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Entrepreneur
6 days ago
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Best Franchise Opportunities: Top-Tier Brands You Should Consider
This story appears in the July 2025 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe » If you want to buy a franchise, start by asking yourself: "What's my appetite for risk?" You could bet on a new franchise, join a small but stable one, or pick many other pathways. But if you want to shoot for the top performers, then this list is for you. On the following pages, we list the "best of the best" — which is what we call the brands that ranked at the very top of their industry categories in our Franchise 500 ranking. To put that into context: More than 1,300 companies applied for our ranking, and now we're showing you the most elite tier — the brands that outscored all their competitors. In this list, you'll find the top brand in every conceivable franchise category — from tried-and-true ones like Childcare, Pizza, and Restoration Services to new, emerging categories like Autism Services and Self-Pour Bars. Like every franchise brand applying for the 2025 Franchise 500, these companies were evaluated and scored based on more than 150 data points in the areas of costs and fees, system size and growth, franchisee support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability. Based on their scores, they were ranked against all other applicants, and their rankings placed them ahead of all other brands within their categories. Remember, as you peruse this list, that it is not intended as an endorsement of any particular company. These are the No. 1 companies based on our criteria, but you will have your own criteria for deciding what would be the best franchise opportunity for you, so it's important to always do your own homework before investing in any brand. Always carefully read the company's legal documents, consult with an attorney and an accountant, and talk to current and former franchisees. Related: Should You Franchise Your Business? Join top CEOs, founders and operators at the Level Up conference to unlock strategies for scaling your business, boosting revenue and building sustainable success.
Forbes
18-07-2025
- Health
- Forbes
5 Ways To Align With Your Best Self And Perform At Your Highest Level
5 ways to align with your best self and perform at your highest level We all have two competing versions inside us. Your higher self walks with confidence, stays present, and never rushes through life. This is your best state. Powerful, calm, and in control. Your lower self is the opposite. Impatient, restless, antsy. Always chasing the next dopamine hit, never satisfied with now. Most people just accept whichever version shows up that day. They don't realize they have a choice. But you do. Top performers recognise when their different versions show up. They can shift their state quickly. The same person feeling frustrated and rushed in the kitchen can transform into focused intensity seconds later for a presentation. They get in the zone in seconds. Higher self versus lower self: know the difference Your higher self sees life with clarity. Problems shrink to their actual size. You are chill where others are stressed. Your breathing slows. Your shoulders drop. But your lower self magnifies every issue. That email becomes a crisis. That comment becomes an attack. That delay becomes a catastrophe. Your breathing gets shallow. Your muscles tighten. Your voice pitches higher. Your higher self responds thoughtfully, taking time to consider options before acting, while your lower self reacts instantly, often saying things you later regret. In meetings, your higher self asks clarifying questions and builds on ideas; your lower self interrupts, defends, and needs to be right. Your happiness, work and life quality comes down to which self you embody most often. Luckily, you can change states within seconds once you know how. Five ways to shift to your higher self immediately Your body sends signals when you've dropped into your lower state. Maybe it's tightness in your chest. Or a buzzing in your head. Or tension between your shoulders. These physical symptoms arrive before the mental spiral. Catch them early. Create a checklist of your personal triggers. When they show up, name them: "This is my lower self taking control." It takes practice, but you'll begin noticing their presence more often. Next time, you catch them quicker. Awareness itself begins the shift. Have specific actions ready for when you notice yourself slipping. Make them simple and accessible anywhere. It might be eating a healthy meal. Taking a five-minute walk. Listening to a specific song. Reciting a mantra. Drinking water. Breathing deeply ten times. Keep this list on your phone or a post-it note by your laptop. Reference it when those physical triggers appear. These small pattern interrupts work better than you'd think. You can't jump straight from frustration to joy. The gap is too wide. But you can move from frustration to annoyance. From annoyance to acceptance. From acceptance to contentment. From contentment to optimism. Know which emotions sit just above your current state. Aim for those first, not the top of the emotional guidance scale. Telling someone to "cheer up" never works. You need to meet them where they are, then guide them one step higher. Apply the same approach to your own disposition and watch it change with ease. Ask yourself: "Am I actually upset, or do I just think I'm upset because I'm in a pattern from something that once upset me?" We develop emotional default settings through repetition. Your brain creates shortcuts. The meeting is delayed, so you get frustrated, because meetings that get delayed have frustrated you before. First step, notice when you're in your lower self purely out of habit. Awareness enables the switch. Then, to get out of the habit, challenge the behaviours you have been defaulting to. Recognise that the situation itself holds no inherent emotion. Your interpretation creates your experience. Change that perspective and you change everything. At any moment, you can decide who you want to be. Your higher or lower self. Nothing is fixed. Make it a game. When you feel yourself in that lower state, say: "Not today." Then consciously select your higher self. Smile, even when you don't feel like it. The act of smiling releases endorphins until you feel happy for real. Naming your higher and lower self versions might help take this further. The more you practice returning to your optimal state, the more it becomes your default. Recognize challenges and rise above. Choose your higher self now Your higher self is already within you, waiting for you to claim it. Recognise your physical triggers. Create your intervention list. Understand the emotional guidance scale. Question your patterns. Exercise your power to choose. These five practices don't require years of meditation or therapy. They require awareness and decision, moment by moment. Step into your power.
Entrepreneur
08-07-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Barbara Corcoran Retains Staff With Wild Perks, No Turnover
Barbara Corcoran, the 76-year-old founder of the real estate firm The Corcoran Group, claims to have created a work environment where there was "no turnover." In an Instagram post shared with her 1.2 million followers on Monday, Corcoran outlined the "crazy things" she would do to keep her staff happy. For example, Corcoran would bus hundreds of agents to the country for midweek picnics, each with its own memorable feature, like a 60-foot-tall hot air balloon or a 5,000-pound elephant offering safari rides. Related: Barbara Corcoran Needed to Make Job Cuts. Here's Why She Fired Her Mom First. She would also provide babysitters for employees who wanted to bring their kids to work and offered plenty of office perks, like yoga classes, free lunches, and massages. Corcoran recognized top performers by giving gold ribbons to anyone who closed a million-dollar sale, and gave one of her top brokers a Bentley with the license plate "SOLD1" to highlight her stellar performance in front of the whole company. She additionally claims to have thrown "the wildest parties in town" for her employees, complete with their own "wacky" themes — and dressing up was mandatory. The end result of these initiatives? People were "lining up" for jobs at The Corcoran Group, and Corcoran didn't have to advertise new job openings. There was also zero turnover; employees chose to stay. Related: 'Do You Know What a First Class Ticket Costs?' Why Barbara Corcoran Flies Coach "People are most creative when they're having fun, and we had more of that than anyone else," Corcoran wrote in the post. "I stopped advertising to hire because people were lining up to work at The Corcoran Group! Fun builds loyalty, and we had no turnover." Corcoran founded The Corcoran Group in 1973 with just $1,000 and seven agents. By the time she sold the brokerage firm for close to $70 million in 2001, the team had grown to encompass 700 employees. Corcoran also noted in an Instagram video in March that she is "the best boss" she has ever met because she follows a simple principle: She works for whoever works for her. In other words, she works for her employees, and her perspective is always tied to what she can do for them. "I shower my people with anything they need selflessly," Corcoran said in the video, adding later that, "I don't think anyone could be a better boss than me." Corcoran is now an original cast member of "Shark Tank." She has appeared on the show for 16 seasons and made more than 650 deals. She makes about $4.5 million a year from her investments, including profits from deals from the show.
Forbes
27-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How To Predictably Recruit And Retain Commission-Based Sales Reps
Ryan Hohman, Founder and CEO at Sales Recruiting University. getty Recruiting and retaining top talent for a commission-based sales force can be one of the most significant challenges business owners face. Building a productive team involves more than finding skilled salespeople; it requires mastering a targeted recruitment strategy and effectively highlighting your company's unique strengths. As the founder of Sales Recruiting University, a company that recruits over 1,000 commission-based sales representatives monthly, I've learned firsthand what it takes to predictably attract and retain top-performing salespeople. Here's how businesses across all industries can strategically build their teams. Understanding The Realities Of Commission-Based Recruiting Most job seekers probably aren't actively seeking commission-only roles that require self-generating leads or direct selling. Recognizing that this majority won't initially be drawn to your opportunity helps set realistic expectations. Effective recruitment, therefore, relies on attracting and efficiently screening large volumes of candidates. Targeting The Right Candidates Exclusively targeting top-performing sales reps from your industry can significantly limit your talent pool. High achievers often prefer companies offering proven career growth, competitive compensation and strong employer branding. Therefore, unless you're among your industry's elite, you'll need to strategically widen your recruiting scope. A sustainable and scalable method is the 10-30-60 rule: • Top 10%: High-performing salespeople actively pursued by leading organizations. • Middle 30%: Average performers who align with your company's mission, vision and values and can grow into top performers through effective training and leadership. • Bottom 60%: Candidates likely not suited to your sales roles. Focusing primarily on that middle 30% (average performers) significantly expands your candidate pool and provides opportunities to cultivate motivated individuals into high performers. Implementing An Efficient Recruitment Process The traditional recruiting process—reviewing individual résumés, conducting phone screenings and holding multiple rounds of interviews—is inefficient and often resource-intensive. This can lead to significant time investment with minimal return. A streamlined recruitment approach includes four critical steps: Creative Advertising To attract a high volume of candidates, diversify your job listings beyond generic titles to broaden appeal. For instance, advertise roles like "Independent Sales Associate," "High-Ticket Sales Consultant" or "Commission-Based Sales Representative." Automated Screening And Scheduling Utilize technology to efficiently filter applications. Automated email and text messaging, paired with self-scheduling for group interviews, greatly streamline candidate processing. Group Interviews Clearly present your company's culture, vision, compensation and realistic job expectations in concise group sessions (20-30 minutes). This method quickly filters and excites candidates about the opportunity. Personalized Final Interviews Conduct targeted one-on-one interviews with pre-screened candidates to deeply understand their goals, motivations and alignment with your company's mission and values. Clearly demonstrate how your role supports their career aspirations. Optimizing Retention Through Strategic Onboarding And Training Effective recruiting is only half the battle. Retaining talent hinges on your onboarding process, ongoing training and management support. Organizations excelling in these areas routinely experience higher retention rates. Ensure your onboarding and training programs clearly outline career paths, performance expectations and tangible rewards. Strong management and supportive leadership dramatically increase employee engagement and productivity. The Long-Term Advantage Building a robust commission-based sales force doesn't happen overnight. It demands a thoughtful, systematic recruitment and retention strategy. By employing targeted candidate attraction methods, efficient screening and hiring processes, and comprehensive training and support systems, businesses can consistently attract, develop and retain high-quality talent. Ultimately, mastering this approach not only enhances your sales performance but positions your company among the industry's top-tier, significantly easing future recruitment and fueling sustainable growth. Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
Forbes
20-06-2025
- Health
- Forbes
The 4-Step System That Turns Your Triggers Into Superpowers
The 4-step system that turns your triggers into superpowers Next time someone cuts you off in traffic, watch what happens. Your heart races. Your jaw clenches. Your face flushes hot with anger. That's a trigger in action. Most people let emotional reactions control them. They respond without thinking, letting feelings dictate their next move. But these trigger moments hold hidden insights for anyone willing to look deeper. Adults experience anger about 14 times per week, and roughly 30 percent report difficulty controlling it. But even brief episodes of anger can impair blood vessel function for up to 40 minutes, raising heart rate and blood pressure. You have to learn how to let it go. I used to get triggered by slow walkers. My heart would race as I rushed around people strolling leisurely through busy streets. "Don't they have somewhere to be?" I'd think. But the trigger wasn't about them. It revealed my own inability to create priority systems that would let me stay calm. Next time you get triggered by anything at all, dig into it. Figure out the true meaning. Once you find it, you're free. Most people mishandle emotional responses. They either explode with reaction or suppress their feelings entirely. Neither approach works. Suppression buries the reaction until it resurfaces stronger next time. Reaction keeps you stuck in patterns you can't spot. Everyone experiences emotional buttons being pushed. Top performers get curious when it happens. They see triggers as messengers carrying important information about themselves. Your body always knows first. Before your conscious mind registers the trigger, your physiology shifts. Some people feel a tightness in their chest. Others notice their breathing change. Your face gets hot. Your stomach knots. This physical reaction is your early warning system. When that warning system activates, pause. Notice the sensation without immediately acting on it. Simply observing "I'm feeling triggered right now" creates space between stimulus and response. The more familiar you become with your trigger signature, the sooner you can intercept automatic reactions. This is the first step to using your triggers for self-development. The quality of your insights depends on the quality of your questions. When triggered, average people ask disempowering questions like "Why is this person so annoying?" or "Why does this always happen to me?" These questions generate useless answers that keep you stuck. Questions control your focus. Questions create clarity. Once you recognize your trigger response, ask different questions. "What exactly am I responding to here?" "What does this reaction reveal about my values or assumptions?" "What's beneath this emotion?" They turn emotional reactions from annoyances into tools for self-discovery. Now you have more awareness, understand that every emotional reaction reflects something about you. Getting annoyed whenever team members question your decisions might signal a deep fear of making mistakes. Anger masks vulnerability. Your triggers reveal your blind spots so you can transform them into superpowers. Once you recognize this pattern, you can respond thoughtfully rather than defensively, and make progress like never before. Don't let everyday occurrences catch you off guard when you know exactly what's going on. Imagine every situation is holding up a mirror and delivering a lesson. Then find it. Sometimes you're triggered by what you fear becoming. Sometimes by what you secretly admire. Sometimes by what challenges your identity. The mirror never lies. Turning emotional reactions into superpowers requires a framework. When triggered, follow these steps: First, notice the physical sensation. Second, name the emotion without judgment. Third, get curious about what's underneath. Fourth, look for patterns across different triggering situations. Finally, extract the insight and decide how to apply it. With practice, this becomes automatic. You'll find yourself transforming triggers into game-changing insights in real time. What once derailed your day becomes fuel for growth. The more you practice, the faster you progress. The flywheel never stops. Learning to transform your triggers gives you an edge few people possess. You'll respond thoughtfully while others react impulsively. You'll recover quickly from setbacks while others stay stuck. You'll become insanely self-aware while others remain blind to their patterns. Notice when you get triggered. Spot the physical feeling. Ask what it's showing you. Find the mirror. Create your system. The next time something pushes your buttons, you'll be ready to transform that trigger into exactly the insight you need to move forward. Leverage those moments for growth or let them control you.
