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Entrepreneur.com regularly publishes various lists of Top 10 Franchises. Below are three: (1) Top 10 [overall]; (2) Top 10 Homebased; (3) Top 10 Low Cost. Following is a snapshot of one homebased/low cost franchise and how it measures up to another business opportunity.

Top 10 Franchises for 2011
1. Hampton Hotels……………………………………… $3,716,000-13,148,800
2. ampm…………………………………………………… $1,786,929 – $7,596,688
3. McDonald’s………………………………………….. $1,057,200 – $1,885,000
4. 7-Eleven, Inc……………………………………………….. $30,800 – $604,500
5. Supercuts…………………………………………………… $119,350 – $196,550
6. Days Inn…………………………………………………. $192,291 – $6,479,764
7. Vanguard Cleaning Systems……………………………… $8,200 – $38,100
8. Servpro……………………………………………………… $127,300 – $174,700
9. Subway……………………………………………………….. $84,300 – $258,300
10. Denny’s Inc…………………………………………. $1,125,609 – $2,396,419

Top 10 Homebased Franchises for 2011
1. Vanguard Cleaning Systems……………………………… $8,200 – $38,100
2. Servpro……………………………………………………… $127,300 – $174,700
3. Jan-Pro Franchising Int’l. Inc……………………………… $3,145 – $50,405
4. Jazzercise Inc…………………………………………………… $2,980 – $75,500
5. Matco Tools…………………………………………………. $79,926 – $188,556
6. Stratus Building Solutions…………………………………. $3,450 – $57,750
7. Snap-on Tools………………………………………………. $17,906 – $278,492
8. CleanNet USA Inc…………………………………………… $6,655 – $92,950
9. Bonus Building Care………………………………………… $9,020 – $41,919
10. System4………………………………………………………… $5,460 – $37,750

Top 10 Low-Cost Franchises for 2011
1. Vanguard Cleaning Systems……………………………… $8,200 – $38,100
2. Jan-Pro Franchising Int’l. Inc……………………………… $3,145 – $50,405
3. Kumon Math & Reading Centers……………………. $36,538 – $145,250
4. Jazzercise Inc…………………………………………………… $2,980 – $75,500
5. Stratus Building Solutions…………………………………. $3,450 – $57,750
6. CleanNet USA Inc…………………………………………… $6,655 – $92,950
7. H & R Block………………………………………………… $34,438 – $110,033
8. Bonus Building Care………………………………………… $9,020 – $41,919
9. System4………………………………………………………….. $5,460 – $37,750
10. ServiceMaster Clean……………………………………. $47,072 – $141,303

When I look at this list of Franchises, I shudder at the investments required. It is true that buying the traditional franchise has advantages. The system is a proven system with many of the bugs worked out. On the down side, there are often many rules and regulations you must follow that can be frustrating, not to mention the investment, cash liquidity, and net worth requirements (McDonald’s requires a cash liquidity of $500k above the $1.0-1.8 million investment upfront).

I have a relative by marriage that has started and operated multiple hotel properties, mainly Hampton Hotels, and know firsthand the costs and challenges involved in getting one up and keeping it running. They can be profitable, but they require a lot of managing.

Franchises come with fees, costs, and other requirements beyond the start-up investment. Notice these from Jan-Pro Franchising (as per Entrepreneur.com).

Total investment: $3,145 – $50,405
Franchise fee: $2,800 – $44,000
Ongoing royalty fee: 10%
Term of agreement: 10 years, renewable
Net Worth Requirement: $1,000-14,000
Cash Liquidity Requirement: $1,000

Compare these typical franchises, start-up costs, ongoing royalty fees, and so on to an opportunity I recommend people look into; Main Street Marketing Machines.

Fee/Membership: $2,997
Ongoing royalty fee: 0%

MSMM is a business that helps local small businesses with their internet marketing. The typical small business owner knows little about online marketing. And, with more people using the internet to find local businesses than the phone book, small businesses must get on top of their online presence or face hard times ahead.

Anyone can start a Main Street Marketing Machine business, even those with no prior internet marketing experience (because all the tools & training is included in the business). A firefighter from Albuquerque, NM started his own MSMM biz last year and made $5,000 on his first job. He came up with a really ingenious way of approaching business owners that got them to compete for his help. You can see Fireman Mike and other real people talk about their experiences and life changes here.

Here is the bottom line: There are many business opportunities available. You should pick one that fits your passions and desired lifestyle…and wallet.

Steven
www.DeatonMedia.com
www.LouisvilleSocialMarketing.com

Full Disclosure: I own the first version of Main Street Marketing Machines and will be compensated if you click one of the links and invest in your own MSMM business. The opportunity is available this week and the shopping cart will close April 23.

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There is a great deal of functionality with WordPress, especially with the themes we use. One of the tools that helps with the site layout and content features is the Featured Page Widget. With this you can display any page in a sidebar or widget area. You can control how much of the page is displayed, any images, and much more.

Check out this video on the Feature Page Widget and let us know if you have any questions.

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SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. This is what you do on your site to raise its profile with search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. Basically, you use keywords and phrases that are relevant to your topic. Think about what someone would type into the search engine to find what you offer. You will not only want to use these in your content, but also plug them into your sites SEO fields.

Hint: if you do not have SEO fields, add the plugin “All In One SEO.”

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WordPress continues to grow in form and function. This is one of the great things about using it as your website platform, it will always have the latest technology and functionality. You must, however, be sure it is updated to take advantage of it. This video shows you how simple it is to update to the latest version of WP.

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WordPress is in a continual state of development. This is great because the functionality of the site grows and adapts with the latest technology and tools. The Plugins are updated quite frequently. You will want to check periodically on these plugins to make sure they are updated. It is a simple process as this video shows.

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In the dashboard select Posts.

Select Add New.

Enter the Title, Text, and/or Coding in the appropriate fields.

In the right-hand menu, select the appropriate Category.

In the right-hand menu, enter Tags under Post Tags.
Tags are on-site keywords that identify the post content.

Either publish the post, select edit just above the publish to schedule a time to post, or save draft if you want to work on it later.

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Login to your WordPress dashboard.

Select Posts in the left navigation menu.

Choose Categories.

On the right is a list of categories you can edit to rename, add or change descriptions and slugs.

In the center are text boxes where you can name a new category, enter a slug, and write a category description.

The slug should be a few keywords or phrase(s) that the typical person would enter into a search engine in order to find what your business has to offer.

After entering the new information, click the “Add New Category” button at the bottom.

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How to add a page to a WordPress website.

Login to your WordPress dashboard.

Select Pages from the left navigation menu.

Click on Add New.

Enter page title & text in boxes provided.

Choose either to Save Draft or Publish to the right.

Tip: Name the page something people would use in searching for content on Google, Bing, or Yahoo.

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How to change the permalink structure in WordPress to show the post name.

Log into your WordPress website and go to the dashboard.

Choose the setting tab.

Choose permalinks.

Select the custom option and enter the code in the brackets

[/%postname%]

Do not enter the brackets.

Here is an example of how your page URL will change

Before:

www.mywebsite.com/?=177

After:

www.mywebsite.com/how-to-feed-horses

This structure works better for search engine optimization.

For more WordPress Tech Tips, go to www.deatonmedia.com

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