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Shurguard Self Storage

Shurgard Self Storage

Shurgard Storage Centers based in the USA was one of the Self Storage pioneers both in North America and in Europe and is now wholly owned by Public Self Storage; however this was not always the case. The company was founded by Chuck Barbo. Chuck Barbos Grandfather emigrated from Norway in 1871to start a logging business and starting businesses was certainly in the blood. However Chuck did not start his career early he first got his education at the University of Washington in Seattle, where he tried to earn a business degree. However he lost interest in this after a very short time and switched to history. He qualified as a teacher and went off to teach kids at a high school in Seattle. This never lasted to long and the draw of business soon resurfaced.

Chuck got the property bug in 1966 when he sold a property north of Seattle and learned that he would earn much more money selling property than teaching kids. Chuck then moved to Olympia, Washington where Shurgard was born. Chuck like Bradley Hughes of Public Storage started off as a property developer and went into partnership with other property developers. In 1971 both Don Daniels and Chuck formed a business called the Barbo-Daniels Group. It was then that they opened a Self Storage facility called B-D Mini Storage. Although Chuck was convinced about the merits of Self Storage it was much more difficult to persuade the banks. With a background in high school teaching it was particularly difficult for Chuck to convince the banks to lend him money. Un-deterred Chuck managed to grow the business and during the 1970s and 1980s but had further problems raising capital via the banks for Self Storage. It was during this time that Chuck found another way f developing the business growth by entering public partnerships to fund construction. Chuck raised over $700 million allowing for another 20 years worth of growth.

In the 1990s Chuck decided to merge his many property concerns into a separate company Shurgard Storage Centers Inc. It also followed that Shurgard would float on the Stock Exchange already converted to a REIT a real estate investment trust. By this time Shurgard had one hundred and thirty nine storage centres in seventeen states. Following the successful floatation of Shurgard Chuck ordered more aggressive expansion; he started by buying 20 already trading centres and opened eight centres organically. With his European roots Chuck made a very bold move in 1994 when he opened an office in Brussels, Belgium to look into the feasibility of opening Self Storage Centres across Europe. When the feasibility study was complete Chuck started up the Shurgard Storage Centres Benelux & Co, giving Chuck a launch pad in Europe.

In 1996 Shurgard had 275 storage centres in the USA and was moving into other types of Self Storage such as the mobile storage concept. This made Shurgard the second largest Self Storage operator in the US. The march of Shurgard continued apace over the 1990s including acquisitions in Washington, Michigan and even France.
With Public Storage still growing far quicker than Shurgard, Chuck took a leaf out of Bradley Hughes book by building up partnerships in order to speed up growth. Chuck got together with Fremont Realty Capital another US REIT business. This allowed Shurgard to purchase several more small chains and lesson the costs of development. However this was never enough to keep pace with Public Storage and Chuck believed he would be able to grow in Europe without the competition from Public Storage. By this time Shurgard had opened 19 Self Storage centres in Europe and again Chuck managed to secure new financing for his expansion from Deutsche Bank, AIG the insurance giant, and Credit Suisse. Not a bad line up of financial backers. This allowed Chuck to open up in France, Belgium, The Netherlands, the UK and Sweden.
Public Storage however surprised Chuck by buying up Shurgard shares in 2000 becoming the largest shareholder very quickly. Chuck and the management of Shurgard Storage Centres did resist and Public Storage backed off, selling the shares. After the Public Storage attempted takeover Shurgard got back to matters at hand and proposed a “Partnership Scheme” which was in affect franchising the name and branding to existing Self Storage businesses across the country. The main difference with Public Storage failed attempt at this strategy was that they wouldnt allow participants in the areas where they had Self Storage Centres. In 2002 Shurgard Storage Centres had over 450 storage centres in Europe and in America and the expansion just continues with the purchase of Morningstar Storage Centres adding another 40 branches to the Shurgard portfolio.
In conclusion Shurgard although not quite ever catching the success of Public Storage, Shurgard have become a powerhouse in the now Global Self Storage industry. Chuck Barbo identified the need for Self Storage in the US and then brought the product to Europe.

All About Franchising And Starting Up A New Franchise Business

Franchise business opportunities are expanding rapidly. If you look at the most famous franchise in existence today is the McDonalds corporation. McDonalds has established itself around the world and is one of the leading business organizations. Opportunities in franchising continue to develop as the franchise industry develops.

What is a franchise?

Information on the Franchise Business

A franchise is a mirror image of an original business idea. When a business has become successful the opportunity arises to duplicate the success in other locations. When an individual purchases a franchise opportunity, they are purchasing is the right to repeat the original business operations in another area. To help them achieve success a franchisee receives complete instructions on how to achieve the success achieved by the original business. They get an established and proven business plan and marketing plan on which to build their new business.

A franchise has been granted the authorization to sell or distribute a companys goods or services in a certain geographical area. For example, a restaurant or coffee shops marketing area is limited, usually to people in the immediate local area. Therefore, creating another restaurant or coffee house based on the original business in a different area would be considered a franchise.

The original business developer determines the formula for producing the same result achieved by the original business and how this formula can be repeated in new locations. This formula is packaged and sold as a franchise. This package is sold to interested parties who can achieve success simply by following the proven formula.

Why Do Businesses Sell Franchises rather than Expanding their own Business?

What is the advantage of developing a franchise as opposed to simply opening the business in multiple locations? It is quite possible to open a number of restaurants in one city or county or even within a state. However, the time requirements and energy required to do this is extensive. Franchising offers th possibility to expand the business and have others on board to share the burden.

It would be impossible for someone like Roy Croc, who developed McDonalds, to run each individual McDonalds restaurant around the world. To expand your business without running it into the ground, you need quality people who have an interest at your own bottom line.

Information on Buying a Franchise Business

Many people would like the freedom to start their own business. However, they may be new to the business world. Or they may not be confident of their ability to develop a business. Or they may not have a business idea that they are confident in.

The opportunity to start a business that has a proven success record and an established plan for achieving a similar success is what make franchising attractive to new business owners.

This is beneficial to both the original business developer and the entrepreneur. The business developer makes a profit by selling his system and the entrepreneur gains the knowledge from an experienced owner with a successful business. This increases the opportunities for the entrepreneur, which allows for a greater chance of success.

Popularity Of Food-cart Franchise Businesses In The Philippines

What are the kinds of businesses are popular in the Philippines today? According to many experts, franchise businesses had become a popular trend in the Philippines. And part of the reason why businesses is because of the many new franchise available in the market, such as food-cart and food-stall businesses which are considered today as some of the most wide-spread businesses in the Philippines today.

Popularity of Franchise Businesses in the Philippines
According to many experts, franchise businesses became popular in the Philippines because of the many new franchising concepts which gave Filipinos the opportunity to own a profitable business. This is when food-cart and food-stall businesses were introduced in the Philippine market. And unlike other franchise businesses, these franchises are far simpler and smaller.

Benefits of Small Franchising Businesses
Unlike in the past in which most franchise businesses in the Philippines were large businesses, such as convenient stores, fast-food restaurants, and many more, food cart-and food-stall businesses are smaller, which could only occupy a small space in a high foot-traffic location, such as in malls, shopping centers, bus and train terminals, and even in wet markets and sidewalks.

Because of its versatility and flexibility, these types of franchising businesses became popular among many Filipinos who are looking for a simple business that they can easily manage by themselves.

But other than its simplicity, another reason why food-cart and food-stall businesses became popular is because of its lesser expensive franchising cost compared to other franchise businesses in the Philippines, allowing more Filipinos to have the same opportunities that many wealthier Filipinos have had with Franchising business Philippines.

No Requirements Needed
Unlike larger franchise businesses, which normally requires one to have experience in management as well as have attained an MBA, these small and simple franchise businesses usually don”t require anything other than the franchising fee. And although its more expensive than starting a business from scratch, these businesses, however, can offer Filipinos the profitability that start-up businesses usually lack.

Business Loans for Franchise Businesses
Business loans had also gained a lot of popularity in the Philippines because of franchise businesses. A popular example of those that offer such services is Ka-Negosyo (business-partner) by BPI. It is a branch in BPI which give Filipinos the advantage of franchising a business, or starting their own business, by giving them the capital they needed.

Ka-Negosyo is one of the few popular loan firms in the country that can offer Fast cash loan Philippines which gives them the opportunity to acquire their capital faster compared to other loan firms in the Philippines.

Franchising a Unique Way of Business Expansion

If you have set your mind for franchising your business then you have taken right decision as franchising the existing business is the fastest way of expansion. It is a natural and fast method for growing business. The next thing that you want is to do it properly as small mistakes can lead you in big trouble in future. Try to counsel it with experts before deciding anything.

Franchising a unique way of business expansion as here you partner your existing business with someone else. You sell your business and strategies to new business owner. This requires utmost care and discipline. You should be clear on everything whether it’s your expansion plan, business strategies or future plans. You should be clear at every point. An experienced franchise consultant can help you and show you the right way to do the things. They can assist you in many ways like creating operations and other franchise manuals, solving different questions that generally come on when you go for franchising, making your attorney and planning franchise system and many more.

There are many franchise consultant out in the market but do go for anyone offering you to open your franchise. There are many people who just managed to add the company name in their client list to as they have done franchise work for them but have little knowledge. So decide your consultant wisely. Always try to cross check his knowledge by asking few questions and give your contact to him once you are satisfied.

Having a franchise is a great way to start a business, without having to worry about coming up with your own business model. When you have a franchise, you have the convenience of having an established and recognized brand to develop, plus the support of a head office that will help you succeed. The key to your success is to pick one of the best franchises to own so you can have a business that is sure to succeed.

Cartridge World is one of the best franchises to own and has one of the lowest amounts of money needed to get stated. With a starting liquid capital of only $30,000, you can be on your way to supplying customers with ink refills for their home computer printers. Because it costs much less to have an ink cartridge refilled than to buy a brand new one, more and more people are turning to this as a practical and economical way to get their printing needs done. Another one of the best franchises to own is Dollar Store Services. With a liquid capital requirement of only $50,000, you can be on your way to owning a business that is sure to draw huge crowds in any neighborhood, regardless of the type of economy the country is in.

The convenience store 7-Eleven is another one of the best franchises to own. With the wide number of products it offers, plus the added income from the food service section of the store, a well located store can generate thousands of dollars in income for you. The start up costs are quite high, since you will need about $100,000 to $160,000 in capital, but this can be easily recovered in a few years. Everyone loves to eat and so it makes sense that if you want to start a business, choose one of the best franchises to own that serve food. Whether you want to have a juice bar or a fast food joint, having a restaurant franchise can help you become an entrepreneur and help cater to the demands of your neighborhood.

On the top of the list of best franchises to own that serve food is McDonalds. This fast food chain has served over a billion customers and to this day continues to be very competitive in the fast food market. With new offerings every year and classic menu items that remain popular with the fans. McDonalds has high recognition and brand value. It does require a huge capital startup, reaching upwards from a million dollars, but you can be sure that you’ll get it back within a few years.

Read more about Franchise Marketing in India and Omeprazole Pellets.

Routing Biz Success Via Franchising

Accessibility of diverse business opportunities is creating a lot of confusion among aspiring entrepreneurs to zero down on a single business opportunity. To add to this confusion is the increasing trend among brands whether service or product to opt for franchise route for expansion. No doubt taking up a franchise business opportunity is always preferred over opting for an independent business, still it is difficult to zero down whether to get associated with service franchise brand or retail franchising one. Franchising provides all the know-how and expertise of running a business successfully, which an independent business can never provide. From selecting the right location to recruiting the staff and from designing the logo to creating a brand image, everything will be done by the business owner which in not a case with franchising. No doubt franchising is successful business formula yet selecting the right business opportunity needs lot of care.
Franchising is divided into two major categories: Business or service franchising and the second one is Retail franchising. The brands that are providing services to the consumers are called service franchises and the brands that are providing product or are selling products or merchandise from a retail outlet and is expanding via franchising is called retail franchising.
The major sectors or industries that may fall under service franchising include food and beverages, education, health and beauty, play schools and activity centres, pre-school education, IT education and training, business services, consumer services, car care services and school education.
Retail franchising mainly include industries like apparel, footwear, jewellery, pharmacies, FMCG, consumer durables, furniture, electronic goods, home appliances and so on.
Some factors need to be considered before taking up a final call on the franchise business opportunity by the aspiring entrepreneur. Right business selection would definitely decrease the risk of failure and would elevate the levels of success. The article presents some measures; if taken care of at the initial phase of selection of business opportunity, the percentage of success is higher at least, if not guaranteed.
Search and research: Talk to various business owners for experience and knowledge in the areas that interests you. Understand the need of the market and ask questions.

Analyse yourself: It is very important to find out if you are a business person or not. Write down on a paper describing why you want to take up the business opportunity at all. Know your marketing and sales qualities and understand your family obligations.

Check your finances: Take a note on the kind of investment you can make. After having analysed the budget search for the business opportunities that suits you.

Check business model: Search for various business models available in the market. Make your mind if you would like to opt for franchising or independent business.

Select right industry: Having short-listed the industry for which you want to take up a business talk to experts and gather as much information as possible. Evaluate the opportunity in terms of investment required in terms of money and market value of the brand.

Take financial assistance: Talk to your accountant about income and profit projections made by the franchisors and talk to a solicitor about the franchise agreement.

Zero down on a wise decision: Analyse everything before taking up a final call. As you will be putting in your hard earned money in the business so do not just rush into the decision. Be 200 per cent sure, before making an investment.

Conclusion:
The availability of diverse business opportunities in franchising as well retail franchising on one hand offers plenty of prospects where as on the other creates lot of confusion, leading to lot of confusion. A self analysis followed by adequate search and research is the best foot forward for right business opportunity.