A tuning fork is an acoustic resonator in the form of a two-pronged fork with the tines formed from a U-shaped bar of elastic metal (usually steel). It resonates at a specific constant pitch when set vibrating by striking it against a surface or with an object… Wikipedia

If what Richard Solomon is saying over at [...]

In a Smart Company article by James Thomson called MP renews calls for investigations into mistreatment of Bakers Delight franchisee, he quotes:
NSW parliamentarian Joanna Gash has renewed calls for the Australian Federal Police to launch an investigation into accusations Bakers Delight and ANZ bank colluded to put a franchisee out of business.
Quoting emails between the [...]

Michael Webster over at Misleading Advertising Law picked up on my recent posting: Franchisng is the latest Big Con.
I absolutely agree with him: the best defense against post franchisor opportunism is a well-funded, professionally managed independent franchisee association, IndFA.
There is no substitute for collective action and only a fool thinks otherwise.
The power of “sticking together” [...]

Top marks to Jim Coen at Franchise Perfection for bringing up a very important topic.
He posted a great article called Franchise Statistics Debunked Again! on his Let’s Talk Franchising blog and Blue MauMau.
I could not agree with him more: I get really, REALLY irritated when self=serving numbers are thrown around. The unsubstantiated drivel that comes [...]

The Shawshank Redemption is often mentioned as one of the best movies of all times.

Red (Morgan Freeman) explains how the prison walls take Brooks’s (James Whitmore) life.

Most people figure financially successful franchisees pay nothing for turning their backs; for denying their fraternal relationships; complicit in their silence.
Cowards die a thousand deaths. The valiant taste of [...]

When you’re stuck on a problem, it often helps to step back and look at the bigger picture. You see things differently and discover new solutions. What I ask participants in my Total Leadership program to do is take the “four-way view” – the interaction among work, home, community, and self – and come up [...]

Indian inflation has just hit a 3-year high of 7.41%. We can take comfort from the fact that many of our neighbors are faced with 20%; even China has reported an 11-year high of 8.7%.
Global trends are cited as the primary reason for the present situation. The IMF has reported that food prices in [...]

Fred Wilson just wrote a great post about how venture capital needs new exit options, since right now public offerings are tough, and acquisitions end up trapping innovative startups in corporate bureaucracy.
I agree with Fred that the venture industry is broken. In fact, quite a few eminent investors have said so in recent years. But [...]

Times change and markets transform themselves overnight. The half-life of common wisdom is shorter than ever. But top private equity firms have distilled a set of institutional habits that boost the likelihood of their success. What’s critical to this success? Attitude.
PE leaders take pains to foster a “results-oriented mind-set”. In short, that means creating [...]