CONGRATS, GRADUATE. HERE’S A FRANCHISE. AN OPEN LETTER TO CANADIAN UNIVERSITIES
FranchisingAuthor :
Martin Greenspon 
Martin Greenspon founded M-Four in 1981. His lifetime career has included the manufacturing sector as well as being a Director of one of Canada's leading investment firms. He can be reached at martin@mfourintl.com
Happy graduation! I got you a business. Hiring a kid to work in the family business after graduation is one thing. Buying them a business for graduation is quite another. According to the Wall Street Journal, more and more parents are buying businesses, especially franchises, for their kids to take over when they graduate. According to the story, “ many parents see business ownership as a better bet for their kids’ future than a graduate degree, ” and they believe franchises have a built-in marketing system and brand recognition. Though there are obvious risks involved, one parent who bought his son an internet-consulting franchise told the Journal, “ As a parent, the best gift you can ever receive is to see your children happy and successful ”.
Watching fellow college students working for $7.50 an hour after graduation is not uncommon. However, the many franchise opportunities available today can make a meaningful difference.
In this era of renewed interest in entrepreneurship,
some parents we interviewed described it as a way of recapturing for their children a stake in “ the Canadian Dream ” — the opportunity to control their destiny and have a chance at gaining wealth, unlike the cookie-cutter suburban life that politicians try and tell us we should be living.
Martin Greenspon, President of M-Four International, which this year celebrates its thirtieth year in business, representing franchisees and franchisors, says “ parents considering such a venture need an attorney experienced in representing franchisees, and both an accountant and an experienced business mentor familiar with both franchising and the target industry. None of the parents interviewed expect any short-term return on their investment. A few viewed it as a gift. Some structured it as a loan and deferred repayment. Others took stock in the business, with an agreement that their child would use future earnings to buy it back. Some parents look farther ahead hoping their child’s business will support them in retirement. This is a partnership. ”
In brief, our proposal to your University is to jointly develop a satisfactory program for entrepreneur-minded Post Graduate students who might be seeking business opportunities as an exciting alternative to the traditional career path. In today’s tough job market, it certainly presents an attractive option.
Canadian unemployment has hit the highest recorded level since the Depression. With only a gradual return to economic health predicted, self employment is becoming an increasingly realistic and necessary alternative to being a member of the salaried work force.
With a sluggish world economy, and ferocious global competition and outsourcing… as business becomes more automated and productive, requiring fewer bodies… with companies reducing their white collar payrolls… and the trend towards temporary and contracted help continues strong, unemployed or underemployed university graduates from coast to coast have become an ever increasing national problem.
For many, graduating with tens of thousands of dollars in student loans debt and working at Starbucks for minimum wage, it is a bitter pill of reality to swallow.
Working for a corporation, one never really knows what the job security is. For whatever reason, they may have to cut head count….some of Canada’s largest companies have not been job creators for several years, preferring instead to cheaply outsource overseas the very same entry-level positions that would enable a graduate to make headway in their career goals.
Most of Canada’s university graduates are hard working high-achievers a trait passed on from their Boomer-era parents. They find themselves discouraged at the dismal amount of opportunities to showcase and practice their newly acquired knowledge. The traditional model of “ working your way up the corporate ladder ” and the resulting long-term faithful employment is quickly fading to make room for “ job hopping ”, a trend surely brought on by a general dissatisfaction with what the corporate world can offer in terms of financial security and personal satisfaction.
In a society of rapid change and no guaranties, resourceful university graduates will thrive working for the company called ME Inc. They must brace themselves for a future that may include running their own business. The entrepreneurial revolution has certainly come of age. Over 2.5 million Canadians run their own businesses; most of whom have prospered through franchising… They have focused on the belief that franchising is the way of doing business in the future.
By choosing a professional franchise group they will be purchasing a proven business concept. Additionally they will have the ongoing assistance of the franchisor during the critical early stages of operation. The provision of documented procedure manuals and easy access to the advise, mentoring and support of the franchisor are also of great advantage. A successful franchise will also offer the long term benefits from bulk purchasing power of the franchised group and the creative marketing and advertising muscle that they can provide.
Many Canadian banks have embraced franchising as a low risk form of lending and are playing a key role in contributing to the nation’s job creation programs.
The Canadian Government is endorsing franchising as a means of stimulating economic growth. They see where this can be achieved while avoiding the failure often inherent in the establishment of new small businesses.
To meet the needs of thousand of university graduates seeking new business opportunities as a means of realigning their future careers, M-Four International, North America’s most comprehensive franchise marketing firm, developed a special program to assist university graduates across Canada. M-Four has selected those franchises offering low start-up costs and above average income and equity appreciation.
The products and services selected by M-Four are those catering to the needs and lifestyle shifts of people in every city and town throughout Canada. Most of the franchises being marketed by MFour represent “ service type ” businesses… home improvement, automotive after markets… health care… environmental control… educational… energy conservation… fitness… and requires nominal investments to acquire the license or franchise.
To be in charge of one’s own destiny and have the ability of being their own boss is of great appeal to most. When this is combined with the financial awards that a successful franchise can provide perhaps the outlook for today’s university graduate can be very encouraging.
The results that our combined efforts can deliver would make this type of program most worthwhile to the young people heading out to the world of many uncertainties which they will be encountering.
After a decade of mergers and buy-outs, of downsizing and upheaval, Canada’s job market is visibly suffering. Many university graduates are discovering that franchising offers a sound strategy for establishing a small business and providing a means of good personal income in these tough times.
Parents often say they would do anything for their child. Setting a child up in business is surely one big test of that bond.
In the interest of being able to offer these much needed services to your graduates, we invite you to contact us to further discuss this special program.
Watching fellow college students working for $7.50 an hour after graduation is not uncommon. However, the many franchise opportunities available today can make a meaningful difference.
In this era of renewed interest in entrepreneurship,
some parents we interviewed described it as a way of recapturing for their children a stake in “ the Canadian Dream ” — the opportunity to control their destiny and have a chance at gaining wealth, unlike the cookie-cutter suburban life that politicians try and tell us we should be living.
Martin Greenspon, President of M-Four International, which this year celebrates its thirtieth year in business, representing franchisees and franchisors, says “ parents considering such a venture need an attorney experienced in representing franchisees, and both an accountant and an experienced business mentor familiar with both franchising and the target industry. None of the parents interviewed expect any short-term return on their investment. A few viewed it as a gift. Some structured it as a loan and deferred repayment. Others took stock in the business, with an agreement that their child would use future earnings to buy it back. Some parents look farther ahead hoping their child’s business will support them in retirement. This is a partnership. ”
In brief, our proposal to your University is to jointly develop a satisfactory program for entrepreneur-minded Post Graduate students who might be seeking business opportunities as an exciting alternative to the traditional career path. In today’s tough job market, it certainly presents an attractive option.
Canadian unemployment has hit the highest recorded level since the Depression. With only a gradual return to economic health predicted, self employment is becoming an increasingly realistic and necessary alternative to being a member of the salaried work force.
With a sluggish world economy, and ferocious global competition and outsourcing… as business becomes more automated and productive, requiring fewer bodies… with companies reducing their white collar payrolls… and the trend towards temporary and contracted help continues strong, unemployed or underemployed university graduates from coast to coast have become an ever increasing national problem.
For many, graduating with tens of thousands of dollars in student loans debt and working at Starbucks for minimum wage, it is a bitter pill of reality to swallow.
Working for a corporation, one never really knows what the job security is. For whatever reason, they may have to cut head count….some of Canada’s largest companies have not been job creators for several years, preferring instead to cheaply outsource overseas the very same entry-level positions that would enable a graduate to make headway in their career goals.
Most of Canada’s university graduates are hard working high-achievers a trait passed on from their Boomer-era parents. They find themselves discouraged at the dismal amount of opportunities to showcase and practice their newly acquired knowledge. The traditional model of “ working your way up the corporate ladder ” and the resulting long-term faithful employment is quickly fading to make room for “ job hopping ”, a trend surely brought on by a general dissatisfaction with what the corporate world can offer in terms of financial security and personal satisfaction.
In a society of rapid change and no guaranties, resourceful university graduates will thrive working for the company called ME Inc. They must brace themselves for a future that may include running their own business. The entrepreneurial revolution has certainly come of age. Over 2.5 million Canadians run their own businesses; most of whom have prospered through franchising… They have focused on the belief that franchising is the way of doing business in the future.
By choosing a professional franchise group they will be purchasing a proven business concept. Additionally they will have the ongoing assistance of the franchisor during the critical early stages of operation. The provision of documented procedure manuals and easy access to the advise, mentoring and support of the franchisor are also of great advantage. A successful franchise will also offer the long term benefits from bulk purchasing power of the franchised group and the creative marketing and advertising muscle that they can provide.
Many Canadian banks have embraced franchising as a low risk form of lending and are playing a key role in contributing to the nation’s job creation programs.
The Canadian Government is endorsing franchising as a means of stimulating economic growth. They see where this can be achieved while avoiding the failure often inherent in the establishment of new small businesses.
To meet the needs of thousand of university graduates seeking new business opportunities as a means of realigning their future careers, M-Four International, North America’s most comprehensive franchise marketing firm, developed a special program to assist university graduates across Canada. M-Four has selected those franchises offering low start-up costs and above average income and equity appreciation.
The products and services selected by M-Four are those catering to the needs and lifestyle shifts of people in every city and town throughout Canada. Most of the franchises being marketed by MFour represent “ service type ” businesses… home improvement, automotive after markets… health care… environmental control… educational… energy conservation… fitness… and requires nominal investments to acquire the license or franchise.
To be in charge of one’s own destiny and have the ability of being their own boss is of great appeal to most. When this is combined with the financial awards that a successful franchise can provide perhaps the outlook for today’s university graduate can be very encouraging.
The results that our combined efforts can deliver would make this type of program most worthwhile to the young people heading out to the world of many uncertainties which they will be encountering.
After a decade of mergers and buy-outs, of downsizing and upheaval, Canada’s job market is visibly suffering. Many university graduates are discovering that franchising offers a sound strategy for establishing a small business and providing a means of good personal income in these tough times.
Parents often say they would do anything for their child. Setting a child up in business is surely one big test of that bond.
In the interest of being able to offer these much needed services to your graduates, we invite you to contact us to further discuss this special program.