Archive for Items Categorized 'Avanti Magazine', only excerpts shown, click title for full entry.

Developing A Culture Of Effective Communication

  Any true partnership works much better when there’s a culture of effective communication in place. BusinessDictionary .com defines effective communication as, “A two way information sharing process which involves one party sending a message that is easily understood by the receiving party. Effective communication by business managers facilitates information sharing between company employees and […]

7-Eleven, Inc.—Fix That Pothole!

  Check out paragraph 20(d) of any version of the store agreement since 2004, and you will find SEI’s maintenance obligations. Here is what it says (Note: “When we consider it necessary”): “(d) Maintenance Performed By or Through Us. When we consider it necessary during the Term of this Agreement, we agree to: (1) repaint […]

Teamwork On The Multiple Criteria

  7-Eleven in March released the newly updated “holistic” review form for the multiple criteria process that qualifies us to acquire more 7-Eleven stores. Of course this process is on the minds of all franchisees who are aggressive towards the business and feel a sense of urgency to grow and develop our 7-Eleven businesses. As […]

The Audit–What Is It Good For?

  The quarterly store audit is something every franchisee is well aware of, as it is mandated by every franchisee agreement. However, in the past few years the audit process has changed and is no longer the effective tool it was for franchisees in the past. Prior to the 2004 agreement, the franchise agreement specified […]

EBT Integration

  Most of our stores are licensed to participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and accept Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards through state-issued machines. To those stores that are not licensed to carry these transactions, I highly recommend that they apply for participation in this program because in fiscal year 2011, state agencies […]

100 Days Of Summer Have Not Changed, But We Must

  I have been through almost four decades of change in the retail food business, and one constant I have seen throughout this time is the 100 days of summer selling we see each year in the c-store business. Hot weather, increased guest counts, increased fountain and vault sales, and extended days all add up […]

A Wealth Of Knowledge And Opportunities At The National Convention

  Our annual NCASEF convention and trade show is the premium national franchisee event of the year, one that our association has been holding since 1974. It’s always held at a premiere location like Las Vegas, Hawaii, Washington D.C. or Disneyland, and it’s always scheduled in the summer months when kids are out from school. […]

Franchise Fees—How High Can They Go?

  Let’s walk down memory lane. When I first became involved with representing 7-Eleven franchisees some 40 years or so ago, franchise fees for a store were a mere nuisance. I recall $1,500, but franchisees in the system before my time remember fess of $1. That was when Southland (remember Southland Corp.?) could not even […]

We Need To Help Low Volume Store Owners

  Each year when spring arrives, I take time to reflect and prune out the old debris of the year past, and like a farmer plant the seeds that hopefully produce a harvest of hope and prosperity. This includes spring cleaning, sorting out my office files, sorting out my e-mail, and planning the course for […]

What Is Asset Protection’s Role?

  For the past several years SEI has been pursuing an aggressive growth plan, acquiring smaller chains, building more traditional locations, and converting existing mom-and-pop stores through its Business Conversion Plan. Throughout this time the 7-Eleven system has also been changing—a new ordering system, the new GEA cleanliness standards, new accounting pro- cedures, and other […]