"Go into business for yourself, but not by yourself."

As you sit in your designated workspace, thoughts may often drift away from the task at hand. 

Nothing can prepare you for the joys of fatherhood. Everything changes the day you set eyes on your newborn, and a new path — full of love and responsibility — immediately emerges. 

You must now serve as a caregiver and mentor to a child whom you will help guide into adulthood. It's daunting. It's terrifying. And it's the greatest thing you will ever do.

Why is now the perfect time for franchising?

During the month of February, we celebrate Black History Month.

All of us are well aware of the significant contributions made to our society by the likes of Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King, Jr., to name a few.

But are you also familiar with the names of Reginald Lewis, the richest African-American man in the 1800s; Charles Clinton Spaulding, president of North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company; Alonzo Herndon, founder of Atlanta Life and Atlanta's first Black millionaire; or Madam C.J. Walker, the first American woman to become a millionaire based on her hair care products formulated for African American hair?

Thanks to franchising, the dream of business ownership has become a more realistic goal for all entrepreneurs. By investing in a proven model and following the franchise brand’s existing guidelines, you can get your business started and be profitable much quicker and easier than starting a business concept from scratch. And, one of the largest areas of growth in franchise businesses is with African American owners.

There are multiple avenues for funding your business, and no one path is going to be the right one for everybody. On that note, people should take heart that there are often many right roads to funding so long as you’re informed before you get into the weeds of business funding options. 

November is National Entrepreneurship Month, which celebrates our country's entrepreneurs who create jobs, spur growth, and push forward with innovation. The United States remains the world's strongest market for entrepreneurship. This is largely due to unparalleled access to research and capital, favorable public policy, and perhaps most importantly, a business culture that encourages both risk and creativity.