Public Affairs Conference Success – On To Franchise Update TODAY

The IFA Public Affairs Conference was high energy and positively charged. IFA’s Conference and Government Affairs team was on top of their game and did a stellar job in keeping the program on track and the speakers relevant. George Will as a repeat speaker worked well for me as well. He was every bit as good this year as we was last. Just as he does weekly on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos, he breaks down all of the political double speak, to the simplest of common denominators.

More than 400 IFA loyalists attacked the Hill to lobby their members of Congress for the myriad of issues that are important to IFA and its members, predominantly:
· Capital Access
· Card Check
· Health Care

As for me, I broke ranks and instead of joining the rest of the Georgia gang to visit our Peach State elected officials, I spent my time seeking out those Members of Congress and staff that can make the greatest difference with reference to the passage of another issue that IFA has signed on to, one that is near and dear to all of us at RetroTax. I am referring to HR 1677, HR 3500 and S 1222, three bills that are focused upon the extension and expansion of the legislation governing the Federal Empowerment Zones and Renewal Communities and tax credits available to businesses that send resident employees to work in those zones. My time on the Hill was very productive and I am confident that we will prevail in the extension of these benefits.

And, I think other IFA member’s time was productive, too, as there were easily 450 in attendance, a true reflection of the times and how important our collective voices are on the Hill, in these challenging times.

This week, the franchising fun continues, as I will be Networking, networking, networking at the Franchise Update Leadership Conference in Chicago – STARTING TODAY.

I am looking forward to robust conversations with franchisors that can benefit from RetroTax services, to learning as much as possible from my peers and as always, to giving back as much as I can, to those that can benefit from hearing from me. I’m really looking forward to participating in the “pre-conference, CEO Summit again this year. As was the case last year, it is facilitated by the very able Linda Burzynski and is a mindshare session for CEOs and Presidents only. This interactive program is all about "Exceeding Today's Stress Tests for Franchise Growth". How to continue to grow franchise units, where to get the right capital, what your org. chart should look like, how to craft salary and incentive programs and issues like that.

As for the panel that I am speaking on this year, our topic is: Lead Generation Track -- Where Can I Find More Qualified Prospects in this Economy? I join the very capable Paul Mangiamele, President/CEO, Salsarita's Fresh Cantina and Kevin Drudge, Vice President of Franchise Development at Valpak for this session.

Information shared at events like the IFA Public Affairs Conference and Franchise Update’s conference in Chicago this week are validating my belief that the recession has hit bottom, but that there will be a long slog to recovery. It could take years to get there, but barring any unforeseen events, I don’t think that things are geared to get any worse than that which we have already experienced.

If you are at Update – be sure to connect with me (best way if you want to schedule a meeting is by emailing me at stan.friedman@retrotax.com). Can’t wait to see all of you!

RetroTax Featured on Fox Business Live in New York

IFA’s Public Affairs Conference a Must – as is Tonight’s ATLFA

We all know how every move we make is critically important during these trying economic times. Equally important, is absorbing as much information as possible, to support our moves. This week's blog post serves as a friendly reminder that Ron Feldman, CEO of Siegel Financial Group, (and RetroTax franchisee) is in town and will be discussing financing in franchising at tonight’s Atlanta Franchise Alliance networking event, just ahead of next week's big IFA conference, September 14-15 in DC. Both of these are MUST attend events for everyone in franchising!

ATLANTA FRANCHISE ALLIANCE
TONIGHT (9.9.9) from 5:30 – 7:30
The Ravinia Club
2 Ravinia Drive
Atlanta, GA 30346

An evening with Ron Feldman, CEO of Siegel Financial Group discussing the state of financing in franchising.

IFA’S PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONFERENCE
September 14-15, 2009
JW Marriott Hotel
Washington, DC

IFA’s Public Affairs Conference is the franchise industry’s most important advocacy event.
Formerly known as Franchise Appreciation Day, re-branded Public Affairs Conference, is your chance to discuss with members of Congress how franchising is being impacted by their decisions. During the conference, IFA schedules meeting on Capitol Hill to discuss:
Economic Stimulus Programs
Health Care Reform
Card Check Legislation
Finance/lending reform
Tax Policy

This year’s keynote speaker is George F. Will, America’s foremost political commentator and columnist.

There is no registration fee to attend either of these programs.

More than 500 franchisors, franchisees and suppliers participated last year to tell franchising’s story. Join the IFA again this year to lobby Congress on the issues that matter in protecting the business climate for franchising.

3 Questions With Steve Romaniello

Steve Romaniello,
Managing Director of Roark Capital Group

In addition to Managing Director of Roark Capital Group, Steve Romaniello is Chairman of the Board of FOCUS Brands, the franchisor and operator of nearly 2,200 ice cream stores, bakeries, restaurants, and cafés in the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 32 foreign countries under the brand names Carvel®, Cinnabon®, Schlotzsky’s®, Moe’s Southwest Grill®, and the franchisor of Seattle’s Best Coffee® on military bases and in certain international markets. Focus Brands also sells its famous ice cream cakes in over 10,000 retail outlets through New Britain, CT-based Celebration Foods, Carvel’s manufacturing and distributing division. Romaniello also serves on the Board of Directors of FASTSIGNS Holding Corporation, the International Franchise Association (IFA), the IFA’s Diversity Institute, and the Atlanta Franchise Alliance.

Prior to joining Roark, Romaniello was President and Chief Executive Officer of FOCUS Brands (2002-2008). Steve joined Carvel in January 2002 as President of the franchise and foodservice division, and led the strategic turnaround of Carvel, one of America’s favorite ice cream brands. During his tenure at Focus Brands, Steve led the acquisition of Cinnabon® and Seattle’s Best Coffee® International in 2004, Schlotzsky’s® in 2006, and Moe’s Southwest Grill® in 2007.

Prior to Focus Brands, Romaniello was President and Chief Operating Officer of US Franchise Systems (USFS). Romaniello helped grow USFS from one brand with 27 hotels in nine states to three brands with over 500 hotels in 47 states and 5 countries. Before joining USFS, Romaniello was a Vice President at Holiday Inn Worldwide’s, responsible for franchise sales, services, support, and training for the 1,700 hotels in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean operating under the Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza brands. During his tenure, Holiday Inn Worldwide increased its franchise from 60 in 1991 to 300 franchises in 1995. From 1988 to 1991, Steve held various positions with Days Inn of America. Romaniello is a graduate of Tufts University.

Since moving over to Roark as a Managing Member, what have been your primary initiatives?
Since moving to Roark my primary initiatives have been to support certain of our franchise portfolio companies, including Focus Brands, Money Mailer, McAlister’s, and Fast Signs (Roark affiliates also control Primrose Schools and Batteries Plus, two other leading franchisors). I have also helped organize the second annual Roark Franchise Summit which brought together 90 executives from our franchise companies for leadership development training and to work on best practices. Finally, I have been helping the team in finding investment opportunities in the franchise space and evaluating and acquiring brands. Roark has over $900 million to invest and we recently announced an agreement to acquire Pet Valu, a leading Canadian based franchisor of specialty retailers selling pet food and pet products.

When do you foresee an improvement in our economic climate?
I think the economy is at or near the bottom though we expect choppy waters on the way back up. Our best guess is that the improvement will be gradual and recent improvements will likely not accelerate until unemployment bottoms out sometime next year.

As a franchisor in Atlanta, what regions have you seen attract the most franchisors and why?
Atlanta is home to a large number of franchise companies- some of the best brands and franchise leaders in the industry are here. One other notable area is Colorado, specifically Denver. While I am not sure what attracted them to the region initially, I think their presence is more visible because the leadership there is top notch and committed to franchising as an industry.

BONUS: Where is your favorite travel spot and why?
Italy! Do you really have to ask why?

Interested in connecting with Steve Romaniello from Roark Capital Group, (404) 591-5215, http://www.roarkcapital.com/; stever@roarkcapital.com.

Three Questions, interviews conducted by Stan Friedman, President and Co-Founder of RetroTax, appears twice a month exclusively at http://www.retrofacts.blogspot.com/.

Determining Your RIGHT Target Market

We’re in a very different economic environment today, different than ever before. Beyond that, most experts have said that even after we pull out of this recession, what we used to regard as "business as usual" in normal times, is forever gone.

According to Ron Feldman, CEO at Siegel Financial Group and RetroTax franchisee, one issue affecting the franchise development community is that as a whole, it doesn't fully understand some of the implications of current financial and market situations, relative to the selection process. From the perspective of industry/geographic issues, the food sector in particular, is suffering from a moratorium of sorts, by many lenders. Ron also says that areas that have been hard-hit by residential real estate problems are being looked at negatively by franchise lenders as well. Unfortunately, many of these are also areas that franchisors have targeted for growth and development.

In this economic climate, now more than ever, franchisors must focus on the RIGHT development strategies.At RetroTax, we look for franchisees in markets where there are opportunities for their clients to benefit from both geographic as well as demographic tax credits.

Whatever the product or service offering, franchisors in this new climate should only be developing in markets that provide the very best opportunities for an operator’s success. There is just no longer room to give “iffy” markets a try.

While development strategies may vary from market-to-market, the line must be held on the quality of the candidates being considered. At RetroTax, franchisees can be successful in either urban or rural markets, so long as those markets are zoned for geographic, as well as demographic tax credit opportunities. The franchisee's skill sets though, remain the same, in either circumstance. That said, franchisee selection should be as strict as market selection. We, as franchisors, must set the table and provide our best candidates, with the best market opportunities available, in order to achieve success.

Begin with the end in mind. Know where to grow and who to grow with. Consider nothing short of the best applicants for your brand, properly calibrate and manage expectations, both theirs and yours, so that all are in alignment. While this environment is certainly challenging, opportunities still abound for those who are willing to work hard and smart and make some necessary adjustments.

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.

Networking: How To Get The Most Out of Networking Events

With the Franchise Leadership and Development Conference right around the corner (September 23-25 at the Drake Hotel in Chicago), I wanted to go over a few networking opportunity tips that I have come to learn over my years attending events like these.

TACKLE OTHER PEOPLE’S MISTAKES
It never ceases to amaze, how many times I meet someone at a networking event and they do not have a business card with them. Make your business card like your AMEX card: “DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT!”

Don’t rely on your memory. When you meet someone at an event and exchange cards, make notes on the back of their card as a memory trigger for reference. If you work your way through a networking event correctly, you should have collected far more cards than the average person’s memory can account for, without a reference point.

EXCHANGE OF BUSINESS CARDS
Meet and swap cards with as many people as possible and save your more in-depth conversations for a follow-up call or meeting. Taking too deep a dive at the event will limit your opportunity to meet more potentially interesting and valuable contacts.

STUDY YOUR APPROACH CAREFULLY
Approach the same level of interest and sincerity as you would exhibit in a meeting with a new or existing client, but remember the timeline is more like a lightning round than that of a longer, fact-finding or consultative session.

Also, approach networking opportunities with interest in learning just enough to make you want to know more; conversely, sharing just enough to make someone meeting you want to learn more as well.

Finally for preparation, here’s the trick I use: keep your business cards in your left pocket, and those that you collect in your right. You NEVER want to give someone a card that has notes on it—yours or someone else’s.

I will execute these simple, yet effective, strategies at the upcoming Franchise Update Leadership and Development Conference, one of my favorite events for networking within the franchising community. While many in attendance will be those that I already know well or have met at past franchise events, I will also meet dozens of franchising industry professionals for the very first time. In the almost 10 years that I have been attending this event, great things have always resulted from the networking that I did during the conference.

I have continued to come back for this conference annually because it is laser targeted and specific in its content. It is big enough to attract high quality industry leaders, speakers and keynotes, yet small enough to still feel intimate. One can actually look for and find just about anyone that they may want to circle back to and have a deeper conversation and not have to compromise “official” networking time to do it.