#Uber #franchisees #franchises
It appears Uber is more than a ride-sharing service.
It’s a good part-time job for those starting franchises and waiting for them to grow.
Lindsay Moore, reporter for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, discussed how one man, Erik Lingren, decided to go from unemployed, to a Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt franchise owner, while driving for Uber part-time.
The story was published in the August 7, 2016, edition of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
When one buys into a franchise, it can take a while before the franchise makes enough for the owner to make a decent living.
In Lingren’s case, he went from one store to two, employing 18 and planning to add another 12 to 15 employees, Moore writes.
Between working on his franchises and driving for Uber, Lingren works 60 to 65 hours a week, Moore writes.
Besides having to set up a franchise and wait for it to grow, there’s another rub. The average Menchie’s store costs between $229,557 and $425,310 in startup costs, Moore quotes from the company’s Web site.
Not everyone who suddenly loses a job has the ability to jump into a franchise.
If you’re at a crossroads in your life, or, as Lingren calls it, a bridge, but can’t just jump into a franchise, there are other ways out there to make money without having a traditional W-2 job, and without having to dump your life savings, or borrowed money, into startup costs. To check out one of the best, message me.
Here’s a bonus: you have the opportunity to build an income that could surpass that from a traditional franchise, without the employees, overhead, inventory and other headaches. The startup cost is nothing close to that for a Menchie’s franchise.
Lingren actually likes driving for Uber. Moore writes that he intends to keep his ride-sharing account active as his frozen yogurt empire expands.
As job security becomes elusive for many, it’s important, too, that while you are working you save as much money as you can.
Put the money you save into investments that are comfortable for you, and get good, trustworthy advice.
If you’re a fro-yo fan, or a fan of another type of franchise, the money you save could allow you to buy in, should your job go away.
Though it is admirable to help others by creating jobs for them, managing people can be difficult. Making sure your business has everything it needs can keep you up at night.
Working part time as a driver as you wait for your business to grow may not be ideal.
A better idea might be to participate in something you can do part time with little sweat while you still have a job, that could produce an income that would allow you to walk away with a smile if your job suddenly goes away.
Peter
Tag Archives: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
LASHING OUT AT WORK: EGO DEPLETION
#WorkRage #EgoDepletion #RegulateEmotions
Perhaps you got stuck in traffic.
Perhaps you were on hold – with that annoying music – for a half-hour while trying to order something.
These types of things trigger anger. Though we may try hard not to take that anger out on others, sometimes the self-regulatory mechanism is so depleted, we lose control.
Such are the findings of Stephen Courtright, assistant professor of management at Texas A&M University, who is researching why bosses lash out in the workplace.
Courtright’s work was discussed by Kris B. Mamula in an article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and recently published in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Courtright calls the situation in which one loses the ability to regulate one’s emotions “ego depletion.” You may know someone who has shown this, or you may have shown it yourself on occasion.
One can replenish one’s ego over time, Mamula writes. “If you are experiencing anger in the workplace, strategically choose things to regain control in order to control anger,” Mamula quotes Courtright.
About 14 percent of employees in the United States are victims of nonphysical workplace aggression, Mamula writes.
As a result, corporations lose about $23.8 billion annually in lost productivity, grievance procedures and health care costs from abusive supervisors and related behavior, Mamula quotes a 2007 study.
Sometimes, victims of such abuse have very little recourse, other than to find a new place to work.
Would it be nice to work from home, for yourself, so that you can only get mad at yourself, and no one can take out his anger on you? If you think so, visit www.bign.com/pbilodeau. You’ll find stories of people who have ditched that traditional J-O-B in favor of working for themselves AND, more importantly, helping others do the same.
Authority doesn’t make a leader. Bluster is not an effective motivational tool. Leaders tend to work FOR those who technically work for them. They do everything possible to make sure their teams are as productive as they can be. They do all they can to minimize stress. They do everything possible to make them a pleasure to be around.
No one should have to be abused in the workplace. No one should have to work for someone who beats up people emotionally. It’s not good for the employees, and not good for the business as a whole.
Particularly if you have employees working for you, work to find the things in your life that upset you. Often, it has nothing to do with the employees or their work. Perhaps there are stress inducers at home, or elsewhere in your life.
“Simply put, conflict at home taxes the emotional stamina needed to absorb everyday conflicts outside the home, which can lead to mental fatigue and abusive behavior at work,” Mamula writes.
In other words, lighten up, loosen up, let things go. You and those you work with will be much happier and more productive.
Peter
HOW WILL YOU RETIRE WITHOUT AN IRA, 401(K)?
#ira #401(k), #retirement #savings
The share of American families that have IRAs or 401(k) retirement plans has spiraled down in the past decade, while the amount of assets in the accounts of people who have them has been climbing during that time.
So reported Tim Grant of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, quoting the Washington, D.C., based Employee Benefit Research Institute. It reported that the percentage of all families with an individual retirement plan, such as an IRA or 401(k), decreased from 52.8 percent in 2001 to 48.2 percent in 2013.
“For many families, individual account retirement plan savings constitute most of whatever financial assets they have,” Grant quotes Craig Copeland, senior research associate at EBRI.
The bevy of concerns these numbers produce is staggering. What will happen to fewer than 50 percent of the 76 million Baby Boomers, who for the next 18 years will be turning 65 at a rate of 8,000 a day? Grant quotes Thomas Mackell, former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank in Richmond, Va., who believes many people are unable to save for long-term financial needs because U.S. wages have gone down, not up.
Yet, Grant quotes Mackell, those who have had the ability to save for retirement have benefited from a rising stock market.
Certainly, during the recent Great Recession, many have tapped into their retirement plans early, just to survive. But, they will pay a potentially huge price for that decision down the road.
When one is in middle age and loses a job, and can’t readily find another – or at least one that pays as well as the one he lost – he can feel very desperate. Not only has he lost current income, he potentially has lost the pension he was counting on. Social Security alone isn’t going to provide anyone with a good retirement.
If you are feeling desperate and are tempted to liquidate your retirement savings, stop! Get some financial counseling. Find a way to get through your rough times without sacrificing your future.
Remember, people are living longer. Retirement periods are lasting longer. Don’t let your money run out before you die.
Fortunately, for as many concerns about retirement savings that the ERBI numbers raise, there are many solutions as well. There are many ways to make a potentially great income that have nothing to do with traditional employment. For one of the best, visit www.bign.com/pbilodeau.
Not every income solution is for everyone, so examine them with care. But don’t shy away from looking if you believe you have to dip into your retirement savings early.
If you are young, start an IRA or 401(k) immediately. If you can, contribute the maximum amount you are allowed to. It wouldn’t hurt to check out other income streams, too, because even if you have a great job now, don’t expect it to be there for your lifetime.
Most of all, as we plunge headlong into the holiday season, first and foremost, be grateful for the good things you have in your life. If you are having financial issues, don’t hesitate to ask for – and look for — help. Don’t do anything rash with your money. Think not only about today, but the many years you potentially have left to live.
It’s not good to solving a financial problem today by messing up your financial future. The “help” you thought you were going to get in your elder years may not be there when you need it. YOU have to act, and the sooner, the better.
Live as well as you can for as long as you can. Remember, everything in life is about your choices. Choose wisely.
Peter