Category: outsourced IT

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Surprise! Consumer apps get IT approval in small businesses: GIGAOM.com

Surprise! Consumer apps get IT approval in small businesses: GIGAOM.com

In a recent article on GigaOm, author Barb Darrow discusses the findings of a survey of small businesses in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, where it was found that the use of “consumer” information technology is being more widely accepted for use in small businesses, and that many of these selections are happening without the knowledge or participation of the IT department.

“Employees are driving business apps selection in many small and medium businesses, according to new research. A good percentage of productivity, social and collaborative apps now sanctioned by IT in SMBs were brought in by workers without IT knowledge.“

Reporting that small businesses are adopting “consumer” IT, and that it is OK with IT departments, isn’t a surprising finding.  Small businesses have begun leveraging mobility and cloud solutions to their benefit, being able to take advantage of powerful technologies that previously only enterprise IT departments could enjoy.

 “.. the line between personal and workplace technologies has become all but invisible. That poses real challenges to IT departments that have to deal with all sorts of technology coming in over the transom. But it also opens up opportunities for vendors that design easy-to-use consumer apps to enter the business realm as well.”

The cloud introduces new agility and capability for all businesses, not just small business. For IT departments in larger businesses, this is a big IT management issue. For smaller businesses, the IT manager is often the business owner or an occasionally contracted on-site technician.  When faced with IT needs in the business, many small business owners will at some level rely upon the solutions they also use in their personal lives – in many cases, there simply isn’t a budget for both.  The line between business and personal has always been “blurry” for the small business owner.

Make Sense?

J

Read more: Disruptive Trends = Emerging Opportunity: Adapting to a changing technology and business environment

What will my business be worth, when I need it to be worth a lot?

bodeguy

Business Enlightenment

Get on the path…

  • Read more about how accountants need business intelligence, too
  • Read more about how there’s no fear and loathing in accounting
  • Read more about the pressure on accountants to deliver more value and intelligence to their clients
  • Read more about Data Warriors: accounting in the cloud
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Not Everybody’s Accounting Online: Outsourced Bookkeeping and Accounting for “Offline” Clients

Not Everybody’s Accounting Online: Outsourced Bookkeeping and Accounting for “Offline” Clients

With all the focus on online technology, solutions that help you work smarter and not harder, and having mobile access to information at any time and from anywhere, you’d think that the entire world had adopted an entirely mobile and high-tech approach to life and business.   The popularity of software-as-a-service models and apps for just about everything are certainly a testament to the movement toward a more connected and mobile lifestyle and business environment.  However, not every business has adopted a comprehensive paperless, mobile-accessed, virtual working world – not by a long shot.  In fact, more folks than you may realize are still using actual paper, writing things by hand (things like checks and invoices), filing piles of paperwork in stand-up filing cabinets, and generally doing things the long, slow, painful way and then recording it on PC-based spreadsheets.  You know – the way we did things before the Internet showed up.

While paperless offices and technology-enabled approaches to collaborative business are gaining popularity and adopting users every day, there is a community of business users out there who are not as laser-focused on the high-tech approach to online accounting and working closer with their outsourced accountant or bookkeeper.  These business people are just getting the job done, and have found ways to handle their information and processes that work for them.  It is this business user that accounting professionals should not forget as they seek to adopt new and innovative cloud approaches to service delivery, and for a couple of reasons.  First, this type of client is likely to be in need of process support and additional service as the business grows, and the accounting professional is in a great position to help with those needs.  Second, this type of client exists in great number.

Consider the following scenario; a discussion I discovered when perusing a small business forum recently.  The interesting thing is that this is a discussion I see pretty frequently with small business owners and entrepreneurs – the discussion about the value of actual accounting or bookkeeping solutions versus a simple spreadsheet approach to record keeping.

I am the owner of a brand new small business. It has only been up and running for a short time. My accountant is pressuring me to use the online version of QuickBooks, but I am doubtful as to whether this is the right software for me.

I know that QuickBooks has a lot of different features, but I really only need it to track spending and customer payments, and since it’s still early on, I don’t have a lot of either. I would only need the very basics, and would probably only check it every two weeks at most.  The fees they want for the software would add up pretty quickly for something I’m not really going to use much.  My business is very small (just me) and service-based (tour guide), without much potential for repeat customers. I don’t need the payroll, invoicing, or other advanced features.

I honestly think that the easiest thing for me would be some sort of spreadsheet or really basic software that I could put directly on my computer instead of accessing online.

The truth of the matter is that spreadsheets often provide the common ground between small business owners and their accountants.  For a business owner, spreadsheets offer a simple and intuitive way to organize and record information because the column layout makes it easy to understand where to enter which data.  For the accountant, a spreadsheet can fairly quickly be sorted, filtered and prepared as accounting or tax return data.  While working with clients in a fully online, collaborative model may be the “best case scenario” in terms of delivering high levels of service in the most efficient manner, understanding how best to work with those clients in other scenarios is also necessary.  Getting the spreadsheet from this type of client is generally not terribly difficult – they are often more than willing to email it.  As long as the professional has a good document management solution to capture and manage these files, and introduce them into the firm workflow, then working with this type of offline client doesn’t have to be a huge impact to internal firm efficiency.

For accounting and bookkeeping professionals working with small business owners around the country, this type of client likely fits into the “normal” category more than those with a strong motivation to use cloud computing and having a great desire to use the Internet and connected services for everything they can (eventually the “new”normal?).  I believe the reality is that only a small fraction of smaller companies – solo, soho, and small/medium business – are actively managing the majority of their business process and information online.  In fact, Intuit (makers of QuickBooks) and other entry-level accounting and bookkeeping solution providers continue to heavily target small business users who are still tracking their finances using spreadsheets and other methods.  This simplified and after-the-fact approach to spreadsheet record keeping is being further facilitated by the banks and credit card companies providing customers with a greater ability to classify and categorize transaction information, and then quickly download it into said spreadsheet.

Yes, the dichotomy is clear: many small business owners resist (or are, at least, unimpressed with) cloud accounting approaches, yet these very same individuals are likely utilizing cloud services from banks and other financial institutions to support their spreadsheet and checkbook record keeping, as well as accessing email and other services via the web for various reasons.  It makes some sense, though, when you look at it from the business owner perspective.  Their way sounds easier, is less overwhelming, and meets the need – for now.

J

Learn more about Working Online With Clients: How to leverage the internet and cloud computing to work closer with your clients

Read more about Online Accountants and Their Clients: Working Smarter, or just Closer?

Read more about Data Warriors: Accountants in the Cloud

Read more about using the cloud to extend “connectedness” beyond traditional boundaries

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QuickBooks SDK Integrations, Cloud Hosting, and the Customer Relationship

QuickBooks SDK Integrations, Cloud Hosting, and the Customer Relationship

Intuit QuickBooks desktop editions are the most popular small business accounting software products on the market, boasting somewhere in the neighborhood of 3.5M users.  In contrast to the QuickBooks Online Edition, which has approximately 300,000, desktop QuickBooks still reigns supreme with small business.

While QuickBooks satisfies most of the general business functionality required from a general accounting product, it doesn’t address much else.  For this reason, numerous software developers have created the software products – the extensions, integrations, widgets, and tools – that make QuickBooks more useful to the business.

The sheer popularity of the QuickBooks product line has supported the creation of a very large and diverse community of developers who make things that work with QuickBooks.  However, as with any attempt to bring like-minded people together, the QuickBooks developer “community” is not all-inclusive, and there are lots of ISVs (independent software developers) out there who aren’t communicating with Intuit frequently, and who aren’t necessarily exposing their solutions through the Intuit marketplace and other Intuit-branded venues.  In many cases, these are developers who have line-of-business solutions that represent the operational priority for their business clients, and where the integration to QuickBooks financial is somewhat of an after-thought.  In many cases, these solutions rely on QuickBooks only for general back-office account functions, where the GL, AR and AP are all that really matter.  The “tough stuff” is done in the line-of-business application.

Most of these types of solutions, as well as many with more complicated functionality or data integration requirements,   utilize a method of communicating with QuickBooks developed using the QuickBooks SDK, or software development kit.  This SDK was originally introduced as a means to replace the clumsy IIF import facility, an early way to get data into QuickBooks from other systems.  The SDK is really a tool kit designed to facilitate desktop application integrations, which is why so many developers use this method.  Particularly when an application is intended to be used on the desktop in conjunction with QuickBooks, it makes sense for developers to use an integration method that will allow them to produce the rich experience and seamless re-use of data that the desktop environment allows.  The SDK requires that the QuickBooks program be present, and QuickBooks controls access to the data file rather than allowing the 3rd party application to have direct data access.

The new method for integrating with a QuickBooks application is by using the IPP (Intuit Partner Platform) method, which is essentially an API (application programming interface) which simplifies the creation of data streams to and from the QuickBooks database.  This method of integration is intended to be serviced by the Intuit Sync Manager (included with QuickBooks), where your data first syncs to Intuit servers, and then connected apps sync from that source.  In this case, Intuit acts as the intermediary, hosting the synchronized data and controlling the sync with the QuickBooks database.  While this may be much easier in terms of offering stricter standards for QuickBooks data integration, it is not a method which addresses the needs of those solutions requiring an integrated experience involving QuickBooks programs and data, or which have more complex data integration requirements than may be served through the IPP.

Because the QuickBooks SDK has been around for many years, it allowed for very stable QuickBooks-integrated solutions to be developed.  In comparison, the IPP is pretty new and has taken Intuit a few tries to get working.  For this reason, there is a limited catalogue of solutions available in the Intuit App Center, which is where IPP solutions are promoted.  Moving forward, Intuit has stated that the focus will remain on the IPP, with the SDK no longer being a preferred (or supported) method.

The method of integrating with QuickBooks desktop editions matters, especially if you’re looking to bring your business applications to the cloud.  Application hosting services is the way to “cloud-enable” desktop solutions, yet not all hosting providers recognize or understand the differences in how applications might integrate with QuickBooks, and what that means to the technical and user environments.  Not all applications are created equal, and not all QuickBooks integrations are, either.  Some integrations sound simple enough to implement, yet have hidden requirements that make deployment with a host or outsourced infrastructure provider an interesting endeavor to say the least.

Developers using SDK integrations with QuickBooks should make certain that they have thoroughly discussed their solution requirements prior to deploying their applications with any host, particularly with a client-selected provider.  Companies experienced in hosting QuickBooks are not necessarily adept at understanding the nuances of SDK-developed integrations, and may minimize the technical requirement to the point of leaving your company and your customer with a bad feeling about hosting.  In worst-case scenarios, the software developer loses their customer altogether due to a poor experience with the solution in a hosted environment.


Cooper Mann Consulting is working to help developers and commercial ISVs with QuickBooks-connected solutions get their products to the cloud, and in a way that they can influence and help control the all-important customer experience.  Rather than being just one of a few hundred hosted products customers can select from the provider menu of offerings, we believe your solution should be delivered with your values, your message, and your unique service approach.   Doing so allows you to keep your arms firmly wrapped around your customers and users, working closely with them as you develop your solutions towards a true SaaS or cloud application model, and easing the transition from desktop to web application delivery and subscription service.

Intuit believes they own the relationship to all QuickBooks customers, and they’re right to the extent that the user relies on QuickBooks for some business functionality.  Hosting service providers think they own the customer relationship because they have significant influence over the products accessed from their servers.

Operational support solutions go deeper into the business than any high-level accounting product, and the method of deploying the solution (locally installed or hosted) is an IT issue and nothing more.  As a developer or provider of essential solutions which address specific vertical industry or line-of-business needs, and as the company who understands the business of your customer and supplies those solutions that help them perform, don’t you really think you should own that customer relationship?  We do.

Make Sense?

J

Want to know more about how Intuit is changing their approach to QuickBooks integration?  Read Charlie Russell’s rant: Is Intuit Abandoning QuickBooks SDK Developers?

Read more about QuickBooks cloud hosting: Cloud Hold-Out No More: QuickBooks Desktop Editions in the Cloud

Read more about cloud development: Lessons Learned (or Not): Development and the Cloud

Read more about legacy application modernization, and why IT and back-office outsourcing makes sense for a lot of reasons 

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Simultaneous Syncing Sinks Solution: Extend Access but Control Integrations

Simultaneous Syncing Sinks Solution: Extend Access but Control Integrations

Accounts and ProAdvisors: Make sure you “enable” only those who need it

In this wonderfully interconnected world of hosted and online applications and the integrations which complement them, it is important to not let the excitement of connectivity and collaboration replace reasonable control.  While there is much conversation on this topic when it involves file sharing and similar services, the discussion of data synchronization and data integration doesn’t often come up.  However, it has been my experience that there is usually a misunderstanding in how, exactly, a particular sync or integration should be applied and who should have access to the functionality when it is deployed as an extension of the QuickBooks desktop financial software.

An example of the problem might be seen when QuickBooks desktop editions are set to integrate or sync data with a web-based solution such as Method Integration or Santrio Open for Business Order Bridge.  Solutions like these, which extend the functionality of QuickBooks through extending access and integrating data, rely upon QuickBooks integration functionality move data between their solutions and the QuickBooks database.  These solutions are quite beneficial for businesses because they can affordably deliver support for various business functions via a true web application and incorporate QuickBooks data in those application views.  Additionally, this type of solution is able to push information from the web application to QuickBooks, allowing for complete integration of financial and other relevant data.

While having this type of integrated service is beneficial, there are a lot of businesses who don’t fully understand how to appropriately implement the solution and end up creating a great deal of difficulty for themselves.  One of the most frequent failures I have seen when implementing this type of solution is where the customer doesn’t really understand who should or should not have the integration.

When a web-based solution exchanges data or syncs with QuickBooks, a path is created to communicate between the two systems – the web solution and the QuickBooks application and data file.  This path must be open, and both sides of the communication identified, in order for data to sync.  The most important thing to remember is that there should be only one controlling entity on each side handling the integration.   What this means for QuickBooks users is that only one installation – one PC accessing QuickBooks – should be configured to facilitate the primary integration with the QuickBooks company file.

To illustrate, consider an implementation of Method Integration and QuickBooks that was done for a business some time ago.  This business used Method-based applications for a variety of business functions, and those applications used data sync’d from QuickBooks desktop.  Just after implementation, it was discovered that system sync’s were not happening as they should, and sometimes when they went to sync data, it would take a huge amount of time (which was not supposed to be normal behavior).  In short, the system proved to be problematic and, at times, unusable.  But the problem didn’t have anything to do with the Method Integration system, nor the technology.

The problem was that all workstations in the office were set up to sync data between QuickBooks and Method.  QuickBooks was installed on all the PC’s, even though most of the users did not use QuickBooks (they used the Method Integration system to do their jobs), and each PC had the Method Integration sync engine installed and set up to run.  This caused the system to be frequently overloaded with sync requests and caused QuickBooks to behave erratically or crash.  In addition, users who did not need (and should not have had) access to QuickBooks financial information were starting up QuickBooks and opening the company file every day because they thought it was required to allow them to access or use QuickBooks data in the Method Integration system.

The benefits of using web applications which can connect to and integrate data with QuickBooks is that a business can give users functionality and data access required to get the job done, but not expose those users to more software or data than they need.  In most cases, if not all, QuickBooks is not necessary for users of the web application (saving you the cost of purchasing and installing QuickBooks for these users).  Further, to ensure proper functionality and to remove any possible conflict or confusion in the sync process, only one workstation with QuickBooks should be set up to sync data to/from the web solution.  While it makes sense to have a “backup” PC setup with the ability, syncing should remain inactive on this machine unless the primary “sync machine” is out of service.  The key element to remember here is that the data coming from the web application is being added to the QuickBooks company file.  Once the data is in QuickBooks, QuickBooks users may access the data from QuickBooks and do not need the connection to the web application.

When deploying this combination of solutions with a hosting service provider, the same rules will apply.  Only users who need the sync capability require service with both QuickBooks and the integration installed.  In some cases, this may make selection of host services more affordable, as only those who need the “additional application” (being the sync solution or integration tool) require customized service, and the rest of the QuickBooks-only users need standard QuickBooks service.  *It might also be worth noting that many hosting providers do not support “persistent” connections – sync connections which continue to run even when you are not logged in), so syncing of data would only be able to occur if the primary user was logged in to QuickBooks and had the sync integration active on the host solution.

Accounting professionals, QuickBooks ProAdvisors, and small business consultants can help their clients understand the value and potential of extending QuickBooks desktop editions with connected web-based solutions.  The additional value these professionals bring to the conversation is the understanding of the need for structure and control of the data flowing into and out of the financial systems, offering their expertise to ensure that the accountability and appropriate treatment of the information exists throughout the business.

Make Sense?

J

Read more …

There’s a lot of legacy ERP out there, and it’s not going anywhere any time soon

https://coopermann.wordpress.com/2012/05/29/theres-a-lot-of-legacy-erp-out-there-and-its-not-going-anywhere-any-time-soon/

Compliance in the Cloud – their system, your responsibility

https://coopermann.wordpress.com/2012/05/23/compliance-in-the-cloud-their-system-your-responsibility/

Beyond Bookkeeping to Total Business

https://coopermann.wordpress.com/2012/05/25/beyond-bookkeeping-to-total-business/

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QuickBooks Hosting Services and Accounting Professionals

The value of applying an application hosting model for your clients

The concept of application hosting is not at all new.  In fact, there are literally millions of business users accessing hosted applications and similar services every day, and adoption didn’t reach those numbers overnight.  For several years now, Intuit (the makers of QuickBooks financial software, among other things) has even had an “Authorized Commercial Host for QuickBooks” program.  If Intuit recognizes the value of a hosted application service model, then there must be something to it, because Intuit rarely does anything unless it’s big.

The value of application hosting services, such as QuickBooks hosting, may differ from business to business, but the underlying benefits are there for all to achieve.  For some, the main value is in being able to access business information and data while traveling.  Using mobile devices, business users are able to get information on customers, orders, payments, and other valuable data – from anywhere they choose to work.  Being able to keep tabs on the business even when they aren’t there is very important to some business owners.

For others, the value of application hosting services is the collaboration that it enables.  With public accounting in particular, the client business and the accounting professional do not work at the same place at the same time.  Being able to work on the same software and data, and doing that work at the same or different times (it doesn’t matter when or where they work) allows business owners and their accounting and bookkeeping professionals to work seamlessly together in support of the business.  This online model allows the business owner to benefit from better financial data in real-time, rather than waiting for the work to be done after the fact, at the end of the month or year.

The underlying benefit that all parties get from a hosted application and online working model is better information technology management and greater predictability in IT service costs and capabilities.  Businesses need to be able to focus on their business and not on the IT which supports it, and outsource professionals such as accountants and bookkeepers need to be able to work with clients efficiently without having to invest in expensive tools and services to make it happen.  A hosted application approach, when applied to the client business, delivers many benefits to the business owners while at the same time providing tangible benefits in efficiency through more effective time management and improved access to information for the professionals who support those businesses.

When developing a working model for outsourced bookkeeping, accounting, or virtual CFO services, it is essential to recognize that businesses need technology to support their operations, and there may be “line of business” solutions in use as well as accounting or financial software.  Too often, outsource bookkeeping and accounting professionals focus only on the accounting or financial systems, and fail to consider the critical aspects of the operational level applications which support the various functions of the business.   With a hosted application approach, the business solutions in use can be “enabled” – from operational solutions to accounting and finance supporting applications – so that accounting professionals may gain access to the complete realm of business data, putting them in a far better position to ensure that the information resulting in the accounting system is of high quality and may be trusted.

Make sense?

J

Read more about Accountants and Bookkeepers Working With QuickBooks Clients: App Hosting Approaches That Work

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Finance and Accounting Support in Franchise Systems

Finance and Accounting Support in Franchise Systems

There has always been somewhat of a love/hate relationship between franchise operators and their franchisees. While many entrepreneurs elect to leverage a known brand, documented operating procedures, and combined purchasing power that is often a benefit of a franchise operation, the reluctance to open the books to the franchisor is sometimes based upon a fear that “big brother” will use the information to take advantage of the business owner. The two sides of the business model aren’t always operating in sync, even though a deeper level of finance and accounting process support might benefit both greatly.

Logic would suggest that both the franchisee and the franchisor would recognize the validity of sharing financial and business performance data for the benefit of the entire system, where benchmark data and performance comparisons can become the basis of tremendous business intelligence. But some franchisors, as their networks expand in size, find that their success in selling units begins to outweigh their concern for individual unit performance, and the brand value creates sufficient momentum to overcome a few bad business experiences. Especially in larger systems, the franchisors don’t often consider the benefits of providing back-office and accounting support for their franchisees, because they simply don’t feel they have to. That is changing to a degree, and reliance on quality accounting and financial data takes on entirely new meanings in an environment where franchising is increasingly more complicated and competitive.

High unemployment and low consumer confidence cause spending decreases which impact even the strongest of established businesses. With credit markets being as tight as they are and without qualify financial information to support the request, business owners are often unable to obtain the financing required to expand their businesses when required, to new locations or with additional personnel. The 2010 Franchise Business Outlook[1] suggested that, even as the economy starts to recover, franchised small businesses will continue to face these financing struggles. The forecast is for “a slow recovery with marginal increases in the number of establishments, jobs and output.”

Looking to Washington for help, a number of small business organizations, along with The International Franchise Association, are “calling upon Senators to include more provisions in new job creation legislation to help small businesses access credit.” [2] The fear is that if credit access for small business isn’t made available now, the best opportunity to create sustainable business and subsequent job growth will be lost. Reliance by small businesses upon credit is unquestionable.

According to the IFA, “the depletion of [SBA loan] funds last fall is proof that the SBA programs were, and continue to be, critically important for our nation’s creditworthy entrepreneurs”. However, without sound business accounting and provable data, even the most business savvy entrepreneur may find their business “unbankable” and must therefore rely upon personal credit guarantees to support business growth.

Possibly the strongest point in the argument for franchisors facilitating accounting and financial management assistance to the franchisee centers on Item 19 of the FTC and state Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDD)/Uniform Franchise Offering Circular (UFOC). Item 19 is the Earnings Claim, which are estimates or historical figures detailing sales, expenses, and income a prospective franchisee might realize as the owner of a particular franchise.

The Earnings Claim is often considered to be the single most important factor in buying a franchise. As with purchasing any business, it is critical to have a realistic and supportable projection of sales, expenses, and profits earned. Particularly in a case where a potential new franchisee has no experience running a business, or no applied experience in that particular type of business, the earnings claim becomes the only guidance available. Unfortunately, the only source for this information is the franchisor itself, which often introduces doubt as to the veracity of the data. It is difficult to determine which could raise more doubt about the sincerity of the franchisor: using unverifiable data, or not providing an earnings claim at all.

When a franchisor elects to provide services to their franchisees, such as back-office accounting support or financial management oversight, then the opportunity to obtain data for the earnings claim, performance benchmarking, and royalties verification become realistic goals. Further, the ability to verify and substantiate the data can prove invaluable in a tough franchise market where buyers want good, verifiable information, and Item 19 helps sell units.

Offering accounting support to small business owners isn’t a new concept, but the technology to facilitate a truly seamless relationship has only become available in recent years. As Internet and Web-based application services emerged on the market, businesses flocked to them in order to gain the benefits of anytime, anywhere access to applications and data. However, the poor performance and lack of features left some business users without the tools they needed to handle all their requirements efficiently, so many returned to manual or local PC-based systems.

Secure remote access and application hosting services are a technology approach which adapts trusted and proven software and systems to a cloud-based, collaborative online working model. The server-based application model, which is essentially a hosting approach delivered from on-premises computers or offsite hosting infrastructure) allows the businesses to continue use of applications with the functionality required to support the business, but improves the IT environment by managing and securing the applications and data within the confines of the host. This eliminates the need to install or maintain applications on different computers and eliminates the need to have data copied or sync’d to different computers and devices.

A valuable aspect of providing secure remote access and centralized access to applications and data is the ability to then integrate with reporting systems designed to assist in the translation, analysis, and comparison of data from a single business to an entire franchise system.

Deploying server-based (hosted) computing models with remote and mobile capability means owners are able to retain their investments in software applications and processes while introducing new efficiencies and flexibility in their working models. The evident benefits are the ability to access information from any location, to have multiple locations work seamlessly together, and to allow outside accountants or other service providers to work seamlessly in the organization. Adding commercial hosting of the server expands on centralized management and administration with professionally-secured systems, greater predictability in ongoing IT costs and an improved ability for the business owner to focus on the business.

In summary, the franchisor market must look more closely at the fiscal management and reporting systems of their franchisees, and provide avenues to better-address access and support for accounting and bookkeeping responsibilities in order to gain credible performance data and useful benchmark metrics. Only through the ongoing participation of accredited accounting and financial personnel can the business financial data provide the information – and the insight – required to support aggressive business growth in this difficult economy.

The key is seamless integration, and the technology solution is the cloud-enabled model.

Make Sense?

J

[1] Report that measures the economic impact of franchising in the United States, prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), and commissioned by the International Franchise Association Educational Foundation. http://franchise.org/uploadedFiles/Franchise_Industry/Resources/Education_Foundation/2010%20Franchise%20Business%20Outlook%20Report_Final%202009.12.21.pdf

[2] Franchise.org Press Release http://www.franchise.org/Franchise-News-Detail.aspx?id=49246