American Consumer Financial Network (ACFN)

Turning Tough Times Into Success

2010-11-09T05:38:00.001-08:00

Although private employers in September added 64,000 workers, total payrolls fell a larger-than-forecast 95,000. In tough economic times, franchises are a relatively safe way of doing business.

The drop in U.S. payrolls in September largely reflected local governments firing educators and other workers to make up for declining tax revenue. Struggles to keep state and local government budgets balanced likely will continue to weigh on job growth and sustain the level of weekly jobless claims.

One dynamic star on the U.S. business scene is The ACFN ATM Franchise Business, headquartered in San Jose, California, where the company was ranked by the Business Journal as the 43rd Fastest Growing Private Company in Silicon Valley for 2007 - 2009.

“ACFN is a North America company with operations in all 50 States and Canada, however by utilizing our franchise business model we maintain the operating efficiencies of a local company”, says Jeff Kerr, Founder and President of ACFN.

Since launching the franchise division in 2003, ACFN (American Consumer Financial Network) has 165 Franchises operating over 1350 ATM's in the U.S. and Canada.

The Washington, D.C.-based International Franchise Alliance, said the group estimates that in 2008 there were about 900,000 franchises with over 21 million workers providing $2.3 trillion in economic activity. These franchises “cross over about 100 different business categories,”

The International Franchise Association suggests what the entrepreneur minded American has known for a while, that franchisees enjoy a significant competitive edge over the stand-alone business operators. They noted a study showing that 86% of franchise companies which opened in the previous five years were still in business under the same owner and only 3% of these businesses failed.

Conversely, a US Small Business Administration (SBA) Survey in that same article showed 62.2% percent of all new businesses started over a 10 year period dissolved within their first six years.

“ ACFN's ATM franchise equips you with the tools and the know how to manage the business". Avi Blankroth, Excecutive Vice President of ACFN says. "The process begins with each franchisee purchasing ATMs, while ACFN locates and contracts lucrative placement locations"

Blankroth believes that "franchising offers crucial support, whilst still providing the scope for franchisees to make personal business decisions. In the same vein, people choose to go the franchising route owing to the security it offers".

ACFN ATM Franchise Ranked in Top Silicon Valley Based Companies

2010-11-09T05:37:00.000-08:00

The Silicon Valley Business Journal honored the 60 fastest-growing private companies in the region at the Computer History Museum in San Jose, California.

ACFN Franchise (ACFN) ATM franchise which is focused on providing ATM services to hotels and other travel and entertainment businesses across North America, was recognized as one of Silicon Valley’s fastest growing companies by the Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal.

After reviewing revenues of leading private companies in the area, the publication ranked ACFN #43 in this year’s list.

This accolade is especially impressive given that approximately 80 percent of the 60 companies on the list had more than 50 percent revenue growth in the three-year period covered and about half more than doubled.

“It’s an honor to be included in this year’s list. Silicon Valley is very competitive and we are committed to continue growing and producing extraordinary result for our franchise owners. ACFN is the only ATM Franchise in North America and one of the largest ATM ISOs in the US which helps us create a lot of value for our franchisees” said Jeff Kerr, President and CEO of ACFN.

Unlike other companies in the industry, ACFN owns and controls the ATMs and does not charge fees to the businesses hosting the machines.

Franchisees receive training on how to develop, own, and operate onsite ATMs. ACFN also provides ATM processing, network, administrative, marketing, and other types of support.

The recognition that ACFN has gained, is rightfully earned as the company expands its interests and continues to provide services at more than 1,350 locations with 165 Franchisees in North America.

Earning High Marks – ACFN ATM Franchise – Amongst the Best Companies in America.

2010-11-09T05:35:00.001-08:00

Recent independent studies have ranked the ACFN ATM Franchise amongst the top high performing companies in the U.S.
You are staying in a hotel and need cash. The front desk clerk directs you to an automated teller machine in the hotel. Chances are it’s an American Consumer Financial Network ATM. The company provides financial services and transaction processing solutions, with a national network of onsite ATMs in hotels and other travel and entertainment-based businesses.
The innovative ACFN (American Consumer Financial Network) announces its inclusion in the top 300 franchise opportunities for 2010 by AllStar AllBusiness. The honors include top ranking in three categories: growth, financial strength and general listing.
Unlike other companies in the industry, ACFN owns and controls the ATMs and does not charge fees to the businesses hosting the machines. Franchisees receive training on how to construct, own, and operate onsite ATMs. ACFN also provides ATM processing, network, administrative, marketing, and other types of support.
“These awards are a tremendous validation for a young, innovative company from Silicon Valley,” says Jeff Kerr, Founder and President of ACFN.
The national recognition that ACFN has gained is rightfully earned as the company expands its interests to provide services at more than 1,200 locations in North America.
According to Allstar, the company’s growth wasn’t meager — in 2009, one of the toughest years in recent history, ACFN increased its number of units by more than 20 percent and improved its financial health ranking from #124 to #97 this year.
Inclusion on the Allstar Allbusiness list, a subsidiary of Dun & Bradstreet brand is not an easy task. After a daunting year of economic recession in 2009, many longstanding, established franchise companies have been unable to maintain their top 300 ranking.
ACFN’s ability to secure a place on this elite list of companies is a testament to their innovation and prospective strength as a franchise company.
ACFN is also ranked 64th on the Inc. Magazine listing of Top 100 Business Products & Services for 2009 and ranked 374th on the Inc. Magazine listing of Fastest Growing Private Companies and recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the “Fast 50” Franchise Companies”. Franchise amongst the top high performing companies in the U.S.
American Consumer Financial Network

Public Sector Employees – ACFN ATM – Your Trusted Retirement Partner.

2010-11-09T05:34:00.000-08:00

As the recession appears to come to a close and some Americans are slowly coming out of financial hiding, the nation is beginning to notice which employment sectors truly are the last ones standing.

In addition to the intelligently invested, government employees are proving to be an excellent example of recession survivors.
“While private-sector employment fell sharply in the last two years,” the Manhattan Institute’s Josh Barro noted earlier this year, “the public-sector, civilian workforce continued growing until mid-2008. It has since remained essentially flat.
“While private-employment rolls are nearly 10 percent smaller than they were three years ago, public-employment rolls have grown by nearly 2 percent.”
Government employees have always kept our nation running smoothly, and have traditionally been paid reasonably well for it. From sanitation workers to public transportation operators, public sector employees have the backing of unions that work on their behalf to ensure they receive the best health care and pension plans available.
In terms of compensation, federal workers are rapidly pulling away from private employees. As USA Today’s Dennis Cauchon recently reported, “Federal workers earned an average salary of $67,691 in 2008 for occupations that exist both in government and the private sector, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The average pay for the same mix of jobs in the private sector was $60,046 in 2008, the most recent data available.”
And that’s only wages. Federal health, pension and other benefits are worth four times what private workers on average enjoy, Cauchon added.
However, health benefits and retirement plans weren’t the tools that allowed so many municipal workers to stay afloat. The real advantages are their high levels of job security, steadily increasing wages, and shockingly young retirement ages.
Department of Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond of Georgia discussed the benefits of government employment, “Government has been a huge job creation engine for most of the 1990s and through the early part of this century. The communities that have been most successful [through the recession] have benefited from a huge government investment.”
With so many of these workers retiring between the ages of 40 – 55, several of them have gone on to explore new opportunities after servicing their government. Tending toward business ideas that supplement their pension, they generally prefer low commitment engagements with high levels of return.
In response to the interest of this community, The ACFN ATM Franchise, a Silicon Valley company is recruiting retired public sector workers into their ranks. With over 1200 locations across the nation, ACFN (American Consumer Financial Network) offers the option to purchase their own ATM franchise. Franchisees can turn one ATM into dozens, and enjoy an excellent profit based on ATM service charges, incurred whenever their machine is used.
ACFN President and Founder Jeff Kerr directed this comment to government and municipal employees interested in owning their own business, “ACFN is an excellent opportunity for people who are interested in a straightforward opportunity that prides itself on being uncomplicated. We provide training and have a strong support team in place to help franchise owners with all aspects of operating their business including ATM placement and business management. No prior experience is required or needed to join ACFN”.
Generous retirement packages aside, the twenty-first century was a good time to be publicly employed. And with the advantage of large payouts upon departure, retirees are outfitted with lump sums of money that would be perfectly invested in ACFN’s entrepreneurial opportunity.
The franchise fee for ACFN starts at $25,000.

The company provides a comprehensive training program at their headquarters in San Jose, California and the best ongoing customer service that is frequently described as second to none.

ACFN – ATM Franchise Business, Ranked #1 in category “Miscellaneous Financial

2010-11-09T05:33:00.000-08:00

After almost six months of research and enough data entry to make any assistant’s fingers tingle with fright, Entrepreneur Magazine has just released their highly anticipated Franchise 500.

Jan 19, 2010 – After three decades of perfecting their system, Entrepreneur Magazine has become the most trusted name in franchise rankings around the world. Aspiring business owners rely on their objectivity when considering the prospect of buying a piece of the franchise pie.

Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500 listing for 2010 ranks ACFN, the only ATM franchise business in the US, #1 in category “Miscellaneous Financial Services”.
ACFN the innovative ATM Franchise Business based in Silicon Valley, is North Americas only ATM franchise focused on providing ATM services to hotels and other travel and entertainment based businesses
Although they are only a small portion of the research needed to become a franchise entrepreneur, this ranking prides itself on being both strict and objective.
The leading judgment factors are stability, financial strength, growth rate, and size. Credibility is certainly not an issue.
Companies competing for the top spot face fierce competition from the two franchises that have held the #1 spot interchangeably for the last 15 years, Subway and McDonalds.
Most companies can only hope to be named #1 in their subcategory, usually a fairer competition.
Since debuting on the list in 2008, ACFN has been creeping up the charts over the last two years, finally reaching the ultimate spot in their category. A smaller business, ACFN is an everyman franchise.
With lower startup costs than most of their competitors on the list, they offer entrepreneurship to everyone able bodied enough to work a few hours a week managing machines and fixing the occasional technically difficulty.
Franchisees vary largely in age, race, location, and income, with their most successful machine belonging to a retired California schoolteacher who operates her business with the help of her only daughter.
President and Founder Jeff Kerr shared his elation over this year’s rankings, “Entrepreneur Magazine is the premier publication for business and being recognized by them is significant”.
“The ranking has already prompted many calls from qualified prospect inquiring about our business and we expect will result is many new franchisees joining”
“Being included in the Franchise 500 and earning the #1 rank in our category is a great achievement that we continue to work hard to protect and maintain in future years – we are just getting started” says Kerr
With ambitious and triumphant words from Kerr, ACFN looks to increase their franchisees steadily as they have in the past, targeting an increase in their 1200 locations by four to five hundred this year.

ACFN’s 30k startup fee includes 1 ATM, a 3 day training program, customer service, and product placement assistance.

A Financial Opportunity in a Down Economy – American Consumer Financial Network

2010-11-09T05:31:00.000-08:00

San Jose based, ACFN is ranked the 37th Fastest Growing Private Company in Silicon Valley, offering a proven method of business success and remains unshaken even in the grip of this recession, showing organic growth of 35%.

Even tried and true business models like that of Blockbuster, with its 960 store closings, and Starbucks, with their 300 store closures, are reporting colossal loses with no sign of short term improvement.

Still, some are determined, and have launched headfirst into projects of many different shapes and sizes, from the exclusively online to the normal brick and mortar. While physical business locations might be more comfortable for some, this does not mean that the process is an easy one to arrange. For example, factors such as location, need, and profitability are all arenas that must to be intensely explored.

When investigating a location to launch a business, it is customary to employ research professionals to assess proposed locations to determine the likelihood of operating a thriving business in that area. Still, the predictions generated by these individuals are not without their drawbacks and are by no means absolute. Armed with innovation, ATM business, ACFN has overcome the brick and mortar disadvantage by granting their business owners the opportunity to relocate when profits do not meet set standards.

ACFN’s proven model of success lets franchisees reposition their products in the most important sense. The right to move an ATM from a contracted location is built into the franchisee’s agreement with every vendor.

President of ACFN Jeff Kerr notes, ”Our goal is to make every ATM placement a success and with ACFN’s experienced market research team and best-in-class marketing, we achieve that goal most of the time”. For those locations that fall short of expectations, in contrast to the typical retail franchise where there are little to no solutions for this problem, we have built in down-side protection by including the right to remove in our agreements” adds Kerr.

“This unique feature of our business has been particularly beneficial in today’s volatile market allowing franchise owners to protect their investment and maximize their profits”. says Avi Blankroth, Executive Vice President of ACFN

In a time of no guarantees, the chance for a ‘do-over’ can definitely be appreciated. ACFN’s ATM franchise is a recession proof way to prosper in any economy.

About American Consumer Financial Network (“ACFN”)

ACFN is ranked the 37th Fastest Growing Private Company in Silicon Valley by the Silicon Valley Business Journal for 2009 and the 64th Fastest Growing Private Company on the Inc. Magazine listing of Top 100 Business Products & Services for 2009 and recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the “Fast 50” franchise companies”.

Veterans Opt out of Corporate America and Into the ATM Franchise Business

2010-11-09T05:30:00.000-08:00

They are among the nation’s elite when it comes to leadership, teamwork and getting the job done, so how do they work all of those skills into a stable, long-term career ?

Charlotte, NC – Of the approximately. 80 million small businesses in the U.S., four million are owned by US Veterans and 400,000 small businesses are owned by service-disabled veterans.

In the meantime, those veterans looking to get their feet into a small business are still having difficulty during this recession, as millions of Americans are.

Veterans are frequently overqualified for most entry-level jobs in terms of the technical expertise they have gained on the battlefield, yet they may not be quite experienced enough for mid-level jobs. They are among the nation’s elite when it comes to leadership, teamwork and getting the job done, so how do they work all of those skills into a stable, long-term career?

ACFN. a California based ATM Franchise Business is offering returning veterans the opportunity to start their own business, and fast.

Brian G, a veteran of the US Marines, is one of the many veterans who found his future with ACFN. After considering a transition into the corporate world, Brian instead opted to take a chance on business ownership. Now he operates a number of ATMs in his home state.

Brian’s main objective in owning his own business was the possibility of rapid expansion. He mentions, “I wanted to grow my business as fast as possible to produce an annual income large enough to sustain myself and my family. ACFN offered that without any major challenges.”

President of ACFN Jeff Kerr built his business with those goals in mind. He intended to create a business that was extremely flexible and allowed franchisees to dictate the size of their business without any drawbacks. He comments, “An ACFN business is very flexible and in most cases can be molded and scaled to fit a franchise owner’s specific set of circumstances.

“By allowing franchisees to retain their jobs and other business activities they have the benefit of rolling their ACFN profits directly back into their business to grow their business at a faster pace.”

VP of Sales Robert Harris, adds “Many of our franchisees have enough profitable locations to support themselves and so they choose to use their extra income exclusively for business growth. It’s a proven system and continues to make many of our owners very happy.” Over ten percent of ACFN Franchisees are Veterans.

The Veterans Administration is collaborating with the Small Business Administration and the General Services Administration to certify Veteran owned small businesses and service disabled Veteran owned small businesses for listing on the Federal Supply Register, which enhances their visibility and competitiveness, creating jobs for Veterans.

The SBA also partners with micro-lenders and other financial institutions providing small loans of up to $35,000. The Military Reservist Economic Injury Disaster Loan exists in case the vet’s business suffers economic damage after he or she is activated for duty. Another program, the Patriot Express Loan, is available to veterans, disabled vets, Reserve and National Guard members and spouses.

Earning High Marks - ACFN ATM Franchise - Amongst the Best Companies in America.

2010-06-30T11:01:00.000-07:00

Recent independent studies have ranked the ACFN ATM Franchise amongst the top high performing companies in the U.S.

You are staying in a hotel and need cash. The front desk clerk directs you to an automated teller machine in the hotel. Chances are it’s an American Consumer Financial Network ATM. The company provides financial services and transaction processing solutions, with a national network of onsite ATMs in hotels and other travel and entertainment-based businesses.

The innovative ACFN (American Consumer Financial Network) announces its inclusion in the top 300 franchise opportunities for 2010 by AllStar AllBusiness. The honors include top ranking in three categories: growth, financial strength and general listing.

Unlike other companies in the industry, ACFN owns and controls the ATMs and does not charge fees to the businesses hosting the machines. Franchisees receive training on how to construct, own, and operate onsite ATMs. ACFN also provides ATM processing, network, administrative, marketing, and other types of support.

“These awards are a tremendous validation for a young, innovative company from Silicon Valley,” says Jeff Kerr, Founder and President of ACFN.

The national recognition that ACFN has gained is rightfully earned as the company expands its interests to provide services at more than 1,200 locations in North America.

According to Allstar, the company’s growth wasn’t meager — in 2009, one of the toughest years in recent history, ACFN increased its number of units by more than 20 percent and improved its financial health ranking from #124 to #97 this year.

Inclusion on the Allstar Allbusiness list, a subsidiary of Dun & Bradstreet brand is not an easy task. After a daunting year of economic recession in 2009, many longstanding, established franchise companies have been unable to maintain their top 300 ranking.

ACFN’s ability to secure a place on this elite list of companies is a testament to their innovation and prospective strength as a franchise company.

ACFN is also ranked 64th on the Inc. Magazine listing of Top 100 Business Products & Services for 2009 and ranked 374th on the Inc. Magazine listing of Fastest Growing Private Companies and recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the “Fast 50” Franchise Companies”.

About ACFN

ACFN the ATM franchise business opportunity for individuals interested in developing a business with a recurring revenue stream within the financial services sector.

Find out how you can benefit from ACFN to help deliver return on investment, positive cash flow and improved revenue.

More information is available at

http://www.acfnfranchised.com/

American Consumer Financial Network (ACFN)
111 W. St. John St
Sixth Floor
San Jose, CA 95113

Tel 888-794-2236

Public Sector Employees - ACFN ATM - Your Trusted Retirement Partner.

2010-06-30T10:58:00.000-07:00

Public Sector employees have successfully maneuvered the recession, still many are concerned about the next step upon retirement. ATM business ACFN is offering a practical opportunity that promises real revenue and no nonsense.

As the recession appears to come to a close and some Americans are slowly coming out of financial hiding, the nation is beginning to notice which employment sectors truly are the last ones standing.

In addition to the intelligently invested, government employees are proving to be an excellent example of recession survivors.

"While private-sector employment fell sharply in the last two years," the Manhattan Institute's Josh Barro noted earlier this year, "the public-sector, civilian workforce continued growing until mid-2008. It has since remained essentially flat.

"While private-employment rolls are nearly 10 percent smaller than they were three years ago, public-employment rolls have grown by nearly 2 percent."

Government employees have always kept our nation running smoothly, and have traditionally been paid reasonably well for it. From sanitation workers to public transportation operators, public sector employees have the backing of unions that work on their behalf to ensure they receive the best health care and pension plans available.

In terms of compensation, federal workers are rapidly pulling away from private employees. As USA Today's Dennis Cauchon recently reported, "Federal workers earned an average salary of $67,691 in 2008 for occupations that exist both in government and the private sector, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The average pay for the same mix of jobs in the private sector was $60,046 in 2008, the most recent data available."

And that's only wages. Federal health, pension and other benefits are worth four times what private workers on average enjoy, Cauchon added.

However, health benefits and retirement plans weren’t the tools that allowed so many municipal workers to stay afloat. The real advantages are their high levels of job security, steadily increasing wages, and shockingly young retirement ages.

Department of Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond of Georgia discussed the benefits of government employment, “Government has been a huge job creation engine for most of the 1990s and through the early part of this century. The communities that have been most successful [through the recession] have benefited from a huge government investment.”

With so many of these workers retiring between the ages of 40 – 55, several of them have gone on to explore new opportunities after servicing their government. Tending toward business ideas that supplement their pension, they generally prefer low commitment engagements with high levels of return.

In response to the interest of this community, The ACFN ATM Franchise, a Silicon Valley company is recruiting retired public sector workers into their ranks. With over 1200 locations across the nation, ACFN (American Consumer Financial Network) offers the option to purchase their own ATM franchise. Franchisees can turn one ATM into dozens, and enjoy an excellent profit based on ATM service charges, incurred whenever their machine is used.

ACFN President and Founder Jeff Kerr directed this comment to government and municipal employees interested in owning their own business, “ACFN is an excellent opportunity for people who are interested in a straightforward opportunity that prides itself on being uncomplicated. We provide training and have a strong support team in place to help franchise owners with all aspects of operating their business including ATM placement and business management. No prior experience is required or needed to join ACFN”.

Generous retirement packages aside, the twenty-first century was a good time to be publicly employed. And with the advantage of large payouts upon departure, retirees are outfitted with lump sums of money that would be perfectly invested in ACFN’s entrepreneurial opportunity.

The franchise fee for ACFN starts at $25,000.

The company provides a comprehensive training program at their headquarters in San Jose, California and the best ongoing customer service that is frequently described as second to none.

About ACFN

ACFN the ATM franchise business opportunity for individuals interested in developing a business with a recurring revenue stream within the financial services sector.

With over a decade of experience in ATM services and more than 150 Franchises and 1,200 locations in North America. ACFN is a leader in the ATM industry with a proven track record and an impressive client list.

Find out how you can benefit from ACFN to help deliver return on investment, positive cash flow and improved revenue.

More information is available at

http://www.acfnfranchised.com/

American Consumer Financial Network (ACFN)
111 W. St. John St
Sixth Floor
San Jose, CA 95113

Tel 888-794-2236

Unemployed Manufacturing Workers Find New Opportunities Off the Line

2010-06-30T08:35:00.000-07:00

The U.S. manufacturing sector accounted for 23 % of all mass layoff events and 27% of initial unemployment benefit claims filed in March 2010. Nationally ranked, ACFN ATM Franchise offers the opportunity to get off the line and start a business.

The manufacturing sector continues to take it on the chin with layoffs in that industry accounting for more than a quarter of the men and women applying for unemployment benefits for the first time.

The Department of Labor’s May 11th report of industry specific statistics stated 128,000 manufacturing jobs were lost in March 2010.

Economic forecasters do not expect the one million jobs lost in the recession, in the auto, steel, furniture and other manufacturing industries, to return.

More than 450 jobs are being eliminated as Whirlpool Corp. ends a production shift at an Evansville factory that is being shut down in June. Whirlpool announced last year that it would shut down the 1,100-worker refrigerator factory and move production to Mexico.

Angry participants of the www.manufacturing.net website’s “talk back” section offered “Appliances made in Asia and Mexico come with far less crushing tax burden, abusive union contracts, and high operating expenses". Check the labels at your local appliance store. Americans do not buy "Made in America", they buy what they can afford. The more jobs exported, the less they can afford.

Like an umbrella in this rain of manufacturing pink slips, a San Jose, CA business is offering the hope of the bright future off the assembly line. The American Consumer Financial Network (ACFN) is an ATM business that extends an opportunity to individuals from all walks of life, the ability to own and operate their own business.

For a reasonable fee, new business owners receive training, and the backing of an experienced group of marketing and sales people to get a boost into the business world.

ACFN is the only ATM Franchise in North America and appeals to people from every walk of life. In fact, the highest grossing machine in the ACFN ATM network belongs to a retired California public school teacher.

With the economic downturn, ACFN has kept their franchise fees cost effective, to accommodate those who are in search of a way to increase their nest egg as they plan for the future.

President and Founder Jeff Kerr says that his business offers laid off manufacturing employees countrywide the opportunity to weather the storm, “As a business owner since 1986, I am very aware of how effected the manufacturing industry has been by this recent recession. The unemployment numbers are terrible and have forced many people to re-think how they plan for a better future.”

Kerr urges anyone with a desire to develop an independent income to stabilize their future to explore the options ACFN has to offer. They might find a long term answer to their problem, and with it, the tools to build a successful business.

Franchise Fees are reasonably priced and start at $25,000

The Company also provides a comprehensive training program at their headquarters in San Jose, California and the best ongoing customer service that can only be described as second to none

Baby Boomers Face Retirement Age Happy, Healthy, Wealthy and Not Ready to Embrace Full Retirement

2010-06-30T08:07:00.000-07:00

The biggest demographic segment in the US, the Baby Boomers are now retirement age, or very close. This group is not embracing retirement like generations before them. Many are seeking part-time employment and opening small businesses.

According to University of Montréal demographer Jacques Légaré, baby boomers will remain among the most self-reliant generations to reach their golden years. According to Légaré, they never wanted to depend on their progeny to look after them in their golden years.

"They are usually well educated and have great financial means," says Légaré. "They benefited from generous pensions and have contributed to retirement for decades."

In an effort to fend off boredom, keep a nimble mind and body, maintain community relationships and remain confident in their abilities, this legion of retirees are taking control of their retirement and their destiny by becoming small business owners.

Jeff Kerr, the President and Founder of ACFN, the San Jose based ATM Franchise Business agrees that baby boomers make the perfect small business owner. “When you have the benefit of 30 years of experience in the business world, no matter what the industry was, you possess assets that can’t be taught in any MBA classroom. Sharp retirees who have no desire to sit back and ease into old age have a huge leg up when developing a small business. Time, Money and experience"

Business coach, mentor and author Karen Newman is a firm believer in the new trend of retirement careers. “Building a home-based business is undoubtedly one of the most viable, lucrative, and personally satisfying career options out there for baby boomers. With the Internet as your consummate leverage, becoming a successful entrepreneur beyond your wildest dreams can quite suddenly become a reality,” Newman said.

The wisdom Henry Emerson Fosdick offered when the first baby boomers were still in diapers seems to be their anthem “Don’t simply retire from something. Have something to retire to.”

Retiring to the “working smart, not hard” methodology of franchises these boomers are working part time running their own business via ACFN and like companies to maintain an income stream fund travel, spoil grandchildren and indulge in uniquely baby boomer activities like nights at the casino and light cosmetic surgery.

ACFN identifies and provides their franchisees with high traffic locations through the use of a state of the art technology. Once a location is identified, ACFN handles all the heavy lifting, even adding a clause to each agreement that states if profits aren’t acceptable, business can and will be taken elsewhere. A guarantee that solid is impossible with other brick and mortar franchises, but the ACFN difference offers unparalleled protection.

Anyone can purchase the tools necessary to start their own network of working ACFN ATMs. The package includes training, marketing and sales assistance, and award winning customer service that guides franchisees through the ATM servicing process one step at a time.

Even Jeff Kerr has operated his own network of ATMs for more than a decade. He comments, “My personal experience from owning and operating a network of ATMs has been very valuable. I know the many benefits that can be achieved and have done the work required to secure them. The Return on Investment (ROI) ATMs generate is the highest I have seen in my 24 years of business ownership”.

"When you add to that the transparency provided by our franchise documents ACFN offers an attractive path to join the ranks of entrepreneurs”.

The ACFN system requires no more than a few hours a week. With over 1,250 locations across North America, and more than 150 happy franchisees, ACFN is the right opportunity at the right time.

The franchise fee for ACFN starts at $25,000.

The company also provides a comprehensive training program at their headquarters in San Jose, California and the best ongoing customer service that can only be described as second to none.

CFN the ATM franchise business opportunity is for individuals interested in developing a business with a recurring revenue stream within the financial services sector.

With over a decade of experience in ATM services and more than 150 Franchises and 1,250 locations in North America ACFN is a leader in the ATM industry with a proven track record and an impressive client list.

Find out how you can benefit from ACFN to help deliver return on investment, positive cash flow and improved revenue.

American Consumer Financial Network (ACFN)
Sixth Floor, Community Towers
111 W. St John Street
San Jose, CA 95113
Tel 888-794-2236

Visit their webpage http://www.acfnfranchised.com/

# # #

ACFN is North Americas only ATM franchise focused on providing ATM services to hotels and other travel and entertainment based businesses. Providing ATM services since 1996, franchised in 2003 with 150 franchises, 1200 ATM Machines in the US and Canada.

ACFN moves to new HQ – 12,000 SQFT in Community Towers Downtown San Jose, CA

2010-06-30T07:24:00.000-07:00

On the heels of double digit growth in 2009, Silicon Valley Based, American Consumer Financial Network (“ACFN”) continues to see the recessionary economy as an indicator that business can survive, and thrive, if it is malleable.

Now occupying their new 12,000 SQFT Head Quarters, the entire sixth floor of the Community Towers building in downtown San Jose, as well as a nice position on “Inc. Magazine’s fastest growing private companies", a national industry-wide ranking, American Consumer Financial Network, (“ACFN”), is projecting only blue California skies ahead.

Lauded locally as the 37th Fastest Growing Private Company in Silicon Valley, President and Founder Jeff Kerr must know something that others don’t: How to leverage competitive advantages as spring boards to business growth. “ACFN is growing through the recession by watching costs, serving core customers, and aggressively pursuing new business.

Completing the move to our new HQ more than doubles our office space, achieves better compartmentalization to increase productivity and provides the added capacity needed to support current and future growth”

Kerr credits their achievements to the unique innovation of ACFN’s business model boasting the lowest cost of operation in his industry.

ACFN Executive Vice-President, Avi Blankroth believes "ACFN’s rapid growth isn’t in spite of the recession, but indicative of the changing needs of businesses hoping to survive. He mentions, “We provide a means to fulfill a need at a time when every business is vying for a tactical edge to outlast and outshine their competition. Our services allow our clients to alleviate an obstacle for their customers.”

The prediction for ACFN to double in size over the next three years may seem bold, but could be an underestimated forecast when the numbers are all in.

Since its conception in 1968, ATM usage has evolved into a widely accepted and trusted convenience. With global ATM use on the rise, there are 2 million ATM machines waiting to help you around the world and ATM acceptance is growing steadily among average Americans. The American Bankers Association reports half of the US adult populations use an ATM every month, and more join that group comfortable with that technology every day.

"ATMs are becoming more like super ATMs with more intelligent software and technology," says Tracy Kitten, senior editor for ATM Marketplace magazine. "Many industries are encouraging self-service, so people are more comfortable with that. We trust technology sometimes more than a person."

When you combined the statistical numbers for ATM business with the increase in automated functions that many businesses now offer, like airline check-ins and grocery store checkouts – you come out understanding that people are happy to automate many of their in-person transactions, Kitten says.

ACFN has placed over 1,250 ATMs in the US and Canada at travel and entertainment based businesses since 1996.

Franchise Fees are reasonably priced and start at $25,000

The Company also provides a comprehensive training program at their headquarters in San Jose, California and the best ongoing customer service that can only be described as second to none

About ACFN

ACFN the ATM franchise business opportunity for individuals interested in developing a business with a recurring revenue stream within the financial services sector.

Find out how you can benefit from ACFN to help deliver return on investment, positive cash flow and improved revenue.

More information is available at

http://www.acfnfranchised.com/

American Consumer Financial Network (ACFN)
111 W. St. John St
Sixth Floor
San Jose, CA 95113

Tel 888-794-2236

ACFN - ATM Franchise Business, Ranked #1 in category “Miscellaneous Financial Services” in 2010

2010-01-19T06:27:00.000-08:00

After almost six months of research and enough data entry to make any assistant’s fingers tingle with fright, Entrepreneur Magazine has just released their highly anticipated Franchise 500.

Jan 19, 2010 – After three decades of perfecting their system, Entrepreneur Magazine has become the most trusted name in franchise rankings around the world. Aspiring business owners rely on their objectivity when considering the prospect of buying a piece of the franchise pie.

Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500 listing for 2010 ranks ACFN, the only ATM franchise business in the US, #1 in category “Miscellaneous Financial Services”.

ACFN the innovative ATM Franchise Business based in Silicon Valley, is North Americas only ATM franchise focused on providing ATM services to hotels and other travel and entertainment based businesses

Although they are only a small portion of the research needed to become a franchise entrepreneur, this ranking prides itself on being both strict and objective.

The leading judgment factors are stability, financial strength, growth rate, and size. Credibility is certainly not an issue.

Companies competing for the top spot face fierce competition from the two franchises that have held the #1 spot interchangeably for the last 15 years, Subway and McDonalds.

Most companies can only hope to be named #1 in their subcategory, usually a fairer competition.

Since debuting on the list in 2008, ACFN has been creeping up the charts over the last two years, finally reaching the ultimate spot in their category. A smaller business, ACFN is an everyman franchise.

With lower startup costs than most of their competitors on the list, they offer entrepreneurship to everyone able bodied enough to work a few hours a week managing machines and fixing the occasional technically difficulty.

Franchisees vary largely in age, race, location, and income, with their most successful machine belonging to a retired California schoolteacher who operates her business with the help of her only daughter.

President and Founder Jeff Kerr shared his elation over this year’s rankings, “Entrepreneur Magazine is the premier publication for business and being recognized by them is significant".

"The ranking has already prompted many calls from qualified prospect inquiring about our business and we expect will result is many new franchisees joining"

"Being included in the Franchise 500 and earning the #1 rank in our category is a great achievement that we continue to work hard to protect and maintain in future years – we are just getting started" says Kerr

With ambitious and triumphant words from Kerr, ACFN looks to increase their franchisees steadily as they have in the past, targeting an increase in their 1200 locations by four to five hundred this year.

ACFN’s 30k startup fee includes 1 ATM, a 3 day training program, customer service, and product placement assistance.

About American Consumer Financial Network ("ACFN")

ACFN is ranked the 37th Fastest Growing Private Company in Silicon Valley by the Silicon Valley Business Journal for 2009 and the 64th Fastest Growing Private Company on the Inc. Magazine listing of Top 100 Business Products & Services for 2009 and recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the “Fast 50” franchise companies”.

Video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqplU0Ye7Bw

96 N. Third Street Suite 600
San Jose, CA 95112
888-794-2236
http://www.acfnfranchised.com

http://www.prlog.org/10494619-acfn-atm-franchise-business-ranked-1-in-category-miscellaneous-financial-services-in-2010.html

ACFN is North America's only ATM franchise and are ranked the 37th Fastest Growing Private Company in Silicon Valley and the 64th Fastest Growing Private Company on the Inc. Magazine listing of Top 100 Business Products & Services for 2009

Former Wall Street Broker chooses new career with ACFN ATM Franchise Business

2010-01-04T01:41:00.000-08:00

A casualty of the Wall Street Meltdown, Ron M, a veteran stock broker, discovers a new way to support his family when the company he has worked for goes bust after 27 years.

Jan 04, 2010 – New York – Former Wall Street brokers and mid-level executives from investment firms are searching for employment. Some are leveraging their business experience and savings to start small businesses or buy into franchises that are still growing through these tough times.

“If you’re looking for a job right now, your prospects are terrible. There are six times as many Americans seeking work as there are job openings, and the average duration of unemployment — the time the average job-seeker has spent looking for work — is more than six months, the highest level since the 1930s” says New York Times OP-ED Columnist, Paul Krugman in a recent article.

The story of former stock broker Ron M is familiar, after 27 years as a broker on Wall Street at the same firm, building a life for his wife and children, he lost his job when the firm closed shop as a result of the financial meltdown on Wall Street.

Ron realized that there was little chance of finding a similar position, so he took to the internet applying himself to search for a home based businesses that included a low investment, a lucrative return, requiring little time and with operational simplicity.

His research led him to an innovative Silicon Valley based company called ACFN and the ATM Franchise business.

American Consumer Financial Network has a successful track record of equipping entrepreneurs from all walks of life with the training and materials they need to start their own ATM franchise.

With his expertise in the financial services sector which included understanding research and due diligence on companies, Ron set out to thoroughly investigate this potential investment and change in lifestyle.

He acquired an ATM Franchise in the New York City Borough where he lives.

Jeff Kerr, President of ACFN says “Our three day training session provided Ron with a wealth of information. It gave him the full gamut of tools for success and prepared him to start his business in new York right away".

"Ron is an example, one of many who’ve discovered how simple it is to own your own business working with ACFN’s experienced team of professionals.” adds Kerr.

In a highly competitive market like NYC, Ron believes his success will come from identifying key locations and ACFN finds their franchisees great locations for placement.

About American Consumer Financial Network ("ACFN")

ACFN is ranked the 37th Fastest Growing Private Company in Silicon Valley by the Silicon Valley Business Journal for 2009 and the 64th Fastest Growing Private Company on the Inc. Magazine listing of Top 100 Business Products & Services for 2009 and recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the “Fast 50” franchise companies”.

Video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqplU0Ye7Bw

ACFN is North America's only ATM franchise focused on providing ATM services to hotels and other travel and entertainment based businesses. With over a decade of experience in ATM business services and more than 135 Franchisees with 1,200 locations in North America.

96 N. Third Street Suite 600
San Jose, CA 95112
888-794-2236
http://www.acfnfranchised.com

ACFN is North America's only ATM franchise and are ranked the 37th Fastest Growing Private Company in Silicon Valley and the 64th Fastest Growing Private Company on the Inc. Magazine listing of Top 100 Business Products & Services for 2009

http://www.prlog.org/10449387-former-wall-street-broker-chooses-new-career-with-acfn-atm-franchise-business.html

Some Small Businesses That Grew in 2009

2010-01-02T00:31:00.000-08:00

Air Tractor, which manufactures crop dusters and other agricultural aircraft in rural Olney, Tex., has been able to duck much of the current economic turbulence because it sells its specialized planes around the globe.

While selling in foreign markets has risks, small businesses like Air Tractor have been able to establish footholds abroad by relying on the Export-Import Bank of the United States to ensure they are paid for the goods and services they sell outside the United States.

“Without the Ex-Im Bank’s guarantee, there would be a significant difference in the deals we can make,” said David A. Ickert, the company’s vice president for finance. “We have been surviving and thriving because of exports.”

Air Tractor has been exporting its planes for agricultural seeding, fertilizing and spraying since 1995, when it sold its first two aircraft in Spain. Since then, overseas sales have been a boon to a company that employs 200 people in a town with 3,400 residents.

The company has tapped into the little-known services that the federal government provides to American exporters by compiling research and information about markets in foreign countries and by helping companies with financing. The Export-Import Bank, which is the official American export credit agency, guarantees loans and provides insurance and direct loans. The Commerce Department and all 50 states also offer help.

The bank, which has seven regional offices to help small businesses export their goods and services, authorized $4.36 billion in 2,540 transactions to support small business exports in fiscal year 2009. And the bank, which turned 75 this year, is ready to do more, said Diane Farrell, a member of the bank’s board.

“We have the capacity to do direct lending, and in these changing times, we will be looking to do more of it,” she said.

Congress is urging the federal government to take a larger role in helping small businesses with exports. The Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship this month approved legislation to bolster small business trade opportunities, and asked the Small Business Administration to appoint an official to focus on international trade programs. Federal lawmakers have also asked Ronald Kirk, the United States trade representative, to appoint a top-level official to open overseas markets to more American small businesses.

Less than 1 percent of the nation’s nearly 26 million small businesses are exporters, said Mary L. Landrieu, the Louisiana Democrat who heads the Senate small business committee. Those 240,000 businesses, she said, account for only 29 percent of the United States’ export volume, a number that that has decreased in the last 10 years, according to a letter Senator Landrieu and the committee’s ranking Republican, Senator Olympia J. Snowe of Maine, wrote to Mr. Kirk this year.

Even so, some small businesses said that in the current economic slump — federal statistics show overall exports by the United States fell 11.2 percent from October 2008 to October 2009 — their sales abroad remained strong and that they had been able to add jobs. Mr. Ickert of Air Tractor said the company had hired 30 people in the last year.

Engineered Systems and Equipment, a manufacturer of animal feed processing equipment in Caney, Kan., has more than doubled its work force recently, said its owner, Josef W. Barbi. He said the 26-year-old company now had 50 employees, an increase from the 20 in the last 18 months. “We are one of the few companies in our area who are still hiring,” Mr. Barbi said. Caney is in an economically depressed part of southeastern Kansas.

Last year, the Export-Import Bank insured a $500,000 deal for Engineered Systems to sell specialized pellet systems to a Honduran company, Proteina, which makes animal feed.

That was one of about $7 million in export deals in the last couple of years that Engineered Systems has made in Latin America. Backing from the Export-Import Bank has been crucial, he said, allowing his company to compete with European rivals.

While American exporters like Air Tractor are small enterprises, the business they do abroad can be large. Another Export-Import Bank client, Weldy-Lamont Associates, an engineering firm in Mount Prospect, Ill., relied on the bank’s financial support to win a $350 million rural electrification contract from the government of Ghana, said Patrick Hennelly, the company’s president.

The firm, with only 13 employees, used to design projects like paper mills in the Midwest, but has branched out to win contracts in Thailand, China and Yemen, Mr. Hennelly said.

Aided by an Export-Import Bank loan, Weldy-Lamont has taken a five-year electrification project in Ghana where, Mr. Hennelly said, “we’re putting in the wooden poles and stringing the wires to electrify villages across the whole country.”

The international projects are particularly timely, he said, because “the current economic crisis has stopped a couple of U.S. projects,” for his firm including coal and natural gas plants, from going forward.

Foreign projects can also lead to increased business orders inside the United States, said Kusum Kavia, co-owner and vice president of Combustion Associates, of Corona, Calif. Backed by Export-Import Bank insurance, her company won a multimillion-dollar contract to provide electric power generation systems to Benin. Ghana and Benin are in West Africa.

Parts for Benin’s 80-megawatt power plant power, Ms. Kavia said, come from suppliers in various regions of the United States. The gear boxes, for example, are made in Texas and the gear switchers in Pennsylvania. The generators are made in Ohio.

The portion of the Export-Import Bank’s financing for small business has increased in recent years, with prodding from Congress. In 2002, federal lawmakers told the bank to double small-business financing, from 10 to 20 percent, of the bank’s overall authorizations. The bank has met the goal every year since 2006.

Still, some lawmakers have said that the bank has cumbersome regulations and has not done enough to help small American businesses compete with heavily subsidized foreign competitors.

A 2006 report by the Government Accountability Office criticized the bank’s data and systems for tracking financing for small businesses. The bank has introduced Ex-Im Online, an automated transaction processing system to help small businesses and financial institutions speed through its paperwork. The same site, www.exim.gov, also has a small business portal for first-time applicants.

Small businesses can increase their chances of cracking the export market by doing their homework first, said Alan D. Andrews, vice president of PNC Bank’s global trade and equipment finance group, which works with the Export-Import Bank. That includes checking online state resources, too; each has an export assistance center, he said.

Companies can also turn to the United States Commercial Service (part of the Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration), which has market research and information about legal and other issues for each country. Its site is www.export.gov.

By ELIZABETH OLSON New York Times

Entrepreneur magazine has announced the top ranking franchises of the year.

2009-12-20T10:58:00.000-08:00

Entrepreneur magazine released its 31st annual rankings. The 500 franchises on the rankings demonstrate a 2.9 percent increase from 2008's numbers, proving that franchises are growing as a whole in spite of the recession.

Subway franchises took the number one spot overall, likely because of its cost-conscious, $5-sub deal. Magazine editors predict the shop inspired many similar $5 programs that helped increase the ranks of other delicatessens; 21 sandwich shops made the ranking overall.

Other top ranking franchises included McDonald's, 7-Eleven, andSupercuts. This demonstrates a trend of serving budget-minded consumers among growing franchises.

Such information could prove especially useful for burgeoning entrepreneurs in the current economic climate. Amy Cosper, editor of Entrepreneur, says, "The recession is adding momentum to the pursuit of entrepreneurship and self-employment. For the growing numbers seeking business ownership opportunities, franchising can offer advantages like having established products or services."

Indeed, franchising might be a smart move for starting entrepreneurs and current SMB owners, alike; according to the Franchise BusinessReview, the wide range in franchise prices makes it as feasible for Americans at most budgets to buy one, and with limited SMB loans, "using other people's money" to expand business could be a savvy move.

Airline Pilot Navigates through the Turbulence with ATM Franchise Business

2009-12-12T07:57:00.000-08:00

A former employee of large airline and Captain in the US Air Force, Michael L, recently completed the first step to owning his own business with ACFN, the California based ATM Franchise Business

Michael left with a number of options when he decided to take a leave of absence from his career as an airline pilot. The decision came after he saw many of his co-workers being let go and realized that an absence came with the option of returning at a later date.

The airline industry has taken hard hits in 2009 with Delta Airlines shedding l2100 jobs, Continental laying off 1700 and United Air Lines an additional 1050 workers.

Another recent story in Business Week reads "US Airways Defers 54 Jets Amid Finance Squeeze"

Michael knows that the skills he’s acquired here and during his time as a pilot in the US Air Force will also be keys to his success and reinventing himself.

The business he chose is the American Consumer Finance Network ATM franchise, which Inc Magazine named as "one of the Fastest Growing Private Companies in 2008" and Entrepreneur Magazine has listed in the “Top 50 Franchises in 2008"

Michael researched many businesses before deciding on ACFN. He liked the fact that they provided an intensive training program and support and that he could grow and scale the business overtime, as he saw fit.

Michael L is experienced in taking challenges head on. He comments, “The people that are the most organized and determined will be the most successful in any entrepreneurial endeavor, my years in the Air Force and with the airline definitely taught me those skills.”

“ACFN is known for its commitment to equipping franchisees with all the tools necessary to build a profitable business, providing business and technical training to their franchisees via an intensive 3 day course at company headquarters in San Jose, California which I attended” says Michael

Jeff Kerr agrees with him, mentioning, “Our business model is highly versatile. Those with the tenacity to build a larger business can, and those who choose to run a smaller business also have that option.”

Michael says, “I did my homework and took a leap of faith, and success is going to continue to happen for me.”

About American Consumer Financial Network ("ACFN")

ACFN is ranked the 37th Fastest Growing Private Company in Silicon Valley by the Silicon Valley Business Journal for 2009 and the 64th Fastest Growing Private Company on the Inc. Magazine listing of Top 100 Business Products & Services for 2009 and recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the “Fast 50” franchise companies”.

Video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqplU0Ye7Bw

96 N. Third Street Suite 600
San Jose, CA 95112
888-794-2236
http://www.acfnfranchised.com

http://www.prlog.org/10449381-airline-pilot-navigates-through-the-turbulence-with-atm-franchise-business.html

A Financial Opportunity in a Down Economy - American Consumer Financial Network - ACFN ATM Franchise

2009-12-10T01:17:00.000-08:00

With the economy still struggling to get back on its feet, many people are still in search of more original means to financial security. Skyrocketing levels of unemployment have even pushed some to delve into the world of business ownership. Yet the rash of recent store closures has left many wondering what can be done to prevent loss and ultimately business failure.

Even tried and true business models like that of Blockbuster, with its 960 store closings, and Starbucks, with their 300 store closures, are reporting colossal loses with no sign of short term improvement.

Still, some are determined, and have launched headfirst into projects of many different shapes and sizes, from the exclusively online to the normal brick and mortar. While physical business locations might be more comfortable for some, this does not mean that the process is an easy one to arrange. For example, factors such as location, need, and profitability are all arenas that must to be intensely explored.

When investigating a location to launch a business, it is customary to employ research professionals to assess proposed locations to determine the likelihood of operating a thriving business in that area. Still, the predictions generated by these individuals are not without their drawbacks and are by no means absolute. Armed with innovation, ATM business, ACFN has overcome the brick and mortar disadvantage by granting their business owners the opportunity to relocate when profits do not meet set standards.

ACFN’s proven model of success lets franchisees reposition their products in the most important sense. The right to move an ATM from a contracted location is built into the franchisee’s agreement with every vendor.

President of ACFN Jeff Kerr notes, ”Our goal is to make every ATM placement a success and with ACFN’s experienced market research team and best-in-class marketing, we achieve that goal most of the time". For those locations that fall short of expectations, in contrast to the typical retail franchise where there are little to no solutions for this problem, we have built in down-side protection by including the right to remove in our agreements" adds Kerr.

"This unique feature of our business has been particularly beneficial in today’s volatile market allowing franchise owners to protect their investment and maximize their profits”. says Avi Blankroth, Executive Vice President of ACFN

In a time of no guarantees, the chance for a ‘do-over’ can definitely be appreciated. ACFN’s ATM franchise is a recession proof way to prosper in any economy.

About American Consumer Financial Network ("ACFN")

ACFN is ranked the 37th Fastest Growing Private Company in Silicon Valley by the Silicon Valley Business Journal for 2009 and the 64th Fastest Growing Private Company on the Inc. Magazine listing of Top 100 Business Products & Services for 2009 and recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the “Fast 50” franchise companies”.

Video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqplU0Ye7Bw

96 N. Third Street Suite 600
San Jose, CA 95112
888-794-2236
http://www.acfnfranchised.com

# # #

ACFN is North Americas only ATM franchise focused on providing ATM services to hotels and other travel and entertainment based businesses. Providing ATM services since 1996, franchised in 2003 with 135 franchises, 1200 ATM Machines in the US and Canada.

Veterans Opt out of Corporate America and Into the ATM Franchise Business with ACFN

2009-12-10T01:14:00.000-08:00

They are among the nation’s elite when it comes to leadership, teamwork and getting the job done, so how do they work all of those skills into a stable, long-term career ?

Charlotte, NC - Of the approximately. 80 million small businesses in the U.S., four million are owned by US Veterans and 400,000 small businesses are owned by service-disabled veterans.

In the meantime, those veterans looking to get their feet into a small business are still having difficulty during this recession, as millions of Americans are.

Veterans are frequently overqualified for most entry-level jobs in terms of the technical expertise they have gained on the battlefield, yet they may not be quite experienced enough for mid-level jobs. They are among the nation’s elite when it comes to leadership, teamwork and getting the job done, so how do they work all of those skills into a stable, long-term career?

ACFN. a California based ATM Franchise Business is offering returning veterans the opportunity to start their own business, and fast.

Brian G, a veteran of the US Marines, is one of the many veterans who found his future with ACFN. After considering a transition into the corporate world, Brian instead opted to take a chance on business ownership. Now he operates a number of ATMs in his home state.

Brian’s main objective in owning his own business was the possibility of rapid expansion. He mentions, “I wanted to grow my business as fast as possible to produce an annual income large enough to sustain myself and my family. ACFN offered that without any major challenges.”

President of ACFN Jeff Kerr built his business with those goals in mind. He intended to create a business that was extremely flexible and allowed franchisees to dictate the size of their business without any drawbacks. He comments, “An ACFN business is very flexible and in most cases can be molded and scaled to fit a franchise owner’s specific set of circumstances.

"By allowing franchisees to retain their jobs and other business activities they have the benefit of rolling their ACFN profits directly back into their business to grow their business at a faster pace.”

VP of Sales Robert Harris, adds “Many of our franchisees have enough profitable locations to support themselves and so they choose to use their extra income exclusively for business growth. It’s a proven system and continues to make many of our owners very happy.” Over ten percent of ACFN Franchisees are Veterans.

The Veterans Administration is collaborating with the Small Business Administration and the General Services Administration to certify Veteran owned small businesses and service disabled Veteran owned small businesses for listing on the Federal Supply Register, which enhances their visibility and competitiveness, creating jobs for Veterans.

The SBA also partners with micro-lenders and other financial institutions providing small loans of up to $35,000. The Military Reservist Economic Injury Disaster Loan exists in case the vet’s business suffers economic damage after he or she is activated for duty. Another program, the Patriot Express Loan, is available to veterans, disabled vets, Reserve and National Guard members and spouses.

About American Consumer Financial Network ("ACFN")

ACFN is ranked the 37th Fastest Growing Private Company in Silicon Valley by the Silicon Valley Business Journal for 2009 and the 64th Fastest Growing Private Company on the Inc. Magazine listing of Top 100 Business Products & Services for 2009 and recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the “Fast 50” franchise companies”.

Video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqplU0Ye7Bw

96 N. Third Street Suite 600
San Jose, CA 95112
888-794-2236
http://www.acfnfranchised.com

# # #

Are You Seeking an Alternative Income Stream - ACFN ATM Franchise Business

2009-12-10T01:11:00.000-08:00

While owning a business can be intimidating, it can also represent a fast track to job security. Looking at the types of businesses available shows that people are also looking for a lifestyle change, especially as they reassess their priorities during this downturn.

The US jobless rate fell back to 10 per cent in November as the economy shed the fewest jobs since the recession started two years ago, in an improvement suggesting the labor market is beginning to heal.

President Barack Obama challenged a group of 130 business leaders, union heads, economists and others to figure out ways to create jobs during a Jobs and Economic Growth Forum at the White House last week.

Although unemployment currently sits at 10 percent, according to a report released Friday, the government has limited resources to create jobs, so private industry must be integral in fighting the problem, said the president.

"While I believe that government has a critical role in creating the conditions for economic growth, ultimately, true economic recovery is only going to come from the private sector," said Obama in his opening remarks to the group

Since launching the franchise division in 2003, ACFN has over 135 Franchises operating 1200 ATM's in the U.S. and Canada

"The key to our business model is that anyone can operate it successfully,"said, Avi Blankroth, VicePresident of ACFN " "One of the best features of the ATM Franchise business is that it not only provides a high return on low investment, it requires very little time to operate" adds Mr. Blankroth

The ACFN Franchise Fee is $29,500 and includes:

1 ATM Machine.
Corporate training in California.
Complete support in all aspects of operating your ATM network.
ACFN locates and contracts qualified host locations in your area for you.
A few hours a week is all that is required.
Long term residual income..
Prior experience not necessary - ACFN trains you.

President of ACFN Jeff Kerr built his business with those goals in mind. He created a business that was extremely flexible and allowed franchisees to dictate the size of their business without any drawbacks. He comments, “An ACFN business is very flexible and in most cases can be molded and scaled to fit a franchise owner’s specific set of circumstances.

About American Consumer Financial Network ("ACFN")

ACFN is ranked the 37th Fastest Growing Private Company in Silicon Valley by the Silicon Valley Business Journal for 2009 and the 64th Fastest Growing Private Company on the Inc. Magazine listing of Top 100 Business Products & Services for 2009 and recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the “Fast 50” franchise companies”.

Video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqplU0Ye7Bw

96 N. Third Street Suite 600
San Jose, CA 95112
888-794-2236
http://www.acfnfranchised.com

Key Questions Before You Buy Into a Franchise

2009-12-10T00:50:00.000-08:00

Before buying a franchise business, a great many issues must be considered. If you pick the wrong franchise in haste, you could be regretting the decision for a long time to come.

To help you avoid some of the major pitfalls, we have identified ten factors you should consider carefully in your decision about whether to become a franchise owner. The list has been compiled by some very experienced franchisees, and all the information is based on direct experience, near misses, and stories we have heard ‘from the trenches.’ We hope that by reading this article, at least a few people will be prevented from making a very costly error in judgment.

How would your franchise business be affected by economic ups and downs?

All economies are cyclical and, as recent history has shown, there are times when global, national and local factors result in economic slowdowns which can last many years. What impact will a change in the economy have on your prospective business? Typically during difficult economic periods, luxury products and services as well as nonessential goods and services will suffer more than those seen as cost-saving or essential items and services.

How dependent is the franchise on a specific type of area or socioeconomic mix?

Most franchises start from a single business in a single area. The success of that initial operation and perhaps a subsequent pilot, are often the basis for the entire franchise operation. However, the area the business started in and the area you will operate the franchise in are likely to be different (different ratios of houses to businesses, blue-collar to white-collar workers, high-income to low-income residents, different levels of competition, etc). Evaluate the impact of these differences on the franchise’s earning potential.

Will the franchise operation as a whole survive if there is a change of ownership or change of management?

Some franchise operations only succeed due to the influence of the founder or the current owners or management team. What would be the impact of a change in the owner/manager of the business? Do you think the product and operating model would work equally well regardless of who owned/operated the franchise group? A change of management may well have the effect of turning a well-run business into a poorly-run nightmare.

Does the franchisor have the right management structure in place to be proactive in developing and refining the business?

New ideas and approaches to business are essential and necessary functions of the franchisors for the long-term survival of the franchise. Ask about their experiences and how they intend to keep competitive over the long term? What ideas do they have for product/service growth? What flexibility will you have as a franchisee to change the product mix, marketing or pricing strategies?

Are the profit margins high enough for you to pay the franchise fees as well as yourself?

When reviewing financial forecasts for the business, be sure to establish the net profit after franchise fees are paid. Often, the numbers quoted look great, but do not include the monthly fees you will be charged. Depending on the franchise, these may include both fixed amounts and percentage fees based on your business volume.

Do the products or services being offered have some element of uniqueness about them which is exclusive to the franchisor and, ideally, patented?

If your franchisor is not offering a unique product or service, then it is highly likely you will face direct competition from other franchises, independent retailers and chain stores. Open a magazine about franchising and you will see that many industries have franchise businesses offering very similar products or services. Factor this in when looking at the income levels quoted by your franchisor. If a competitor opens next week, will your income potential be halved?

Many small businesses have closed due to the power of supermarkets. Could this happen to your franchise?

Supermarkets and big chain stores will reach into markets and niches that have a high degree of profitability and/or will build their customer numbers (eg, photo processing, dry cleaning, newspapers, books, DVDs etc). If there is enough profit, supermarkets will look at any business opportunity and will often have the resources to enter the market. Supermarkets are a great convenience for most of us, but you do not want to be in competition against them.

Will the franchisor permit you to speak to any of the franchisees he has up and running?

A good franchisor will give you a list of all franchises currently operating and let you choose the people you wish to speak to. It’s also a good idea to talk with franchisees who closed their operation, and find out why. Talking with franchisees who sold their business could give you a realistic estimate of the equity potential. Due to the pressures of running a business, not all existing franchisees will be willing to talk with every potential franchisee. Bear this in mind, but do try and speak to as many as possible, ideally five or six.

Piloted and fully audited franchise operations give the best chance of success.

You can further mitigate the risks of buying and operating a franchise by looking at franchises accredited by the International Franchise Association. (For additional information and advice, visit the IFA website at franchise.org.)However, this does not guarantee success, and less-proven franchises may work very well. Also, the more established a franchise is, the higher premium you will have to pay for it.

A good franchisor will encourage you to visit their headquarters.

They will encourage you to work with them for a day, and they will give you all the information you ask for and not pester you for a decision.Ideally, your franchisor will go a step further. If they truly want you to succeed, they will vet your suitability as a franchisee (instead of just verifying that you have the money). We suggest you do the same thing by having a credit agency check out the franchisor, directors, and key financial staff.

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of the factors that make a good franchise, but should give you some key areas to consider. Take your time, take care, and heed the advice of experts.

The Franchise Expert is a team of experienced franchisees based in the UK. For more franchise advice, visit at TheFranchiseExpert.com.

Printed from ArticlesBase.com - 10 Key Factors In Selecting A Franchise.

About American Consumer Financial Network ("ACFN")

ACFN is ranked the 37th Fastest Growing Private Company in Silicon Valley by the Silicon Valley Business Journal for 2009 and the 64th Fastest Growing Private Company on the Inc. Magazine listing of Top 100 Business Products & Services for 2009 and recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the “Fast 50” franchise companies”.

Video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqplU0Ye7Bw

96 N. Third Street Suite 600
San Jose, CA 95112
888-794-2236
http://www.acfnfranchised.com

What Businesses Go Well with Franchising?

2009-11-25T21:11:00.000-08:00

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Professor Scott Shane argues that franchisors often do not understand when to franchise or even what franchise structure best drives success. It's not just franchisors. Franchisees are typically unclear too, as they put hundreds of thousands or even millions into a franchise in the hopes that they and the chain will be successful. Shane, professor of entrepreneurial studies at Case Western Reserve University, venture capitalist, franchise consultant, author, and New York Times small business blogger, speaks with Blue MauMau about his book, From Ice Cream to the Internet: Using Franchising to Drive the Growth and Profits of Your Business.

For the benefit of franchisor executives, leaders of private equity firms who invest in franchising firms and even franchisees, Shane discusses what the academic world knows about economic patterns underlying successful franchising models. Shane illuminates for the practitioner the building blocks of a franchise model and the identification of drivers and value based on economic logic and research.

He begins by discussing the fundamental decision of whether or not to franchise: what businesses franchise well, what don't, and why.

This interview is part one of a series.

BMM: The title of your book, From Ice Cream to the Internet: Using Franchising to Drive the Growth and Profits of Your Company, brings to mind the question of which type of business is better to franchise and why: An ice cream shop? Or an Internet-based franchise?

SS: Ice cream.

One of the points about the book is that as new industries merge, franchisors have moved into many of those industries. In certain sectors, franchisors don't do as well. One of the key issues for franchising is the need to have a geographic location, where somebody working hard on the ground affects the system. That person needs a territory that doesn't overlap with somebody else's territory in order for franchising to work well. One of the problems with Internet-based businesses is that geography is blown out of the water and so if you franchise to two franchisees and they're operating over the Internet, they will immediately be competing with each other all the time. That's going to cause a lot of problems. It's also the case that you probably don't need franchisees over the Internet because if you don't need a local person on the ground for the business model to work, then you don't need franchising.

BMM: Should a franchisor be concerned that maybe their Internet concept isn't the best way to go because franchisees will be very hard pressed to make any money?

SS: Exactly. In the short run a franchisor can make money by selling franchises to franchisees. But for the long run, to have an ongoing franchise system, franchisees will need to make money. So anything that destroys the ability for franchisees to generate profits makes for a bad franchise system.

It's very hard for franchisees to be successful with an online model, so it's hard for franchisors to be successful with that in the long run.

BMM: In one of your other books you discuss what sort of small businesses venture capitalists and angels want to invest in. My impression was, of course, underwriters of businesses like it when something is greatly needed, but can't be easily duplicated by competitors. If an entrepreneur found the cure for cancer, the start-up business would more easily find funding and take off. But the sense I have in franchising is that inventing the cure for cancer doesn't make a good franchise. In fact, you mentioned that ice cream, which seems like such a generic product, seems like a good franchise model. Ice cream is a pretty mature industry. Why ice cream?

SS: There are a couple things to keep in mind. One is that the typical franchise, like most small businesses, will not make huge amounts of money. To make a lot of money off franchising, you need to either be the franchisor, or you need to be a franchisee with a very large number of outlets, each of which is generating a small sum of money. The point here is that there are just lots of businesses out there, whether they're franchised or not, where people aren't going to make very much money. And the question is, in a set of businesses, why can you sometimes make a lot of money? One of the key things that any investor will always want to look at is the scalability of the business. If you have a cure for cancer, a lot of people around the world have the same disease and nobody wants to die. Once you've figured out the formula for the drug and you've got a strong patent on it, you will want to keep other people from duplicating that drug. That approach will make a business a lot of money.

Now franchising is a different kind of scale, which is that if you can come up with a good way to set up a bunch of retail outlets that serve customers and provide a product that those customers want in an inexpensive and efficient way, and you have a very good system behind what you're doing, you can scale that up too. So when you think about a chain like Wendy's or McDonald's, there's a lot of money that was created there, but it didn't come from the fact that there was one outlet. It came from the fact that you could scale the thing to be large. But a business isn't scalable for the long term in franchising unless it works for both the franchisor and franchisees.

The reason I chose ice cream over the Internet is that the Internet just doesn't work well for the franchising model. Not every ice cream shop will be successful, but an ice cream shop is much better at being scalable through franchising.

BMM: So you are saying that in either buying a franchise or in starting a franchise chain, it is good to look at more mature industries. And to also look at whether the franchise model truly brings out advantages of economies of scale.

SS: It's not necessarily the case that you should disregard the maturity of the industry, because the maturity of the industry matters for a set of reasons whether the business is franchised or not. If a business is really mature and there's very little demand, then . . . (hesitates)

BMM: I see. Just being in a mature industry doesn't necessarily lend itself to franchising. Buying a horse buggy whip franchise may have been all right in the nineteenth century, but it isn't such a great idea in today's world.

SS: Right, you're not going to be successful. If you are thinking of franchising a successful independent business, you want to ask if franchising is the right strategy to help grow the business.

Where this book is helpful is in making that franchise choice. If there's no demand for the product, like it's buggy whips in the era of cars, it doesn't matter if it's perfect for franchising or terrible for franchising. Whether you franchise it or not is not going to solve the fact that demand for the product is not there. But if there's demand for a product, and it's a good idea, and there's need by customers, if you franchise the business when franchising doesn't really fit the business model, you will destroy the value of your good idea.

BMM: Speaking about that horse buggy whip, what do you make of disruptive technologies that come in and replace an older industry? Take Blockbuster movie rental stores, for example. Those stores have been hit by one new innovation after another that are removing the need for a brick and mortar store — home delivery of DVDs, small DVD kiosks and now video streaming of movies through broadband Internet services.

SS: The best sectors for franchising in essence have an intersection between two things. One that varies over time and one that stays pretty constant over time. The thing that stays constant over time is whether the sector has the right characteristics for franchising. That is, it needs a local operator to be successful. You can routinize and train people to follow an operating system and produce products for service. The franchisor is able to constrain and manage the geographic location well that the franchisee gets. Things that were good in the 70's on that dimension will be good currently on that dimension. That doesn't change.

What changes over time is that the market gets saturated or people no longer want some products or services.

If we took fast food as an example, that is a sector in which the model of franchising works extremely well. The problem is that much of the world is now saturated with these outlets and you find it difficult to put them in a lot of places in the U.S. What that says is that maybe in some other countries, which haven't been completely saturated with this model, there might be opportunities. But it's not that franchising itself is no longer appropriate for fast food. It's just that it's hard to have fast food outlets whether company owned or franchised today compared to the 70's because the market is saturated.

BMM: How can you tell that a market is saturated? For example, you mentioned fast food and that there are a lot of quick service restaurants. But franchisor consultants and franchise sellers all the time market that ethnic fast food, such as Mexican, Chinese, or Japanese, is an underserved market and that it is the growing sector of the future. How do you get a feel that a market really is pretty saturated?

SS: There are two ways that you would gain your ability to sell something. One is that whatever it is is in greater demand than it used to be. One of the problems with food is that that's very difficult to do. I know Americans, every year we eat more calories, but it's not that many more calories than in the past. It's not as if you're selling personal digital assistants, which ten years ago, we didn't think we needed. Now everybody wants one, including ten-year-old kids.

In food-related businesses, there is not going to be much more demand for food. The other way you get it is when people substitute. And so you're not really saying, when you say Japanese or Chinese fast food, that people are going to eat more than they used to and that's why you're going to be able to sell. What is really being said is that a franchise chain is going to be able to sell consumers more Japanese food in place of the hamburgers that they used to eat.

There you would have data out there that shows whether that's actually true. Are people actually substituting eating Japanese food in place of eating hamburgers? And are there long-term trends that show that? The underlying reasons need to be explored: say, that there is demand for healthier food and therefore people are making these choices. But decisions need to be based on evidence and an understanding of the factors of why people are making that substitution, or your business isn't going to be successful.

BMM: Give me an idea of what you see as currently the best sectors or worst for franchising a business. Would meal preparation franchises be a bad investment since they are a new sector for franchising, while health care would be good since we have a population that is growing older and health care prices are rising higher than the rate of inflation?

SS: Here's the thing. If I were to draw a two-by-two matrix for you, and say, okay, what sector should you choose to franchise a business? On one dimension would be a good sector for having a business. On the other dimension, I would ask, but is it a good business to franchise? And then for a franchise business to be successful you want a business that is a good sector to be in and it's good for franchising.

Your question is focusing on the dimension of is it a good business for anyone to be in. Well, is it a good business for anyone to be in? What does growth look like? How have sales been in that industry over the past five years? Is it growing at one or two percent, or shrinking? Or, is it growing at 10 to 20 percent? You can look at government data. You can look at the data that's put out by the Small Business Administration or the Census Bureau. Or you can use private data sources to track it. You could figure out, okay, this is a good industry.

But then the other dimension is to identify which industry is good for franchising. I will tell you that one of the best indicators of that is to look historically at where have there been the most franchises. Those industries where there are the most franchises tend to be the ones that are best for franchising. So I would look for the intersection between growing industries and a large number of franchises.

Now the harder part of this is to actually know about which industries are growing because that changes over time. Some of this is actually quite difficult because there are industries where franchising actually tends to work pretty well like, say, shoe repair. If you had asked five years ago would that be a good industry to be in, you would have seen that the industry wasn't growing. Now, paradoxically, because of the recession, it's been a strong growth industry over the past two years because people are substituting repairing their shoes for buying new ones. So sometimes our ability to predict where industries are going is difficult.

http://www.bluemaumau.org/8188/what_businesses_go_well_franchising_part_1

Opportunity Expo for Military Veterans and Military Spouses

2009-11-25T21:03:00.000-08:00

The military-to-civilian recruiting firm RecruitMilitary will present a free employment, entrepreneurship, and education event for job seekers who have military backgrounds in the Atlanta area on Thursday, December 10. This event, the RecruitMilitary Opportunity Expo, will take place from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. at Georgia International Convention Center in College Park. The event will be open to veterans who already have civilian work experience, men and women who are transitioning from active duty to civilian life, members of the National Guard and reserves, military spouses, and other military family members.

The Opportunity Expo will be the 67th of 68 such events scheduled for 2009. An all-star team of veteran-friendly organizations will conduct one-on-one interviews with the job seekers—organizations that will include corporate employers, law-enforcement agencies and other government employers, franchisors, educational institutions, veterans service agencies, and veterans associations.

Already in the line-up are Aviation Institute of Maintenance, Capella University, the Dallas Police Department, Defense Contract Management Agency, DeVry University, Education Corporation of America—Virginia College Online, Fleet Enterprises, Grand Canyon University, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Lockheed Martin Corporation, Military Sealift Command, Northrop Grumman, Prudential Insurance Company, Schlumberger, Shorter College, Strayer University, The Art Institutes, UEI College, and Wackenhut Corporation. RecruitMilitary is expecting at least 10 more exhibitors to attend.

RecruitMilitary will produce the Opportunity Expo in cooperation with The American Legion; HireVetsFirst, a unit of the United States Department of Labor; and the Military Spouse Corporate Career Network (MSCCN).

More than 1,275 organizations attended 147 RecruitMilitary events in 2007 and 2008. Those Expos generated television coverage by ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, and FOX affiliates as well as local independent channels; articles in major metropolitan and local newspapers as well as The Wall Street Journal; and extensive radio coverage, including remote live broadcasts from events.

The American Legion (http://www.legion.org) is an association of veterans who served during times of war. The Legion has 2.7 million members in nearly 15,000 posts throughout the world. Congress chartered The American Legion in 1919. HireVetsFirst was created by Congress in 2002 to develop awareness among employers of the outstanding attributes of men and women who are transitioning from active duty to civilian life.

The Military Spouse Corporate Career Network (http://www.msccn.org) was founded in 2004 to provide career opportunities and job portability for military spouses. The organization is made up of military spouses, caregivers to war wounded, and retired military personnel.

WHY EMPLOYERS ATTEND VETERAN EXPOS
Employers are eager to hire veterans for their skill sets and for their personal characteristics such as leadership, initiative, self-discipline, and an excellent work ethic. In addition, veterans are diverse in gender and ethnicity. Employers attend Expos because they can meet hundreds of highly qualified job seekers in the course of a few hours. Furthermore, their contact with the job seekers begins at what is normally one of the last stages of the hiring process—a face-to-face interview.

MILITARY WORK EXPERIENCE
Veterans offer civilian employers a wide variety of skill sets that they acquired while in the service. The overwhelming majority of active-duty personnel work in military employment categories that have easily recognizable civilian counterparts, ranging from “Engineering, Science, and Technical” and “Machine Operator and Precision Work” to “Transportation and Material Handling” and “Executive, Administrative, and Managerial.”

In many cases, the skills are immediately applicable to in the workplace. In other cases, the employers need to provide job-specific training—but the veterans’ skill levels are already so high that they absorb that training quickly.

Law-enforcement agencies are eager to hire veterans who had a “Combat Specialty”—often referred to as “Combat Arms.” And employers in a wide variety of industries value combat arms veterans for their leadership and decision-making skills.

WHY FRANCHISORS ATTEND VETERAN EXPOS
Franchisors are eager to help set veterans up in business because the franchisors value the veterans’ job skills, initiative, resourcefulness, and responsibility. In addition, veterans—especially those who served for several years—are likely to have the financial resources to handle a franchise investment. Franchisors attend veteran Expos to meet well-qualified individuals without having to sort them out from large numbers of unsuitable candidates—as they would at general job fairs or career fairs.

WHY EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS ATTEND VETERAN EXPOS
(1) Veterans make good students because of the same personal traits that make them good military personnel—initiative, self-discipline, and a great work ethic.

(2) Veterans who left active duty recently are eligible for educational benefits under the GI Bill—for 15 years under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, which took effect last August.

(3) Almost all veterans who served in the enlisted ranks have at least a high school education, but relatively few have college degrees. Thus, present and former enlisted personnel are prime candidates for degree-granting institutions. For example, of the more than 250,000 present and former enlisted personnel who have registered as job seekers in RecruitMilitary’s database at www.recruitmilitary.com, only about one-third have associate’s degrees, bachelor’s degrees, or graduate degrees.

(4) Of the lower-ranked present and former commissioned officers in the database—lieutenants and captains in the Army, Air Force and Marine Corps; ensigns and lieutenants in the Navy and Coast Guard—slightly more than 25% have advanced degrees. So the remaining 75% are prime candidates for graduate school.

(5) Recruiters for educational institutions also attend veteran Expos to hire teachers and other staff. Many veterans have highly specialized technical skills as well as experience in teaching those skills to others in the military.

EXPOS SCHEDULED FOR 2010
RecruitMilitary has scheduled 72 Veteran Opportunity Expos for 2010, including events in the Atlanta area on March 18, June 24, and October 7. Other venues will include Austin, Baltimore, Birmingham, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Norfolk, Oakland, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Raleigh, St. Louis, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Tacoma, and Tampa.

# # #

About RecruitMilitary: This Cincinnati-based company connects employers, franchisors, and educational institutions with job seekers who have military backgrounds. All of the company’s owners, account executives, and search consultants are either veterans or active or former reservists. The founder and president of RecruitMilitary is Drew Myers, formerly a Captain in the United States Marine Corps. Myers founded the company in 1998. RecruitMilitary has produced Opportunity Expos since 2006. The company also offers subscriptions to its database of more than 400,000 registered candidates who have military backgrounds at http://www.recruitmilitary.com, retained hiring services, and advertising space in online and print media. RecruitMilitary distributes more than 36,000 copies of each issue of Search & Employ, a bimonthly print magazine, to over 220 military bases throughout the world, National Guard and reserve units, and job seekers who attend RecruitMilitary Opportunity Expos

This is what the job losses looks like

2009-11-25T20:43:00.000-08:00

Our country is facing the worst economic crisis since The Great Depression. 4.4 million American jobs have been lost since this recession began -- the culmination of the Bush Administration’s failed economic approach. We need a New Direction. Congress has passed the final American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which President Obama signed into law on February 17. This legislation will create and save 3 to 4 million jobs, give 95 percent of Americans an immediate tax cut, and invest quickly into the economy – 75 percent in the first 18 months.

Democrats have a broader economic plan that will bring opportunity and fiscal security to all Americans, not just the wealthy few. Democrats have raised the minimum wage, passedeconomic recovery legislation providing recovery rebates for more than 130 million American families, and extended unemployment insurance for 3.5 million workers. We are working to make health care, energy, and education affordable for all Americans, and address our nation's foreclosure crisis.

Democrats are building an economic approach that lifts every American, not just the privileged few. The average American CEO earns more before lunchtime in one day than a minimum wage worker earns all year. This is not the kind of America we want our children to grow up in.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

On February 13, the House passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which was signed into law by President Obama on February 17. This recovery package is the first crucial step in a concerted effort to create and save 3 to 4 million jobs, jumpstart our economy, and transform it for the 21st century. This plan means real change: it will strengthen the middle class, not just Wall Street CEOs and special interests in Washington.

On March 6, the Labor Department released statistics showing that 651,000 American jobs were lost in the month of February, with the unemployment rate rising to 8.1 percent, the worst since December 1983.

The chart below compares the job loss so far in this recession to job losses in the 1990-1991 recession and the 2001 recession – showing how dramatic and unprecedented the job loss over the last 14 months has been. Over the last 14 months, our economy has lost a total of 4.4 million jobs – and continuing job losses in the next few months are predicted.

By comparison, we lost a total of 1.6 million jobs in the 1990-1991 recession, before the economy began turning around and jobs began increasing; and we lost a total of 2.7 million jobs in the 2001 recession, before the economy began turning around and jobs began increasing.

Forecasters expect job losses to bottom out in 1Q 2010 but unemployment to remain high

2009-11-25T20:19:00.000-08:00

Economists expect the joblessness that has weighed down the nation's economic recovery will start to slowly abate in 2010, but they predict consumers will continue to keep a tight rein on spending, according to a new survey.

While signs have pointed to the end of the recession, joblessness remains rampant. The national unemployment rate jumped to 10.2 percent in October, the highest in 26 years. About 9 million people currently receive unemployment benefits.

The November outlook by the National Association for Business Economics, which is set to be released Monday, shows economists expect net employment losses to bottom out in the first quarter of next year. Employers are seen starting to add to their payrolls after that.

"While the recovery has been jobless so far, that should soon change," said Lynn Reaser, NABE's president and chief economist at Point Loma Nazarene University. "Within the next few months, companies should be adding instead of cutting jobs."

But even if companies do start restaffing next spring, they aren't expected to ramp up hiring very quickly. Some 7.3 million jobs have been lost since December 2007, according to NABE. Of the 48 panelists surveyed, 61 percent do not expect a complete recovery of those lost jobs until 2012. And they expect the unemployment rate will remain "stubbornly high," averaging 9.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010.

Panelists ranked high unemployment as their second biggest concern over the next five years, expressing "extreme concern" first and foremost about the federal deficit. Those surveyed expect inflation will remain low and the dollar to remain weak, though they see it strengthening against the euro and continuing to be a major reserve currency.

The economy grew at a 3.5 percent pace in the third quarter, the Commerce Department announced last month, a strong signal that the economy is entering a recovery phase from the worst recession since the Great Depression. But the pace of the recovery is expected to be slow because of high unemployment and tight credit.

The latest survey by NABE notes that sluggish consumer spending will continue to weigh on the economy. But it predicts rebounds in housing, growth from business spending as more companies restock lean inventories, and a rise in stock prices.

Economists polled in the survey predict 3 percent real GDP growth in the 2009 fourth quarter, and 3.2 percent growth for all of 2010. For the two years combined, the projected growth is half a percentage point higher than the forecast NABE gave in October.

"Real GDP growth should also be enough to recover losses from the recession and return output to an all-time high by the end of 2010," NABE forecasters predict.

Those surveyed say the housing recovery will gather momentum, helped by low interest rates, with housing starts expected to jump 36 percent and residential investment climbing 9 percent next year. Such results would make 2010 the first year since 2005 that the housing sector contributes to overall growth. Economists expect home prices to gain 2 percent next year, after bottoming out in 2009.

Consumer spending gains are expected to be "lackluster," as workers continue to worry about jobs and investments. Panelists also expect to see a "persistently elevated sense of thrift" as consumers save more. They expect the personal savings rate to average 4 percent in 2010, the highest level since 1998.

Businesses, though, will increase their spending. The survey said the inventory liquidation of the past year will bottom out and companies will restock in 2010, while also spending more on equipment and software because of higher profits.

Corporate profits are expected to gain 12.4 percent in 2010, which the survey said was average for the first year of an economic recovery. All survey respondents expect the stock market to grow in 2010, with the S&P 500 Index seen rising 9.5 percent next year.

The NABE survey of 48 professional forecasters was taken Oct. 24-Nov. 5.

ACFN is North America's only ATM franchise and are ranked the 37th Fastest Growing Private Company in Silicon Valley and the 64th Fastest Growing Private Company on the Inc. Magazine listing of Top 100 Business Products & Services for 2009

The Team at American Consumer Financial Network (ACFN)

2009-11-13T17:34:00.000-08:00

The Team at American Consumer Financial Network (ACFN)

ACFN is North America's only ATM franchise and are ranked the 37th Fastest Growing Private Company in Silicon Valley and the 64th Fastest Growing Private Company on the Inc. Magazine listing of Top 100 Business Products & Services for 2009

Marriott launches an upscale franchise

2009-11-12T12:13:00.001-08:00

Hospitality giant Marriott International is launching a new brand called the Autograph Collection, aimed at tapping customers who prefer independent, high-end hotels over brands such as Marriott, Hilton and Four Seasons.

The Autograph Collection will allow independent hotels, many of whom have lost business in the recession, to maintain their character while using Marriott's massive reach to bring in more customers and save on costs.

Marriott, with 3,200 properties worldwide, will operate the new hotels as franchises. The hotel owners will pay Marriott in return for using the giant hotelier's infrastructure, which includes its reservation and Marriott Rewards system, its purchasing power and its online site, Marriott.com.

"We can help them save money on food, beverage, supply discounts, credit card fees and third-party online bookers," said Don Semmler, Marriott's executive vice president of brand management.

The company said it is in negotiations with 25 hotels to become franchisees by the end of 2010.

Marriott's marketing plan involves the development of specific hotel categories to accurately tell customers the experience they might have, Semmler said. The initial categories will include boutique arts, historic iconic hotels, resorts, urban edge lifestyle hotels and casino hotels, Semmler said.

There are 1,700 independent hotels, many of whom are trying to cut costs while attracting new customers during the downturn.

Semmler said the purpose of the Autograph Collection is to use Marriott management and marketing to bring a level of consistency to the new hotels, which the company hopes will build trust in the new brand among potential customers.

"The universe of independent hotels has a lot of variation, some good, some bad," Semmler said. "Our research tells us they want a trusted expert to help them navigate, so there is no disappointment."

ACFN is North America's only ATM franchise and are ranked the 37th Fastest Growing Private Company in Silicon Valley and the 64th Fastest Growing Private Company on the Inc. Magazine listing of Top 100 Business Products & Services for 2009

Regional Developer Brings Entrepreneurial Opportunities and Investments to

2009-11-12T11:18:00.000-08:00

HOUSTON, Nov. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Small business regional developer Bob Tierno,amidst a lagging state-wide economy and nearly 10 percent unemployment rate,is bringing more and more opportunities for jobs and economic growth to the state of Texas.

As a seasoned Regional Developer of FranchisEsource Brands International's, (FSBI) five premier business coaching brands, Bob is offering career opportunities for those aspiring business owners who have a passion for helping aspiring and established entrepreneurs, who see business coaching as a career and who are willing to invest in long-term self sufficiency.

"Despite the recession, the business coaching industry is experiencing
explosive growth and is breaking revenue records every day," said Bob Tierno.

"For those with previous corporate or entrepreneurial experience, business
coaching can be profitable, offer a home-office lifestyle and be incredibly
rewarding," he added.

According to a recent U.S. Small Business Administration profile on Texas, the state has 386,422 small business employers, and they employ 98.7 percent of the state's workforce.

"With the small business community being huge employers and buyers of goods
and services, it's important to the economic health of the state to keep this market performing well and contributing to a stable economy," said Tierno.

"The FSBI proven business coaching processes can assure that this under-served market remain critical contributors to our economy and stay alive and even thrive in an unstable market," he added.

Each FSBI brand offers a specific business-growth service to small and
mid-size businesses; however, as a family of brands that target similar
markets, there is synergy across and within each business coaching brand.
Investment opportunities in Texas within Tierno's business coaching nationalfranchise brands include:

The Entrepreneur's Source - trained as franchise business coaches to offer a full range of services to individuals seeking alternate career options and to franchise companies looking to increase performance.

AdviCoach - trained as business coaches to support the small-to-mid size
business market helping business owners to increase performance and improve
profitability.

Business Partner Marketing Coach - trained as marketing coaches to support
companies of all sizes with proven marketing strategies and a full suite of
creative marketing and coaching services.

Expense Reduction Consulting, ERC - trained as business coaches to offer
sophisticated cost reduction and control processes to all size businesses
generating significant savings for clients across many industries.

Decor&You - trained for two investment opportunities; an executive multi-unit model with business owners functioning as CEOs managing professional interior decorators; or individual decorating units targeting specific territories.

According to the International Coaching Federation, the business coaching
industry is a booming multi-billion dollar market and growing at an annual
rate of 40 percent nationally.

"As companies hire less and outsource more, it presents opportunities in the business coaching services sector," said Tierno. "This increased demand for business coaching has created an opportunity for the corporate-trained individual to use their business experience in an entrepreneurial venture like business coaching," he added.

For additional information on the business coaching opportunities within
Texas, contact Robert Tierno on (877) 812-3247 or at btierno@esourcecoach.com.

ACFN is North America's only ATM franchise and are ranked the 37th Fastest Growing Private Company in Silicon Valley and the 64th Fastest Growing Private Company on the Inc. Magazine listing of Top 100 Business Products & Services for 2009

ACFN, the Only ATM Franchise in North America, Poised for 35 % Organic Growth Through 2010, Providing a Solid Return on Investment

2009-11-12T08:17:00.001-08:00

San Jose, CA (PRWEB) September 15, 2009 -- With double digit unemployment a fact of life in America, more people today are turning towards buying a business as a way of securing their future.

While owning a business can be intimidating, it can also represent a fast track to job security. Looking at the types of businesses available shows that people are also looking for a lifestyle change, especially as they reassess their priorities during this downturn.

Since launching the franchise division in 2003, ACFN has over 135 Franchises operating 1200 ATM's in the U.S. and Canada

"We are experiencing solid growth and expanding our product offering to include the latest ATM technologies and those that will make us even more profitable and environmentally friendly" ." said Jeff Kerr, President of ACFN.

Inc Magazine named ACFN "one of the Fastest Growing Private Companies in 2008" while Entrepreneur Magazine has listed them in the 'Top 50 Franchises in 2008"

The ACFN Franchise Fee is $29,500 and includes:

1 ATM Machine.
Corporate training in California.
Complete support in all aspects of operating your ATM network.
ACFN locates and contracts qualified host locations in your area for you.
A few hours a week is all that is required.
Long term residual income..
Prior experience not necessary - ACFN trains you.

"The key to our business model is that anyone can operate it successfully," said, Avi Blankroth, VicePresident of ACFN " "One of the best features of the ATM Franchise business is that it not only provides a high return on low investment, it requires very little time to operate" adds Mr. Blankroth

ACFN is North America's only ATM franchise and are ranked the 37th Fastest Growing Private Company in Silicon Valley and the 64th Fastest Growing Private Company on the Inc. Magazine listing of Top 100 Business Products & Services for 2009

Young Entrepreneur Enjoys Head Start and a Profitable Business.

2009-11-12T07:53:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK, Nov. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Young entrepreneur Ryan P. stumbles upon American Consumer Financial Network, allowing him to start his own business before the age of 30.

Starting a business is usually a dream many entrepreneurs achieve later in life. Most start their journey as members of the workforce, pinching pennies wherever possible to build a nest egg large enough to comfortably transition into being their own boss. But one young entrepreneur has decided to save his golden years for the golf course.

Ryan P. is a young Hudson Valley, NY, resident who always knew he wanted to start his own business. After spending a few of his post college years in the world of professional poker, Ryan decided it was time to find a more reliable plan for his future. He knew he only had one shot at success and was determined to ensure that he was well informed before taking his leap. Nevertheless, after months of disappointing research, Ryan realized it was almost impossible to find a business that was willing to be candid about its profitability potential.

Finally, while flipping through the pages of Forbes magazine, Ryan came across the ATM franchise, American Consumer Financial Network (ACFN). He remembers the discovery as a surprisingly refreshing breakthrough, saying "I'd become a little jaded because of the constant expectation of fine print. But there wasn't any fine print with ACFN, they were very upfront." He was also relieved to find that it only took a few hours a week to maintain a collection of ATMs, allowing him to continue a fulltime career.

ACFN's business model offers franchisees the luxury of determining the size of their business, tailoring it to fit within their personal time constraints. Younger entrepreneurs can manage multiple responsibilities, graduate school or internships for example, and still offer a few hours a week to their very own cash cow.

"One of the strengths of our business that differentiates ACFN from other franchise opportunities is the ability to scale our business to fit the franchisees specific circumstances," says Jeff Kerr, President of ACFN. "Most start part time and then build towards full time as they are able to increase both their financial investment and time commitment.

This unique feature allows younger entrepreneurs still busy with full time careers, raising their families and putting their nest egg together to get involved sooner rather than later," says Kerr.

Ryan recalls the only hurdle in operating his business was his first installation, "Standing in front of this machine, all I could think was 'How am I going to move this thing?' But once I got past the initial shock, it was easy. Now it's a game, I time myself to see how fast I can install them."

About American Consumer Financial Network ("ACFN")

ACFN is ranked the 37th Fastest Growing Private Company in Silicon Valley by the Silicon Valley Business Journal for 2009 and the 64th Fastest Growing Private Company on the Inc. Magazine listing of Top 100 Business Products & Services for 2009

Video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqplU0Ye7Bw

ACFN is North America's only ATM franchise focused on providing ATM services to hotels and other travel and entertainment based businesses. ACFN the ATM franchise business is the right investment opportunity for individuals interested in developing a business with a recurring revenue stream within the financial services sector.

With over a decade of experience in ATM services and more than 135 Franchisees with 1,200 locations in North America.

American Consumer Financial Network (ACFN)
96 N. Third Street Suite 600
San Jose, CA 95112
888-794-2236
http://www.acfnfranchised.com
SOURCE American Consumer Financial Network

United - A Mother Daughter Team Own The Highest Grossing Private ATM in U.S.

2009-11-04T19:00:00.000-08:00

A mother/daughter team leverages their bond to become successful franchise owners of the ATM business ACFN.

Nov 04, 2009 – Trust, a concept easily pushed to its limits, can sometimes find itself struggling from the stretch of a shared dollar. This strain can often prove too severe for the unmarried or genetically dissimilar. However, one California bred Mother/Daughter business team has found a way to take advantage of their unbreakable bond.

Lauren D. and Juanita W. are a mother/daughter team who share a home, a business and an extremely profitable secret. For the past few years they have been privately operating a franchise as part of the ACFN (American Consumer Financial Network) ATM Business.

The decision to keep their success a secret was their best idea for staying financially conservative and reserving their earnings for expanding their ATM stronghold. Ignoring the benefits of extra income has proven a non-challenge. Their aim is to continue their covert operation until Lauren, the daughter of the pair, retires from full time employment some ten years in the future.

After a brief period of exploring different investment opportunities, the pair settled on ACFN because of its extreme simplicity. They recall purchasing the franchise as one of the best moves they’ve ever made, wishing only that they’d began the journey a few years earlier. Once they’d initiated the process, the job was made easier by their decision to split the weekly time requirements and turn what could barely be considered a light part time responsibility into an almost unnoticeable task.

Much to their delight, the ladies are only obligated to be involved in a small component of their franchise. Their direct involvement is limited solely to the service of their customers, which is the perfect organizational structure for them.

After participating in the ACFN training program, the team was free to service and collect while ACFN handled all of the corporate negotiations and placement agreements.

Vice-President of Sales Robert Harris commented “Lauren and Juanita are the ideal franchisees. They have taken advantage of ACFN’s proven business model and its commitment to its owners, allowing them to plan for retirement years in advance.”

As owners of one of the most successful locations in our network, Lauren and Juanita have proven that business ownership can be its best when shared with a loved one.

President of ACFN Jeff Kerr has frequently stated to those who might be apprehensive about buying their own business “with the extensive support we offer from our corporate office, franchise owners are not required to have a related professional background. We look for entrepreneurial people that understand the basic concept of excellent customer service and are looking for a strong partner with a proven track record to build a good business.

About American Consumer Financial Network ("ACFN")

ACFN is ranked the 37th Fastest Growing Private Company in Silicon Valley by the Silicon Valley Business Journal for 2009 and the 64th Fastest Growing Private Company on the Inc. Magazine listing of Top 100 Business Products & Services for 2009 and recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the “Fast 50” franchise companies”.

Video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqplU0Ye7Bw

ACFN is North America's only ATM franchise focused on providing ATM services to hotels and other travel and entertainment based businesses. With over a decade of experience in ATM business services and more than 135 Franchisees with 1,200 locations in North America.

96 N. Third Street Suite 600
San Jose, CA 95112
888-794-2236
http://www.acfnfranchised.com

# # #

ACFN is North Americas only ATM franchise focused on providing ATM services to hotels and other travel and entertainment based businesses. Providing ATM services since 1996, franchised in 2003 with 135 franchises, 1200 ATM Machines in the US and Canada.

ACFN is North America's only ATM franchise and are ranked the 37th Fastest Growing Private Company in Silicon Valley and the 64th Fastest Growing Private Company on the Inc. Magazine listing of Top 100 Business Products & Services for 2009

ACFN, the Only ATM Franchise in North America, Poised for 35 % Organic Growth Through 2010, Providing a Solid Return on Investment

2009-11-01T05:16:00.000-08:00

Silicon Valley based financial services company ACFN (American Consumer Financial Network) is ranked #31 In Financial Strength and #124 in Growth in 2009, provides an opportunity for anyone to develop and operate a private network of ATM machines.

September 15, 2009 -- With double digit unemployment a fact of life in America, more people today are turning towards buying a business as a way of securing their future.

While owning a business can be intimidating, it can also represent a fast track to job security. Looking at the types of businesses available shows that people are also looking for a lifestyle change, especially as they reassess their priorities during this downturn.

Since launching the franchise division in 2003, ACFN has over 135 Franchises operating 1200 ATM's in the U.S. and Canada

"We are experiencing solid growth and expanding our product offering to include the latest ATM technologies and those that will make us even more profitable and environmentally friendly" ." said Jeff Kerr, President of ACFN.

Inc Magazine named ACFN "one of the Fastest Growing Private Companies in 2008" while Entrepreneur Magazine has listed them in the 'Top 50 Franchises in 2008"

The ACFN Franchise Fee is $29,500 and includes:

1 ATM Machine.
Corporate training in California.
Complete support in all aspects of operating your ATM network.
ACFN locates and contracts qualified host locations in your area for you.
A few hours a week is all that is required.
Long term residual income..
Prior experience not necessary - ACFN trains you.

"The key to our business model is that anyone can operate it successfully," said, Avi Blankroth, VicePresident of ACFN " "One of the best features of the ATM Franchise business is that it not only provides a high return on low investment, it requires very little time to operate" adds Mr. Blankroth

ACFN has franchised owned ATM's located in world class hotel brands as well as movie theaters, gas stations, hospitals, night clubs, sports bars, sports arenas, breweries and city properties, including:

Ritz Carlton Hotels, Radisson, Ramada Inn, Best Western, Marriot Hotels, Holiday Inn, Hilton Hotels, Fairmont Hotels, Double Tree Hotels, Embassy Suites, Denny's, Shell Service Stations.

For more information please visit: http://www.acfnfranchised.com/

Call 888-794-2236

Informational Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqplU0Ye7Bw

Recorded information is also available by calling (888) 794-2236 Extension 5140.

About American Consumer Financial Network ("ACFN")

ACFN is North Americas only ATM franchise focused on providing ATM services to hotels and other travel and entertainment based businesses. ACFN has been very successful providing services to this niche in the market with its unique "turn key & hassle free" marketing philosophy combined with a "fair and friendly" approach. Providing ATM services since 1996, franchised in 2003 with 135 franchises with 1200 ATM Machines in the US and Canada.

American Consumer Financial Network (ACFN)
96 N. Third Street Suite 600
San Jose, CA 95112
888-794-2236
http://www.acfnfranchised.com/

ACFN is North America's only ATM franchise. ACFN is ranked the 37th Fastest Growing Private Company in Silicon Valley and the 64th Fastest Growing Private Company on the Inc. Magazine listing of Top 100 Business Products & Services for 2009

Visiting a National Park ? Do you know Where the ATM is ?

2009-11-01T04:52:00.000-08:00

Chances are, when you are outside enjoying nature in a national park such as the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, or Yellowstone, you aren't thinking about your need for cash.

However, these are modern times, and although you may think that nature is free, there are often many different ways to spend money in a park. It's fortunate for you that ACFN, an innovative Silicon Valley based company, excels at providing essential ATM service to remote rural areas such as national parks. ACFN is the reason that you can get money when you need it, even when you are in the middle of nowhere.

Founded in 1996 in California, the company franchised in 2003 and created the only National / Local business platform in the ATM industry. ACFN's growth has come at a key time in the recovery of the US economy. Of the 123 banks that have failed since the mortgage crisis began, 95 of those banks have failed this year alone. The result? $479 billion in assets and $323 billion in deposits have been restructured and redistributed, leaving the remaining banks vulnerable and defensive.

To avoid failure these banks are now cutting services, therefore leaving a gaping hole in the market place. Says Jeffrey Kerr, President and CEO of ACFN, "We are stepping in to fill that void forming relationships with many national management companies and securing agreements to provide services throughout North America". What does this mean for you? The next time you are in your favorite national park and need your money for food or souvenirs, ACFN will be there to provide it.

ACFN provides ATM service to more than 1,200 locations in North America including hotels, hospitals, convention centers, travel and entertainment based businesses and tourist destinations and is North America's only ATM franchise focused on ATM services.

For more information please visit: http://www.acfnfranchised.com/

Hockey Fan Takes Over Joe Louis Arena, One ATM at a Time

2009-10-31T19:21:00.000-07:00

San Jose, CA (PRWEB) October 19, 2009 -- When Bank of America gave notice that they were removing their 3 ATM machines from the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, no one was happier than ACFN. Under the terms of the $45 billion in TARP money that Bank of America received from the government, they were forced to withdraw both their sponsorship and all ATM service from the Detroit arena.

American Consumer Financial network (ACFN), an innovative Silicon Valley Company that provides the nation's only ATM Franchise business, has quickly stepped in to ensure that Red Wing's fans can continue to use ATM's in the Joe Louis Arena.

"We are stepping in to fill that void forming relationships with many national management companies and securing agreements to provide services throughout North America". says Jeffrey Kerr, President and CEO of ACFN.

Partnering with a Detroit based ACFN Franchisee and hockey fan, ACFN was in the position to supply 7 new machines in the Joe Louis Arena and substantially increase customer service. With 90,000 fans per year requiring access to ATM's during events at Joe Louis, installing more machines has decreased their waiting time, increasing revenue for arena merchants.

With ACFN, Red Wing's fans have easier access to their cash and more time to spend watching the game adds, Kerr.

Retired US Navy Veteran Finds Sustainable Business Formula for Steady Growth

2009-10-31T19:03:00.000-07:00

San Jose, CA (PRWEB) October 26, 2009 -- US Navy Veteran John B. discovers ACFN, an ATM franchise that launched him into the ranks of successful US Military small business owners.

In a time when one of our country's primary objectives is ending our occupation of Iraq, it is easy to overlook the fact that nearly 200,000 people complete their military service every year. Veterans are returning to the civilian world plagued with a very pressing question: 'What do I do next?' With unemployment at an all time high, there are fewer answers to this question, and opportunities are harder to find.

John B., a retired US Navy officer originally from Jacksonville, FL, was one of the thousands asking that very question five years ago. After trying his hand at starting an original business without much success, John hoped that purchasing a franchise would be his key to profitable business ownership. With his goal in mind, John took to the internet and discovered the American Consumer Financial Network (ACFN), an innovative Silicon Valley based ATM franchise.

John was attracted to the ATM franchise business because of its low start up cost, low risk and large potential for success. Starting with just one working ATM, John has progressively expanded his business over the last 5 years. He now owns 21 different units in various nightclubs and hotels in the greater Boston area. John stated, "…for a reasonably safe investment, it went much better that I ever expected."

John B. isn't the only veteran operating a flourishing ACFN franchise, 10% of all ACFN franchisees are US veterans. Jeff Kerr, President of ACFN comments "We are proud to report that a recent survey confirmed 10% of our franchisees are veterans. We have found veterans to be an excellent fit with our business and are investing in veteran specific advertising in conjunction with special discounts to attract more veterans to our franchise."

"ACFN's ATM franchise allows veterans to skip the start up process, equipping them with the tools and the know how to manage their business". Avi Blankroth, Excecutive Vice President of ACFN says. "The process begins with each franchisee purchasing one ATM, while ACFN provides corporate training and locates and contracts a lucrative placement location". John mentions that the franchise is "not difficult, [and I have plans to expand, with no long term plans to sell."