Over the last 2 months the Association has started running live events hosted online to give members of the Association additional exposure for their businesses.  Those who have participated in the live events we hosted on Facebook and last year’s webinar enjoyed there experience even with some of the challenges we’ve faced one of them being internet connectivity.  What I’ve learnt having watched webinars as well as live events is that when things go wrong, the best thing to do is not panic.  Expect that from time to time there will be technical issues and I think audiences across the world expect these things to happen as well.  So one just has to stop for a moment breathe, announce that you are having technical issues and work them out as best you can.  The key to remember is that there are many factors that influence the quality of a live streaming event.  None of us has control over how the internet connection will work and so you do the best you can with the resources you have at your disposal.

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There is no question that franchising’s saving grace in a struggling economy is the fact that, by its very nature franchising is entrepreneurial, flexible and forward-thinking. Not only does it continue to be resilient, but it also offers, largely due to its strong business format and support system, a better chance of surviving the ups and downs.

Thinking outside the box and looking for ways and means to cross-promote and reach new markets is a trait that many of FASA’s members do extremely well. They are the ones who find a ‘niche’ that sets them apart or, by default, thrive on the back of challenging conditions.

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I think most would agree that trading conditions have toughened considerably in the last few years. Gone are the days where companies achieved organic growth without doing much outside of business as usual. These days, business leaders and decision-makers must be innovative, question everything that companies do, be willing to change the old with the new almost on a daily basis, pay attention to minute details and provide strong and decisive leadership. However, there are still some old values that should not be discarded and these values are often what drives the public to or away from a brand.

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