorce, living trusts, incorporation, etc. The company has designed a model to create a national franchise chain providing high quality, accurate and affordable legal document preparation services for simple, uncontested legal matters. Justice by the People does not offer legal advice in the preparation of its clients’ uncontested legal documents.

Now maybe there will be some “copy-cat” law franchises coming out soon. Can you submit some names?

To start things off how about: “McMalpractice” or “Lawless & Lawless”

In the forum, we batted around the new meal preparation and assembly kitchens concept such as Super Suppers and Dream Dinners. There are lot of non-franchised startups, and they already have their own trade association called the Easy Meal Preparation Association. The general sentiment from the forum is that this concept is a “maybe”, with the big questions being

1. how much you can charge customers (and margins) before customers will just order restaurant takeout?
2. is the change of behavior and lifestyle too much to create a solid base of loyal customers?
3. how many competitors, if any, can enter the market and you still survive?  what if they have slightly lower prices and a nicer, larger facility and more creative menu?

A surprising celebrity newcomer is jumping in this arena – Suzanne Somers. Inc. magazine did a feature article and mentioned this tidbit.

And next? Suzanne’s Kitchen, an entry in the red-hot meal prep category, in which customers move from station to station inside retail stores, assembling family-size dishes from chopped meats, vegetables, and sauces. The first two outposts of Suzanne’s Kitchen, which Somers and her husband and business partner, Alan Hamel, expect to franchise, will open later this year.

Why is she getting in this business? I think it has more to do with an attempt to leverage her brand name to command higher franchise fees rather than this being an inherently superior and profitable business model. Certainly Somers will draw media attention to the industry, which currently suffers badly from low recognition amongst its target audience.

Do you love animals?  Sometimes the best franchise opportunities are the ones you’ve never thought of and are a labor of love.  Here are some I found unique and interesting:

• Camp Bow Wow: canine day care center (article)
• Doody Calls: scheduled yard clean ups of your dog poo
• The Pet Pantry: scheduled local delivery of pet food
• Wag My Tail:  pet grooming (free pickup & delivery  )
• Interquest Detection Canines:  trains dogs for contraband and drug detection
• Pets Are Inn:  pet hotel

Wizbangblog had a contest for funny business name and released the winners. Could these be good franchise names? I think they could be. Here are a some of the funniest ones:

• a florist “Floral And Hardy”
• franchise for “Yassin’s Used Wheelchairs”
• a deli named “Cheeses Of Nazareth”
• a high-tech deli named “CTRL ALT DELI”
• a fried chicken stand in Corpus Christi called “Corpus Crispy”
• a ental lab company called “DK Dental Labs”
• a door-accessory shop called “Knobs And Knockers”