WSI franchises are all about one thing: profits.

We want to make money, and we know you want to make money. According to British franchising authorities, some 90 percent of franchises in the UK are operating at a profit, every single year. There are profits to be had in franchising, and it’s easy to see why — resources and training, combined with local independence and minimum of investment.

We offer our franchises a great many advantages in reducing the amount of investment required to get moving. Above all, a new business owner wants to get a return on investment as soon as possible, to start operating “in the black” and gaining those wonderful profits that are so important to making life go smoothly.

WSI franchises have access to training programs and support tools from the Corporate Office. We teach you what you need to know, without the fluff and time wasted that can come with other business training courses. After all, this isn’t an abstract course about the principles of business management — these are practical, focused training sessions about what you will be doing day-to-day as a businessperson. Your time is valuable, and we want to make the most of it in our training so you can focus on turning a profit.

Starting a WSI franchise offers more opportunities than simply being your own boss.

It’s a chance to be a part of a field that’s grown steadily for the last ten years — and is projected to continue growing at a ferocious rate.

According to a study done by Zenith Optimedia, roughly $54 billion is spent on online marketing efforts each year. Direct email, surveys, pop-up advertisements, pay-per-click, search engine optimization — all of these things encompass a budget comparable to major military procurement decisions.

Further, the same study predicts that by next year, spending on this field will reach $77 billion. That’s a 43 percent increase in just three years!

The reasons for the boost are pretty simple to understand. There has been no tool in the world as uniquely suited to get into peoples’ homes and lives as the Web. Traditional commercials on television, radio and even billboards are pretty static affairs — perhaps they’ll hit, perhaps they won’t. But online advertising is flexible, allowing marketers to reach people through social media, direct contact, newsletters and more.

One of the facts of traditional employment is that most people can’t choose the pace at which they work. Even a store manager at the retail level works at a pace dictated by the level of customers coming and going from their store, and the concept of “guaranteed hours” all too often comes to mean “guaranteed overtime without extra pay.” In other cases, high-powered individuals who are only happy in the thick of constant work and buzzing business all too often get left in slower-paced departments by managers unable to recognize their talents.

By contrast, a WSI franchise makes you the boss — no more basing your workload on what someone else thinks you can handle.

Take as many clients as you feel comfortable with. If you like being kept busy, or prefer a slow and steady pace, there’s a franchise for you. Pick a specialty you prefer to focus on, such as medical or automotive clients, or branch out and cover a wide array of options.

With a WSI Franchise, one of the most important things to consider is your ability to generate leads and network effectively.

This is the process of drumming up business for yourself by investigating leads, or sources for clients. The importance of this technique cannot be overstated to a successful Internet Marketing Consultant; after all, why just wait for business to come to you when you can get the ball rolling yourself?

Now, it has been discussed and remains true that after a business has gotten its feet under it, the most consistent source of revenue is repeat business from satisfied clients. However, a business just starting out obviously can’t rely on this, and even businesses with loyal customers go through slow periods. Both of these times are excellent opportunities to look for new leads.

One opportunity that some marketers might overlook are local trade shows. Whether focused on video games, local businesses, the arts or high-end professions like medicine or science, these places are abundant sources of lead generation activity.

A WSI franchise is the first step in improving your entire financial situation, not just the absolute income you’re receiving.

Many business owners get their start on a certain amount of credit. Whether capital seed money from interested investors, small business loans or loans against collateral such as their home, most people need a bit of help collecting that initial investment.

However, few realize that a small business is more than a way to live your dream or make a lot of money — it can be used to definitively improve your credit standing and overall situation with home equity, personal savings and more.

As a very simplified example, consider someone who takes out a loan against their home to finance their WSI franchise. Most franchises are profitable within three years, meaning that with careful management and hard work, his loan is paid off by that time. So from three years onward, most of the money he makes becomes his to keep.

Going from a traditional job to owning a WSI franchise needn’t be an overnight jump. Many people choose to make a transition from employment to self-employment.

One of the best ways to prepare for the transition is to do a lot of research. There is a lot of material out there, both WSI-specific and about franchises in general, that can really give you a good sense of what to expect.

For example, one could research the rate of return on investment of most franchises. It’s one thing to understand that a franchise is typically profitable within the first one to three years. However, knowing the typical curve from month-to-month can help you paint a more specific picture of what sort of money you can expect to have and when.

Even though we all dream of being our own boss one day, it has to be said that the idea can be a little daunting. What if we make mistakes? There’s less of a support structure to help you out if you fumble an important job in your own business, after all. That’s why a WSI franchise is a good choice for your transition from employed to self-employed – we make sure the process is easy to understand and readily accessible.

Training

We provide each WSI franchise owner with the training they need, just like they would receive in a traditional employment situation. Our 90 day quick start course is easy to understand, can be taken either on its own or on the side during a regular job as you prepare to make the switch. Either way, you learn the skills you need to run your franchise, with nothing hidden.

A Proven Approach

The WSI method has worked for hundreds of WSI franchisees since we entered the digital marketing game in 1995. We consistently update the specifics, but our core approach remains the same and provides a strong foundation for you to set out and bring in the revenue you expect out of a personal business.

Mentoring

Some training inevitably has to take place on the job, of course. Even with the quick start program and the proven method we provide, some situations will come up that surprise anyone. That’s why we have our mentoring program, so experienced franchisees can share their insights and ideas with new entrepreneurs eager to do things right.

We’ve made it clear that having a WSI franchise can be tremendously rewarding — you can make money, have fun and develop the kind of lifestyle you want to lead. It almost seems like there’s no downside at all; clearly, there has to be a catch, right? After all, we’ve heard too-good-to-be-true news before.

What evidence is there that someone like you should still consider WSI a sound investment for the future?

Well, WSI franchises specialize in providing business solutions through digital marketing. In 2009, people spent $54 billion dollars on advertising — that’s billion with a “b.” Further, it’s expected to grow to more than $70 billion by 2012.
To make a comparison, the United States military spent only $7.4 billion on missile defenses in 2002.
To put it another way, the amount that people increase their spending on online advertising is more than the largest military in the world spends in total on a major military project.
So clearly, if people wanting to raise the awareness of their online presence can grow faster than the military’s budget, there’s some room for new players to the field of digital marketing and business solutions.

Operating a WSI franchise is an exciting thing to do.

There’s virtually no way to get into a rut while working as a Digital Marketing Consultant because of the unique combination of skills and tasks that are required to make a franchise run just right. It’s an exciting and interesting experience, and here’s why:

Customer Service

As a digital marketing expert, you will be using proven WSI tools & technologies to provide high quality advice and interacting directly with the clients you’ll be serving. There’s no separate marketing department talking to the customers for you — you get to interact with the clients on your own, talking about their needs and helping them meet the online goals they have as you get to know them.

Work Online

The online world is a unique opportunity to get involved in. Social media networks, video blogging, traditional blogging, advertising campaigns and more await those who dive into the Web. You’ll have the chance to learn all about these things, and provide your expertise to your customer base as well.

There are a lot of things a franchise owner can talk to his or her mentor about. There’s always something out there you can chat over via messenger, email, the phone or even face-to-face over a cup of coffee now and then. So why is it that many mentor/protégé relationships feel a bit awkward and at a loss for words?
Well, people get nervous for all kinds of reasons. You don’t want to give the wrong advice. Maybe a topic you had planned to share might not pan out just right, or you could just genuinely be stuck for words. So, with that in mind, here are a few really good sources you can check out for topic details.

The WSI Coffee Break

— Our monthly webinar series which explores topics of direct interest to WSI employees, like the products and services offered in the WSI eMarketplace. Whether heavy or lighthearted, the material covered in this series is a gold mine of potential discussion topics for you to ask your mentor about. It can serve as an icebreaker to lead on to other topics, or be the whole discussion itself.

The WSI Internet Franchise Blog

— Same idea, though with less video! The written form is a bit different from the visual, so the ideas conveyed can be a bit different, and the net is cast a bit wider for topics. Check out the blog when it updates, and if something sticks in your mind, ask your mentor about it.

When discussing WSI franchise methods, we’ve previously talked about the return on investment and aspects to consider about it. There are ways to increase your rate of return, though they may seem counterintuitive at first. One of them is to invest more into your business up front by hiring employees or bringing on partners.

The specific amount of the divided profits is up to you, of course.

If you have partners in the venture who invest equally with you, clearly it makes sense to have a roughly even divide of the profits, modified by participation: It doesn’t matter if you, Dylan and Greg all paid in the same amount; if Greg is working less than you and Dylan, he should get his equal return but will do so at a slower rate. It’s only fair.

On the other hand, if you invest everything and hire an employee, you have all the control in the matter. You should set them a fair and legal rate of pay, and not worry about a share of the investment being returned to them.