Atlanta Business Radio Franchising Special

I'd like to express my thanks and appreciation to Amy Otto and Lee Kantor, hosts of Atlanta Business Radio, for inviting Jim Squire and me, to co-host a one hour broadcast, dedicated completely to franchising. These invitations were extended to us, because Jim and I each chair one of Atlanta's two franchise membership forums. Jim, The Southeast Franchise Forum and yours truly, The Atlanta Franchise Alliance. The two of us then, invited an outstanding line up of guests, to talk about the state of franchising in this challenging economic and political climate. We were joined first by David French, VP of Government Relations at the International Franchise Association, followed by Geoff Seiber, CEO of FranFund, Ron Feldman, CEO of Siegel Financial Group (and RetroTax franchisee) and Michelle Belinfante of The Leasing and Management Group.

The link that follows, will take you to more about the program and to yet another link, that will

enable you to stream the program's audio. http://atlantabusinessradio.libsyn.com/

To all of those that I will not see or speak with in the next few weeks, I wish you and your families a very safe and Happy Holiday season.

Save the Date: September 9 in Atlanta

While we have yet to announce the special location, (be sure to tune in to our LinkedIn Group or our Facebook Page later next week, for details) we have announced the date for the next Atlanta Franchise Alliance networking event and meeting. It is Wednesday September 9, 2009 (Yes, that’s 09, 09, 09), and we will be presenting a powerful expert and speaker, to help us all navigate the tangled mess that has resulted from the recession and credit freeze, and its impact on franchising.

On 9/9/09, come hear one of the foremost authorities on franchise finance, the state of the credit freeze and its impact on franchising, as Ron Feldman, CEO of The Siegel Financial Group (and a RetroTax franchisee) updates us on how we got here, where we are and more importantly, where we're heading.

As those of you regular attendees know, most of our events are purely centered around networking, so having a speaker is a treat... but having Ron Feldman as that speaker, provides an exponential "added value" to the 9/9/09 event. Whether you are a franchisor, a franchisee, a member of a corporate team from either, a supplier, an attorney, ir any an interested party, who's income is dependent upon the well being of those in the franchise space, do not miss this event.

Again, be sure to check out our Web site, LinkedIn or Facebook later next week for additional details – and of course, as always. check my blog. Hope to see all my franchising bretheren on 9/9/09. Check back soon, for updated 411 on the location.

RetroTax Opens Shop in Philly; Welcomes First Franchise Industry Supplier as Franchisee

Virtually nobody in franchising will recognize my new Philadelphia franchisee by its corporate name, SFG Tax Credit Services, LLC, but they will recognize these names: Bernie Siegel, Ron Feldman and Nate Greenberg. Yes, Philly’s first family of franchise financing has become the most recent addition to the RetroTax franchise family. Siegel Capital and its principals have played a prominent role in both my professional and personal life for a great many years.

What’s more, Ron, Nate and Bernie exemplify a very significant cornerstone of what our business model is built upon: TRUST! Bernie Siegel began doing financing deals for me back in 2003, while I was still at Wing Zone. Over time, Siegel Capital went from being just one of "many" sources for our 3rd party financing, to being our SOLE source. Why? It was because they got our deals done quickly, efficiently and happily, for all parties to the transaction. Franchisees were happy because Siegel helped them avoid the endless mire of red tape associated with SBA loans. The banks were happy; because they knew that any deals that Siegel brought to them were properly vetted and correctly packaged.

As the Franchisor, I too was happy, because transactions closed and funded on schedule. There were never any wrinkles or hiccups, attributed to financing. I don't mean to speak for Bernie, Ron or Nate, but somewhere in this equation, the trust factor must have cut the other way as well. I am extremely moved by the amount of trust that these guys have placed in me, my partners and the entire RetroTax team and family. As a young franchisor, It is very flattering when anyone says yes to us, but when its guys like Ron, Bernie or Nate, prominent peers in franchising and friends that I have known personally for years, it is extremely humbling. As my partner Al would describe it, it’s rather “heady.”

In addition to the amount of credibility that these guys bring to us collectively, from within the franchise community, let’s also remember that Bernie the rocket scientist, (I kid you not, he was actually an aerospace scientist) before becoming a business broker and intermediary extraordinaire, has been hard wired to Philadelphia's business leadership for more than 20 years.

To have this group sign on is certainly a testament to the fact that those people that I take seriously in franchising are certainly viewing us in kind. There is no telling (yet) who our next franchisee will be, but it’s all good and gets nothing but better from here.