A purveyor of environmentally friendly cleaning products, Living Clean taps into popular concern about what we expose our bodies to and the environment in general.

Founder Julie Bishop tells BOB about how she started the business, which has just taken on its first franchisee, and how Living Clean stands apart from other cleaning franchises.

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A business book like no other on the market has just been published.

The Book of Business Inspiration doesn’t just feature the usual step-by-step business guides, it also has interviews with people who have started or bought their own business or franchise. These everyday entrepreneurs talk about how they did it, the problems overcome and the lessons learnt, and offer advice on how you, too, can have your own business.

The book also features how-to guides, ranging from how to buy a business to how to make money via the web; profiles of various businesses, from newsagents to nightclubs; profiles of legendary entrepreneurs; information on relocating your life to another country; and much more.

The Book of Business Inspiration is available to buy on Lulu.com for £14.95, or £5 for a downloadable copy.

The Book of Business Inspiration is published by Dynamis, the online media brand behind BusinessesForSale.com, FranchiseSales.com, BusinessOpportunities.com and BusinessWings.co.uk

From NJBIZ: Even SBA-backed lenders are reigning in their loans

The credit crunch that has been squeezing the economy has now caught the franchise industry in a vise.

“I’m sitting on mounds of loan applications, but banks are holding back,” says Nirav Mehta, a franchise broker in Warren who helped clients get about $150 million in bank loans last year. This year, he says he will be lucky if the total breaks $100 million.

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According to a report published by the British Sandwich Association, the SUBWAY® Chain, maker of the world famous Sub, has hit the number one spot in the UK for sandwich sales - with nearly double the sales of its nearest competitor.

The great news coincides with British Sandwich Week, 11-17 May, which celebrates an industry worth a staggering £5 billion. According to the report, The SUBWAY® Chain has smashed all previous industry sales figures and its sandwich sales of £300m are nearly double that of Tesco which comes in second.

Subway has smashed all previous industry sales figures with its sandwich sales of £300m.

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Expanding your business is one thing, but expanding into another country has a million problems associated with it.

Not only are there likely to be language barriers but there will be cultural barriers too.

Bachir Mihoubi is CEO of FranCounsel Group and provides some of his experience of international expansion to writes for Franchising World magazine.

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Prepare for new regulations, says Business Link.

6 April 2008 is the first Common Commencement Date of 2008, a twice yearly event when Government introduces new regulations and makes amendments to existing ones.

Business Link, the free business advisory service, encourages people running a business to visit www.businesslink.gov.uk/ccd regularly in order to keep on top of changes.

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Small business owners in the US are going to delay retirement thanks to the current financial squeeze, according to the results of the Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index survey.

The results showed that only 11 percent of small-business owners say they want to retire at all. Nine in 10 say they are happy with what they do - with 58 percent saying they are very or extremely satisfied with their work.

"In other words, small-business owners overwhelmingly like what they do," Gallup said.

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Entrepreneurs need to take time to research their options before investing in a franchise, says Michael Roberts, who heads franchise services at public accounting firm Horne LLP.

In the Wall Street Journal he advises prospective franchisees to review the documents of competing franchises, look for the percentage of franchise turnover in the past three years, examine any lawsuits against the franchiser and compare fees charged to franchisees.

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From The Baltimore Sun: When creating a new business, some budding entrepreneurs look to established franchises as a way to get started.

Consider McDonald's, Jenny Craig, Blockbuster. These are just a few of the well-known franchise brands. But gaining access to sell for such big names will cost you: Initial franchise fees in the tens of thousands and annual royalties are just a few of the things you'll pay in exchange for tested business plans, marketing muscle and the right to sell already recognized products.

So how do you know if franchising is right for you and if it will appeal to your entrepreneurial creativity?

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Web Solutions franchise opportunity Busby has created an Entrepreneurial Scholarship Program - offering a potential franchisee the chance to start up for free.

As a franchisor as well as a web solutions provider, Busby is very passionate about providing individuals with the opportunity to operate their own business and in doing so, assisting them to unlock their true potential.

However for many the goal of owning their own business is unreachable for varying reasons. Busby recognises this and has decided to provide an opportunity to individuals through the creation of ESP, an Entrepreneur Scholarship Program, which gives one person each year the opportunity of a free Busby Web Solutions franchise.

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The Wall Street Journal takes a look at some high perfoming franchises and reveals that the industry is no longer dominated by the fast food sector.

"The big performers are a diverse bunch -- including a dance studio, senior-care facility, a veterinary hospital and a moving company. In fact, there are now more than 230 lines of businesses that do franchising, according to FRANdata, an Arlington, Va., independent research firm that helped analyze franchise data from the past three years and compile the list."

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If you buy a franchise resale – where the owner of a franchise has decides to put it up for sale – then you can reap the benefits that come with both buying a business and running a franchise.

As we’ve said elsewhere on these pages, when you run a franchise you get to run your own business but with the brand power, marketing muscle and technical and administrative support of an established franchisor. But if you’re buying an established venture, then not only do you have the readymade brand and off-the-shelf-systems, but the whole business is up and running, ready to go. You don’t have to wait around for the selection of a site, the signing of the lease, the decoration of the store, the instalment of equipment, and so on.

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More than 10 million Brits dream of leaving their job and starting their own business, according to new research.

Over a third (35%) of workers have recently thought about setting up on their own, with one in five of those planning to make the leap into self employment in the next year.

The average worker even spends three days of each year day-dreaming about their future business from their desk.

But while 15% dream of becoming their own boss because they aren't happy in their current job, 37% admits the main reason is simply to earn more money than they do at the moment.

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Take a look at these intriguing business opportunities from Ubops.com, the Online Business Opportunities Marketplace.

Safari Tour Operator Service
Business to buy: Specialists in tailor-made safaris to northern Tanzania circuits, with extensions to Zanzibar. Established for four years.

International Online Lottery Business
€1,500 investment required to market this online lottery game worldwide. Earn introduction bonuses and team commissions.

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From the Edmonton Journal: But entrepreneurs shouldn't be frivolous with family loans.

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On April 6th, 2008, the tax system in the UK will undergo a number of radical changes. Businesses and individuals have been given prior warning, but is the message getting through?

Simon Clarke, Finance and Technical Director of TaxAssist Accountants has the following advice to offer.

If you are in business, have complex personal tax affairs, or have a low income, you will be affected by a number of changes next year.

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From Ohio.com: Set your own hours as boss but the costs can be high.

Michael Whalen's road to franchise ownership started three years ago, when he was stuck in a corporate meeting in Arizona.

A well-traveled director of print and document operations for 200 OfficeMax stores, Whalen took a break to check in on his son's fifth-grade basketball championship game back home in Stow.

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From Entrepreneur.com: Take the guesswork out of franchising with answers to these top 10 franchise questions - guaranteed to put you in the know.

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From the Miami Herald: It didn't take David Lopez long to figure out the last thing he wanted was to be just another cog in a corporate wheel.

During his freshman year at the University of Central Florida while completing an internship at a Fortune 500 business, Lopez, now 26, was marched into the company cafeteria with his co-workers and informed that 50 would be fired on the spot. No questions asked. Clean out your desk. Go home.

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A large number of franchisees and even franchise systems have a lot to learn when it comes to lease negotiations.

"With hundreds of thousands of dollars in rent at stake, personal guarantees and other risks, one cannot afford to gamble," writes The Lease Coach's Dale Willerton in Franchising World magazine.

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