Starting your own business brings more challenges than rewards.

Many people who want to spend more time with their families are concerned that they’re missing out on a work-life balance.

Because of this, franchise opportunities are on the rise. Franchises fall under the category of lifestyle businesses. They allow you to be your own boss and balance your work and family time as you see fit.

A familypreneur is a business owner who believes that no one’s needs are more important than the needs of their family.

If you’re planning on starting up a franchise, consider new methods of building your business – ones that also allow you to take care of your family. 

Are you ending the workday with a sore neck or lower back pain? Are you spending unnecessarily on chiropractic and massage appointments to cope with your pain?

If you’re experiencing back pain in the workplace, there’s a variety of risk factors that could be contributing to your suffering.

Reducing these risk factors has a lot to do with training. But, if workplace ergonomics is a new concept for you or your company, you might have to provide a little education in order for this movement to take shape. 

Are your coworkers or employees complaining of neck, back and joint pain? What steps have you or your company taken to reduce their symptoms? 

A focus on office ergonomics reduces employee compensation and sick days while improving employee engagement. 

In fact, companies that focus on establishing ergonomic workstations see: 

• 40% improvement in organizational productivity
• 20% improvement in physical productivity 

Some barriers to better workplace performance are related to musculoskeletal issues. These problems sometimes go unvoiced, so it’s your responsibility as an executive or fellow employee to take a proactive approach in improving the work experience of those around you. 

Starting a second career is serious business.

The fear of leaving a lucrative profession and the uncertainty about what the next chapter holds is a lot to cope with.

There are business endeavors that come packaged with the support network to manage the early days of building the business, and franchise opportunities fall into this category.

While there are many advantages to buying and owning a franchise, it’s important for you to receive an accurate picture before jumping into anything.

The franchise game has changed, thanks to the New Entrepreneur. But, this New Entrepreneur takes many forms.

More specifically, it includes women.

According to one statistic, the number of women-owned businesses in the United States increased by 59% between 1997 and 2013.

Why?

Because some business models, like franchise ownership, offer women advantages that are not normally associated with starting an independent business. 

Have you been considering starting your own business? How much research have you accomplished? What sort of pitfalls have you uncovered?

While you might think that the days of working for someone else are over and the days of working for yourself are on the horizon, there are routes to running a business that don’t require you to actually build and grow it from the ground up.

Franchise ownership offers entrepreneurial-minded professionals the opportunity to open a business without starting from the bottom.

If you’ve been thinking about small business ownership, you need to read our reasons for reconsidering.

It’s time to start your own business – or, so you think.

Before pursuing small business ownership, it pays to really dive into researching the ins and outs of what it takes to get an idea off the ground – from conception to execution. It’s a lot to wrap your head around, especially if you’ve been working for someone else for the duration of your professional career.

Being aware of the common pitfalls associated with owning your own business is one way to navigate around them, which is why we’ve compiled a list of items for you to consider before starting out.

Are you entertaining the idea of owning your own business? Would you like to be your own boss?

Everyone wants to be the boss.

But, how do you know if you’re one of the few businesspeople capable of making the transition from high-performing employee to successful leader? 

The sun is shining and your son wants to play catch. An old friend calls with an extra ticket to see your favorite band. Your daughter is the valedictorian of her graduating class and you want to treat her to a week abroad. An aging family member falls ill, and you wish you’d had more time.

Some things in life shouldn’t require “time off.” The right work environment promotes a balance between professional pursuits, personal goals and life’s other responsibilities.

The idea of work-life balance as an organizational concept promotes a split between work and other areas of life. Depending on your interests, those areas may include raising a family, traveling, volunteering in the community and, quite simply, living more fully.

Regardless of whether you have aspirations to start your own business or buy a franchise, the research process involved in finding the right opportunity takes time. You shouldn’t rush it, and you should make a final decision only after gathering a wealth of information from a variety of people. 

First, know this: Franchise ownership is different from traditional small business ownership.

The small businesses and start-ups of today have entrepreneurs at the head. These entrepreneurs often chase opportunity, profits and results while ignoring security, potential mistakes and short-term gains. Entrepreneurs, in many cases, work for a vision rather than the stability normally associated with traditional business experiences. 

Before accepting similar sacrifices to what entrepreneurs make, you should uncover the real reasons you’re after owning a business. Otherwise, you may risk making a costly choice.