expand your brand using other peoples money by using franchisor strategies

Back many years ago, I met a fellow franchisor, he’d built a nice company with 250 franchisees which operated Kiosks in shopping malls – you know those carts in malls that sell various wares. What he did was make each Kiosk its own business, at first as “independent contractors” but later as Franchisees due to the Franchise Law rules. Each franchisee had to sign a two-year franchise agreement with non-automatic renewal, where the Franchisor could merely take over the business, location, as he already had the lease-space agreement with the malls, including the corporations that owned many malls around the country.

After two years, he stopped renewing franchise agreements, took control of all those little businesses, and then sold the whole thing and retired a very wealthy man. Unfortunately, many of the independent contractors, turned into Franchisees were forced out after building up their businesses and providing a substantial amount of goodwill. The franchisor’s concept was built by the blood, sweat and tears of all those individuals, who did make decent money in the meantime, but were then basically terminated when their franchise agreement term ended.

Recently, there is an interesting company in the “Handy Man” sector which has a franchise agreement that states it may unilaterally buy back the franchisee’s business at any time after 2-years of operating. In the Franchisor’s option to purchase there is a mathematical formula for valuation of the Franchisee’s business that negate the value of any “goodwill” and allows the Franchisee to choose if he will see at “Fair Market Value” of assets (used equipment, office furniture) or twice the earnings before interest, taxes, and amortization (EBITA).

Why would a Franchise Buyer buy a franchise like that? I suppose there might be a few situations where it makes sense for instance, the Franchisee just needs a couple of years of income and believes they can build up a good “book” of business, and if it starts to go South, the Franchisor may buy him/her out and they can move on, less risk? But what if the Franchisor chooses not to buy and the business fails? What if the business succeeds wildly and the Franchisee is forced to sell-out a thriving and growing business?

If you think about it, it is a brilliant strategy for a Franchisor, have others build your business, take all the risks, and if they succeed, you terminate their franchise agreement instead of renewal, and if they fail, you simply let them fail, then sell that territory to a new franchisee, until one succeeds and then you just keep winning and building on the backs of others. As a franchisee buyer it may be wise to recognize such strategies and be weary of them, unless it serves your temporary purpose of a short term business and solid temporary cash flow based on your abilities and the Franchisor’s model. Think on this.m/access/

Why Parents Don’t Like Rap and Hip Hop Music While Kids, Teens and Young Adults Do

Rap and Hip Hop Music is one of the leading trends in music today. Yet, so many parents disapprove of rap/hip hop music, while kids, teens and young adults have an undying love for it. Why?

Most parents want the best for their children, and so, they go about their days attempting to acquire better lives for themselves and their loved ones. Parents were young once too, but they later discovered it is more beneficial to live a positive life style compared to a negative one. They have come to understand that the path towards having constructive experiences start with feeding the mind with constructive ideas, learning good lessons and following sensible instructions.

Therefore, most parents do not want their loved ones to have negative experiences, such as the constant viewing of cruel images, repeated feelings of unnecessary pain or repetitive listening to destructive words that are heard in some hip hop and rap songs. For this reason, parents don’t like many rap and hip hop songs because of the damaging lyrical content. What is more, they don’t appreciate the idea that such harmful words are being fed into the minds of their kids, teens or young adults.

On the other hand kids, teens and young adults love rap and hip hop music because of the powerful nature of the beat, while the flow of the lyrics spew out catchy punch lines and slick metaphors. For the young at heart, hip hop and rap is more than just music, it is a life style. It is a wonderful combination of rhythm, rhetoric and hope. Kids, teens and young adults all over the world bop their heads emotionally to the rhythmic sounds of hip hop. They become awe inspired by the rhetorical flow of rap and hope to one day capture the financial success of the artists viewed in the videos.

Although some of the lyrics in rap and hip hop music are derogatory in nature, all of it is not belittling. Several hip hop and rap artists outright demean people, places and things, while some rhyme about how they overcame appalling living conditions, hateful peers, poverty and crime. Others boost about their financial success as an affirmation that they have made it out of a life of dreadfulness. And, artists may use language which they are familiar with — a curse or two to express such experiences.

So I ask parents, a kid, teens and young adults, is there a balance?

Well, everyone knows that the mind is like a sponge, soaking up information like water from the very moment of human conception. Indeed, the mind vividly records what is observed through sight, sound, touch, taste, smell and imagination. As a result, that which is recorded in our minds has an effect on our behavior. Yes, music also shapes our mindset!

Music is considered an art and science for a very good reason! Experts in the fields of neuroscience, psychology, biology, physiology, physics and education have worked alongside musicians to unravel the mysteries of music. Such research is aimed at understanding music’s basic structure; it’s biological, emotional and psychological effect on humans and the brain; it’s healing and altering potential; and its function in the evolutionary process. Music helps scientists understand complex functions of the brain and opens up treatments for patients who are recovering from strokes or suffering with Parkinson’s. Research even suggests that music may alter the structure of the brain.

What is more, words have power, real energy. This is demonstrated in the fact that music can thrill us, sadden us or inspire us. We feel goose bumps rise on our skin as we listen to a favorite melody, and we are whisked back to old memories by hearing the opening bars of an old school song. Throughout history, songs have been created with the intention to inspire feelings of happiness, joy, praise, relaxation, anger, heartache, destruction, etc. Wow! Music can do all this?

The good news is that there is a balance. For parents, it is recommended that you do not discredit all rap and hip hop music. There exist good and wholesome compositions out there that your young ones can enjoy, and you can feel safe that they are feeding their minds with sensible ideas.

And for the kids, teens, and young adults, it is suggested that you be more mindful of the type of rap and hip hop music you are listening to as it does have an impact on your mindset.

How Does Urban Wear Relate to Hip Hop Music?

Over the years because of hip hop music stars who also design clothes, urban wear has become some of the most popular types of clothing on the market. There is a definite iconic status for people who design urban clothing and the fact that the clothing is related to the hip hop music culture. These clothes reflect the attitudes of the rap culture itself. In fact, as hip hop continues to thrive and move forward the clothing that comes with it will remain hot! As the hip hop culture continues on it becomes more popular among young people especially in the urban clothing lines. Some of these lines are designed by the hip hop artists themselves like. This increases the popularity of hip hop and this type of urban clothing will be the stamp for future hip hop admirers.
Urban Wear is definitely more for open minded people. Today’s urban fashion is worn around the world and is considered the most fashionable. It may seem to be American but this type of clothing was actually inspired by African culture. That is why the term hip hop seems to bring to mind colored people wearing over sized shirts and jeans. This type of clothing is also known as street or urban wear. It really begins from the music genre that brings out the personal expressions and goes against the mainstream music scene. It has been known to feature huge accessories that are known as bling! There are also the basketball caps and t-shirts that tend to be at least one or two sizes bigger then the way clothes are worn on average. These types of shirts could come from plain basketball jerseys or feature some sayings that express what the individual wants to get across to society.
The fact is that hip hop style has been accepted all over the world. It was first accepted in the poorest American cities like the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens. The urban wear phenomenon is made up of various styles and different ways to wear pieces. There are some vital pieces that you should have in your wardrobe. Society So when hip hop music stars look good in their clothing then the fans want to look good in it too! The hip hop industry is collaborating with the fashion industry and getting the urban culture out there which includes hoods, military printed cargos, custom sneakers, hip hop hats and more.
It is not uncommon to see urban wear appear in music videos and on rap icons. This is the way that they contribute to the flavor of fashion today. It is quite common to see these labels under the leadership of famous rappers and producers that want to build their business and get into urban clothing deals. Many hip hop musicians will get into the business or urban clothing because they know it will be a huge business accomplishment. Many music artists get signed to a record label and get paid huge sums for their recorded work but may not see more money until the label gets back all the money from promotions. This is when artists may want to invest in other ventures and urban wear has become one of these popular outlets.
This is a way for these artists to make their money work for them. It will also benefit them as far as their public image and self expression which they want to give to their fans. With these kinds of ventures it is a way for them to market and sell their clothes. P. Diddy with Sean John, Nelly with Apple Bottoms, Jay-z with Rocawear, 50 Cent with G-Unit and more are all managed by rappers and many other labels have grown in appeal as rappers continue to get their names and music and urban wear out into the main stream where the public is just eating it all up.

Hip Hop Music

Hip-hop music is the vehicle of hip-hop culture and contains “rapping” (superimposed with vocals) by emcees. Owing to this, hip-hop music is sometimes referred to as “rap music,” However, those who dismiss hip-hop as rap music do not comprehend its rich history and the influence this genre of music has on youth culture.

Hip-hop music is a vehicle used by the singers to address racism, oppression, and poverty issues. It narrates tales of inner city African-Americans living the American dream (through hard work, courage and determination one can achieve prosperity) from the bottom up, and bitterly touches upon racial discrimination, broken homes, and overcoming adversity.

Invented by Jamaican migrant DJ Kool Herc in the early 70s in New York City, it has since then spread its tentacles across the world. Herc shifted from reggae records to funk, rock and disco. Owing to the short percussive breaks, he began extending them using an audio mixer and two records. As the unique style of music became a hit, performers (emcees) began superimposing the music with vocals; initially, they introduced themselves and others in the audience. Later, the rapping became more diverse, incorporating brief rhymes, often with a sexual or violent theme, in an attempt to entertain the audience.

In the mid-1970s, hip-hop split into two groups. One focused on getting the crowd dancing, another highlighted rapid-fire rhymes. The 1980s witnessed further diversification in hip-hop; highly metaphoric lyrics rapping over multi-layered beats replaced simple vocals. In the 90s, gangsta rap (glorified outlaw lifestyle) became mainstream. Hip-hop was soon an integral part of mainstream music, and nearly all the pop songs featured an underlying element of hip-hop.

In the 90s and into the following decade, elements of hip-hop were integrated into diverse genres of music: hip-hop soul combined hip-hop and soul music; in the Dominican Republic, a recording by Santi Y Sus Duendes and Lisa M was coined “Meren-rap,” a fusion of hip-hop and meringue. In Europe, Africa, and Asia, hip-hop has undergone a transition from an underground occurrence to the mainstream market.

Summer Hip Hop Music 2013

Get ready for the newest hip hop releases. Summer 2013 has officially arrived and we’re gearing up to give you the business of the new music artists’ releases!

Now before we continue, let me just make clear that a lot of rumors have surfaced as to exactly what is about to go down during this hot, sticky, and sexy season.

For starters, Lil Wayne’s songs and other new hip hop music releases will be served handsomely on a platter via your local favorite Summertime radio station, that is. Besides, who would’ve really doubted Lil Wayne songs as yet another regulatory bypassing of judgmental fodder for submissive temporary airplay? Not us.

Besides, the boy has been among the top hip hop artists since he killed audiences with those none other than dare I say who? If you guessed TT Boi a.k.a. Sir 2 Chainz, then you guessed right my friends. Remember back in the Spring of ’07 when we all couldn’t wait for the newest hip hop releases? Ever since that historic mind-blowing period for Playaz Circle, 2 Chainz has gone on to become seemingly out of nowhere literally one of top music artists to date.

But that’s not all, because my sources inside tell me that this summer’s newest hip hop music will be an ever so eventful one considering the likes of the classic duo even once more collaborating.

Just in time. Right on the money, huh? Pssst… we hear this one’s aiming to be a classic.

In other rumors of new hip hop music, Rocko’s not at all in any type of a hurry to take a break thus far in getting off of his wave. After all, so is everyone else riding it out along with him. Definitely be on the heavy lookout for one of his brand new music releases around midway through this hot Summer season.

Oh yeah, and for all you doubters and forgetful types out there, guess which hip hop music artist is making a steady and long-awaited comeback? Younger shorties prepare to pinch yourselves accordingly, for you may not know who this is.

Just not too long ago, the former Cash Money record label signee, known to other artists as Young Turk, was released from prison on what had foully appeared to be trumped up felony-related charges upon him and other music artists as of late.

We hear that Turk is currently back in the lab perfecting and fine-tuning his “oh so” Lil Wayne-ish like craft effortlessly for a sharp and secondarily memorable return.

We wish him well.

*On a sidenote, we also heard unconfirmed rumors of Young Turk once again collaborating with his former group mates Weezy and Juvenile for an official Hot Boy’s reunion.

Hip Hop music artists Hot Boys Young Turk and B.G. were both incarcerated due to what apparently led to the former groups fallout, among other unsolved issues. The new hip hop music releases that are slated for this year’s Summer should be on smash to say the least.

Without giving away all of the goods, I must say that fellow west coast artists will become very active once again this Summer in the newest hip hop music scene. Big up to all of the new music releases coming from up out of the new west. As fans, we need a breath of fresh air, for sure and most certainly.

Well, that about wraps up the lowdown on this year’s Summer 2013 annual music artists and upcoming new music releases. Definitely keep an eye out for the west coast as mentioned for the west will certainly provide this Summer’s classic club bangers and newest hip hop music. Turn up!

All About the Hip Hop Music

Hip hop music as we all know is really popular these days. It all started in the 1970’s from the South Bronx of New York City. There are a lot of sub culture music styles that are involved with Rap music. Let us know more about hip hop in the following listed details:

Brief history:

During the 1970’s, New York City’s African American Puerto Rican community created the Rap music genre. It is actually a style that came up while trying to add rap music and other instruments like synthesizers, drum machines in live bands. Rappers are the main subject of the hip hop though there are more to it than just rapping. It began with its simple music versions that were modernized and evolved throughout the years.

Styles and Techniques:

Hip hop music or Rap music is not just music at all. It is composed of other things, not only the music itself. If we talk about being in a hip hop culture and community, you will be in a lot of transformation and changes. For example is their fashion statement. Hip hop has brought along a new type of clothing to all artists on the rap music industry including the people listening to it. It is what the people on the Bronx have come up with, but the a little edge into it. We can see most of the artists wearing baggy clothes, with much ‘blings’ in their accessories. It is all part of the hip hop community transformation.

The language is also a bit different. Black people from the Bronx have a certain style or slang in their language. They are more of the baroque style of speaking, and they have added that style in their music’s. Rap music are consists of songs that are written for people that wants to express their feelings in an edgy way.

Graffiti:

Even the graffiti has been transformed by the hip hop music society. It was used in the earlier years as a form of expression for the political activists. Now, hip hop people created it into a way for them to express their way of life, thoughts with the current society, and all other issues. It can be seen throughout the Bronx where it originated.

Famous artists:

1. Run-D.M.C.

2. Public Enemy

3. Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five

4. Beastie Boys

5. 2pac

6. Eric B and Rakim

7. N.W.A

8. Wu-Tang Clan

9. Jay Z

10. De La Soul

11. Outkast

12. A Tribe Called Quest

13. Notorious BIG

14. Nas

15. Eminem

17. LL Cool J

18. Boogie Down Productions

19. Dr. Dre

20. Afrikaa Bambaataa

21. Kanye West

22. The Roots

23. Gangstarr

24. Ice Cube

25. EPMD

26. Salt-N-Pepa

27. Slick Rick

28. Big Daddy Kane

29. Snoop Dog

30. Pete Rock and C.L Smooth

Those are the major information we should know about the rap music genre. Try listening to some of their songs to know more about what this type of music is all about.

Photography Website Music and Why it Hurts Your Business

Are you on the search for music for your photography website? If you are, then read this article first as you may be shooting yourself in the foot. As you are probably aware, many photography website templates, especially the flash ones, will let you upload music files that will play automatically when a visitor opens the page. While this may seem like a good idea to you, it is best to consider the effect that this may have as it is probably not what you intended.

Granted you probably will upload your favorite tunes that coincide with the type of photography that you produce. Your hope is that it will set the mood for the viewing pleasure of the audience and help them feel more connected to you.

In actuality, photography website music will probably just annoy, irritate and frustrate your visitors more than anything. Don’t believe me? Here is why…

Differing Musical Tastes

Music taste is as varied as snowflakes. So what may seem wonderful to you may seem awful to your visitor. (Do you like what your kids listen to?) Consider all the different types of music out there from Rock and Roll, Pop, Jazz, Hip Hop, to Country. Which of these genres is your favorite? Now what are the chances that your visitors will like the same music? Well the chances are pretty low. Don’t turn them off to your photography just because of differing musical tastes.

Silence is Bliss

Right now if you are reading this article you are on the internet. Now what else are you doing besides reading this article? Perhaps you are in an office with other co-workers? Perhaps you are on your couch with your spouse watching TV? Perhaps you have the radio on or you are listening to your favorite CD. Chances are that there is something going on that would be interrupted or disturbed by a sudden and unwelcome intrusion of music. What if a song started playing right now? What would your initial reaction be? If you are like most people, you would immediately reach for the mute button on your speakers or computer. You might even leave this page to quell the nose. This is a natural reflex. Don’t make your website visitors do the same thing!

Play It and Pay

Another item to consider is the legality of placing music on your website. If you bought your favorite song from Itunes and are posting it on your site, then you are breaking the law. That is because you bought the right to use the music for your own use, but not to share it with other people. You would need a special license with the right to share with the general public. The way to get around this is to purchase royalty free music that does not have the same limitations. You can find this type of music online by doing a Google search, but you won’t find your latest top 40 songs.

The Upside of Music to Sell Your Photography

So is it all bad? Well to be honest, it is mostly bad. But, if your visitor does like your music and doesn’t have anything else going on, then they may enjoy listening while they browse your picture gallery. Will this make it more likely that they will book a session? I have no proof of that, but it is possible. Additionally, you may find it useful to play soothing music during a proofing session in your studio. This is a much more controlled environment and you know that you have your clients full attention.

The Bottom Line

Well in conclusion you can see that my recommendation is to not put music on your photography business website. I believe that the cons outweigh any possible upside. If you must put music on, then don’t make it play automatically. Let them choose to turn it on if they want to. There is just too much of a downside in lost or annoyed visitors to justify the few positive reactions that you may receive.

iPhone Music Downloads – 7 Tips to Find the Top Service for iPhone Music

iPhone owners are getting excited about loading their new gizmos with iPhone music downloads. After all, the phone-cum-digital portable media player can store up to 100 songs easily and allow a playtime of up to 24 hours of audio. This article will show you 7 hot tips to find the top service befitting of your new toy when it comes to iPhone music downloads.

1. Free or Paid

Freebie seekers probably would argue with me on this. There is nothing wrong with wanting free iPhone music downloads. Who doesn’t anyway? But the trouble is that free websites that give you music for free are often associated with exposure to viruses, spyware and adware when downloading media files there. Our phones are too new and precious and to risk exposing them to these harmful elements is a No No.

How about downloading each iPhone song for $0.99 or more at online music services like HMV, iTunes and so on? People wouldn’t mind if it is only one or two song. But if we are going to load up at least a 100 songs or soundtracks, this is going to be expensive.

There are now services that offer a lifetime membership for a flat fee of lower than $49.95 to access unlimited iPhone music downloads. These are the real gems!

2. Variety & Size of iPhone Music Library

Music lovers probably have their preferred music. You may not like pop but to another, pop may really sound heavenly. If you love all kinds of music, go with the services that offer multiple genres from Rock, Hip Hop, R&B, Classical to many unheard music genre. Several top sites now offer over 100 million media files including music videos, TV shows and even movies and games.

3. Download Interface

This is a key feature that must not be overlooked. For easy navigation, the interface must be simple to use and does not take long to search and find your music files. One way to get a rough idea is to see how professionally done the site is and to read comments of existing users.

4. Software Applications for Download and Conversion

Several of the more established services are providing free software applications required to download iPhone music as well as movie and video files. They also provide the conversion software needed to convert movies and music file formats into iPhone-compatible formats. The top services also offer you a free DVD conversion software that transfer movies from DVDs to your iPhone.

5. Fast Downloading Speeds

Make sure that the download speeds are fast. Music file sizes are about 3-4 MB per song. Assuming you are downloading 20 songs at a go, the service must not limit your bandwidth usage by slowing down the speed. This is what some poorly run B-grade services do.

6. Safe Download Environment

Some services do not provide good secured environment with a high level of security and safety when you download iPhone music downloads. The last thing you want to worry about is adware, spyware and viruses that could make their way to your computer because the music store refuses to buck up on its system architecture.

7. After-sales Customer Care and Support

Many services just want to make more money. While they promise a 24/7 technical support to entice you to join them, they are hardly around when you need them to help troubleshoot when you face difficulties. Thankfully, there are a few reputable ones who can deliver an excellent level of after-sales service.

Look around and use these tips to find a good service for your iPhone music downloads. Want to know which services score well in every aspect mentioned?

Where to Find the Greatest Christian Music Online

Welcome and God bless! Finding good Christian Music can be a daunting task, but have no fear! Read on!

Christian Worship Songs

The main reason why they are written and performed is to honor Jesus Christ. Modern day Christian Music Songs are performed and related to soft rock, usually under a contemporary Christian music label. There are many genres and sub genres (styles) such as Southern Gospel, Christian Country, Pop, Metal, Hardcore, Rock, and Hip-Hop.

Some popular Christian Songs are:

1. Awake and Alive by Skillet
2. Our God by Chris Tomlin
3. Get Back up by tobyMac
4. All of Creation by MercyMe
5. Before the Morning by Josh Wilson
6. Healing Begins by Tenth Avenue North

Christian Artists

Many Christian artists have aspired to great things. Jeremy Camp a successful Christian artist gained a big break while at Bible College in California. The worship leader of the college heard him playing guitar in his dorm room and recommended he play in the music ministry opportunities. From then on, he became a successful Christian artist spreading worship around the world!

Where to hear Christian Music Online?

One of the best resources to hear this kind of music is through Pandora. Pandora.com is a website which finds songs similar to your interests and then plays those songs! It creates your own very personal “internet radio station”. However, not all songs are on there, but Pandora is good to get an idea of an artists talents and abilities are.

Where to buy?

You can buy from Amazon mp3 downloads, iTunes, and even Pandora itself! Most songs cost around $0.99 but you can occasionally find deals on $4.99 full length CDs!

If you are a talented musician I recommend you use that talent to spread the Word through worship music from your local Church ministry!

Song Lyrics With Music Videos

Have you ever heard a great song which stuck in your head for several days because the rhythm was so unique? If you are a music lover like most people this has certainly happened to you. Some songs are very easy to understand since the singers pretty much spell things out for you, however this doesn’t happen in R&B, Pop and Rap genres which are quite popular.

Classic and ballad fans are usually the ones which benefit the most from the music style, songs are slow and the singers have sweet voices which are very understandable, a clear example would be the song “Close to you” by the Carpenters; this song was featured in an Asian movie which is very similar to Charlie’s Angels, the way the song was used to blend perfectly with the action scene made this song very popular among those who love the Asian movies genre, regardless of how old the song actually is. Soon after this song’s remake there were thousands looking for this song in iTunes, Rhapsody, etc.

Moving on from the ballad genre we have more “up-tempo” songs which fall in the soft rock music genre, these are usually easy to understand since most of these songs were recorded back in the 80’s. A sample song from this genre would be “The Power of Love” by Celine Dion, this song’s lyrics have been in demand ever since this song was remade and reached top popularity ranks in many countries.

Then we have the Pop/Hip-Hop/R &B genre where lyrics start to get a bit more shady in terms of vocalization, since the rhythm is a lot faster than the two genres described some words tend to be omitted in order to fit the song. This is one of the music genres which makes people hum and repeat the words they actually understood; a good sample would be “Umbrella” by Rihanna. Lovers of this genre are actually funny because they would sing the songs they like without knowing the lyrics so in the case of Umbrella they’d repeat “umbrella, eh -eh-eh, ella, ella…”

The Pop genre extends through many countries and when it comes to J-pop (Japanese pop) the lyrics are certainly needed to understand what the singer is trying to say, sometimes these songs are interpreted in English and Japanese which makes things even harder for people who want to sing along. An great example of this genre is “Beautiful World” by Utada Hikaru, this song mixes both languages quite beautifully. Yet a few more examples are: Koko ni Iru yo feat. Aoyama Thelma by SoulJa and I So Wanted by Rei Fu.

If you like Dance hall, Reggae and Rap then you will definitively need to read the lyrics to even begin to understand what is being said by the singers, a good example is “Get Busy” by Sean Paul; if you have heard this song then you know just how difficult it is to understand what the singer is saying.

When looking for online lyrics, make sure to find sites which actually incorporate the videos of popular songs next to the lyrics, this will help you understand the song without having to go back and forth between your music player and the lyrics.