Antidote to Downsizing & Off-shoring
Towards the end of the year, people often start thinking about “What Next?”
Well, if what’s on your mind is Entrepreneurship, check out this article for a good summary of business ideas and small business trends for 2006. From Weight-Loss Centers, to Tea, to Gourmet Foods, to the eBay eco-system, to technology consulting for SMB, SOHO and Consumers, it offers a good round-up of viable options.
Also, read a good list of the top 500 Franchises (none stands the risk of being outsourced).
The fastest growing franchise on this list is Curves, offering a solution to America’s national problem: Obesity. (Year began: 1992 Franchising since: 1995).
At the age of 20, pre-med student Gary Heavin had taken over a failing fitness center in Houston, turning the business around and, within five years, opened six more centers. After 10 years and 17 centers, Heavins business went under. Not wanting to give up, Heavin took lessons from the strengths and weaknesses of his first chain and decided to open a second. In 1992, Heavin opened Curves for Women, a women-only fitness center, in Harlingen, Texas. The company began franchising in 1995. In 2005, they have 9,228 franchisees.
For the tech savvy, 724,000 businesses are using eBay as a primary or secondary business channel, and thus making a very good living. There are lots of opportunities for finding niches within the eBay ecosystem, including providing aftermarket services.
Amidst lay-offs, downsizing, and off-shoring, a lot of bright, qualified people are entering 2006 with anxiety for the future.
Taking destiny in your own hands IS a way out.
