Paying Yourself First could be the best business advice you get all year. The concept states that you automatically pay yourself first – right off the top - before paying other bills or payroll. You must then adjust to run your business with the remaining income. The practice may seem awkward at first, but will eventually come naturally. You are guaranteed a better return on your investment than if you fall into the trap of paying yourself with “what’s left”.

There was an article I read in Forbes Magazine on stock investing strategies that I felt translated well to the restaurant business – particularly in Fransmart’s position in the franchising marketplace.  It put the spotlight on small-cap companies and how to identify the firms poised to be tomorrow’s leaders, and provide a substantial and sustainable return to an intelligent investor’s portfolio.

A recent trend among the fast casual industry is the incorporation of exotic flavors, adhering to the changing tastes of many consumers.  These ethnic flavors range from classic favorites like Chinese and Mexican, to relatively newer variations like Indian.

By Mark Treptow:  Fransmart has established a reputation in the industry for identifying emerging fast casual food franchise concepts and building them into high volume, high growth national and global brands.  To get a concept from A to Z, of course the food has to be great and you have to be an exceptional operator.  But it’s not enough to be an exceptional operator – you’ve got to have great real estate too.  One of the brands in our portfolio, Nature’s Table Café, has carved out a very successful niche in the fast casual food segment and created additional markets by taking advantage of these two hidden opportunities.

During a time when consumers are looking for pizza’s “Next Hot Deal”, and chains such as Pizza Hut and Papa John’s are setting impossible price standards in the pizza industry (Large 3-topping pizza for $10??), many retailers are cutting costs anywhere they can to compete on price point.  However, Squisito® NY Pizza and Pasta takes a different approach to compete against the big chains – premiumization and quality (what a novel idea!)  By using Grande Cheese as their cheese supplier, they are offering the best quality product available, but at a reasonable price point.

With the recent attention focused on the “Pink Slime” used in the meat in some fast food restaurants, many consumers are demanding to know where exactly their meat comes from and what goes into it.

By Mark Treptow: I recently read something that resonated with me and reminded me of exactly what it takes to build an emerging fast casual concept into a national brand. I’d like to share 3 quick points highlighting how some fast casual brands separate from the masses and position for greatness, attracting motivated and successful franchise partners along the way.

Hailed as a classic wealth building book, George Clason’s “The Richest Man In Babylon – The Success Secrets of the Ancients” uses the historical city of Babylon as a backdrop for common-sense wealth building secrets.

A new article put out by MSN Money – The Street, describes the explosion of the better burger industry, calling better burger franchises such as Elevation Burger and Five Guys “the next big opportunities in fast-casual restaurants".

While discounts may seem like the best way to drive traffic to your restaurants, many franchise owners will agree that there are much better ways. Fransmart's Sunny Pinhero gives his insights on alternative ways to drive traffic that are better for business.

Celebrity endorsements are powerful ammunition in the marketing world.  Everyone wants to live like the stars, even if that just means wearing the same kind of sneakers or eating at the same pizza joint.  You do not need to be a mega brand like Pepsi or Nike to utilize the power of the celebrity endorsement.  Here are some PR tips to making something out of nothing when it comes to press, and examples from some of the emerging food franchise brands in Fransmart’s portfolio.

Fransmart’s Mark Treptow shares his experiences and offers up an alternative approach to traditional investment vehicles - food franchising may have the upper hand in today's market

Fransmart is traveling to the Middle East, February 6th-15th - scheduling meetings now for Kuwait, Dubai - UAE, and Bahrain. Learn more, or schedule a meeting. Some of our strongest performing restaurants are in the Middle East - a booming market for US brands!

Across the restaurant industry, marketers at all levels are striving to keep up with new technologies to connect with customers, ranging from social media to mobile devices. The race can be frantic. Unfortunately, keeping up with the fast pace of digital marketing can happen at the peril of the real world restaurant experience. Terms like “four walls marketing” and “local store marketing” are quickly becoming terms of yesteryear, but their principles are more important now than ever. Read on to hear how a hip NY-style pizzeria restaurant franchise merges new digital strategies with proven four-walls marketing principles.

Where to invest your food franchise dollars -- with a Mature Brand, or an Emerging, High Growth Brand? Fransmart's Paul Tran shares insights that have enlightened many investors seeking profitable franchises, debunked widely accepted franchising myths, and reminded best-in-class food operators why they were originally successful.

Market research is forecasting phenomenal growth for the restaurant franchise industry in 2012, both in the United States and abroad. Fransmart's Casey Thorp reports with insights from Fransmart CEO Dan Rowe.

The world’s 4^th largest economy is NOT settling for 4^th place – Especially in the food franchise / restaurant sector.

Fransmart's Paul Tran reports on the India food franchise market, with insights from Arun Chanda, Founder & Director at Mint Hotels & Restaurants Consultancy Pvt Ltd in Delhi, India.

The Restaurant Franchise Industry continues to drive job creation in United States, and Elevation Burger franchisee Daniel Magnus creates new hope for job seekers.

Fransmart has been waiting for Google to take the full leap into social media by launching Google Plus Pages for Business, and ... (drum roll)... the time has arrived for restaurant franchises! In September, we recommended that restaurant franchise marketers dip their toes into the Google Plus waters by signing up for a personal account. Now is the time to lock in your restaurant franchise business page. While still an unproven platform, the features offered on Google Plus could provide groundbreaking new opportunities for restaurant franchises to engage with consumers.

By Mark Treptow

Sì, 是, Oui, да, Ja, نعم, ναί, Yes! Is what international fast casual food franchise developers are saying to Fransmart’s brands.

By Mark Treptow

Winning growth strategies employed by successful multi-unit franchisees from within the Nature’s Table Café franchise system, including multi-concept developers from brands like Burger King, Wendy’s, Arby’s, Qdoba Mexican Grill, Subway, Pinkberry & Seattle’s Best Coffee

Hold on tight... the race for social media dominance is about to speed up with the arrival of Google+. How will this new technology impact restaurant operators and the franchise industry?

Boardwalk Fresh Burgers & Fries Differentiates with Master Franchise Development Model to Attract Experienced Franchisees

Fransmart is proud to launch a new website, geared towards potential new franchisee candidates, and new brands considering franchise expansion.

Good word-of-mouth buzz is a franchisor’s dream, and today’s customer base is increasingly valuing online peer reviews as indicators of restaurant quality.   Yelp has emerged as the most visible aggregator of the man-on-the-street restaurant critique, and individual franchise locations are now being held up to scrutiny as much as a neighborhood bistro.  As a franchisor or a master franchisee, this means a significant transfer of your corporate brand’s power to your local franchisees.

Ann Hasselberger and Tracy Archer Parnica are friends with a lot in common: they’re both Nature’s Table multi-unit franchisees living in Florida who got their entrepreneurial start with franchising. But while Ann literally grew up with the company, Tracy arrived after a mid-stream career switch. We interviewed them to get their perspectives on the franchising experience.