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When I work with people who are considering buying a franchise, I sometimes ask them to list the first five franchises that come to mind. Generally all five are business-to-consumer (B2C) franchises such as restaurant or mailbox type franchises.

The aim of this article is to let you know that theres another whole world out there! Business-to-business (B2B) franchises, which supply services to businesses, instead of to individual consumers, are one of the fastest flourishing sectors in franchising. Products and services range from temporary personnel placement to commercial window cleaning. They include sign companies, computer support, business coaching, printing, marketing services, logo apparel and on and on.

For many potential franchise owners a B2B franchise can be the perfect fit. Many people who leave the corporate world to buy their own franchise have spent years promoting their products and services to other companies or to other departments within their own company. They are comfortable and experienced in this type of environment. They enjoy professional business relationships. They are proficient at structuring solutions.

B2B franchises frequently require less physical infrastructure than B2C franchises. They are usually scalable and many B2B owners value that the business is generally open Monday through Friday, during traditional business hours.

A B2B franchise might be less pricy to get into than other types of franchises and may have lower operating expenses. In many instances, overhead is lower and marketing is more targeted, which is typically less expensive than marketing to the masses.

One item that may keep overhead low is the amount a B2B franchise pays for rent. While retail space may be expensive, most B2B franchises are located in office buildings, where space is more affordable. Some B2B franchises are even home based. For instance, an IT firm might actually be an association of high-level IT subcontractors, who travel from their own homes directly to the customers site.

Some B2B franchises do require retail space. For example, a staffing firm that needs to be accessible to numerous potential employees might be located in a retail location; an auto parts store that supplies principally to auto repair businesses could also be open to the public.

As you can realize, there are evident advantages to owning a B2B franchise. But there can also be disadvantages. If you do not have a solid business background you may have some issues working effectively with business people, who tend to be busy and to-the-point. B2B franchises tend to work with a smaller number of big customers, instead of many individual customers. The loss of one customer can make a large dent in your top line. And since competition in the B2B arena tends to be sophisticated, you have to be at the top of your game.

But if you own a strong business experience and are one the scores of people desiring to take the next step in franchise ownership, dont overlook B2B! It could bring you enjoyment, monetary rewards, and some weekends off!

Changes in the real estate market create new niches and investment strategies. One must be able to work well with the changes as this is one area of investing that is constantly changing and updating. If you are new at real estate investing, you should begin working with a mentor and complete some transactions with a partner to reduce your financial and liability risk. A mentor will help you to avoid the common mistakes made by many real estate investors. Begin to educate yourself; do some research on the internet, attend seminars and join a real estate investing association.

What should you look for in a real estate partner or mentor?

The first and most important issue is finding someone who you can work well with; someone who shares some of your interests and goals in succeeding in real estate investing. Your first real estate partnership should be worked with someone who will also be a good mentor; someone with years of active experience and one who is successful. Meet as many real estate investors as you can; talk to them about what they are doing and how it is working for them. Many experienced investors are looking for partners; some are looking for new people to mentor.

Take your time and find a partner or mentor who is open and honest; one you can trust to steer you in the right direction. Finding real estate investors to work with is the easy part. Once you get started, you will find that there are a lot of people you need to know, including investors, brokers, property managers, rehab contractors, title companies, mortgage lenders, insurance providers and anyone who services real estate investors. A successful investor has all the necessary connections.

A good real estate partner to work with is one who has had experience at handling a variety of transactions in our constantly changing market. He will have several different exit strategies he likes to use and he will know which one works best for each transaction. He should be able to show you some examples of deals he’s made in the past that show profit. A good real estate partner is one who has a wealth of experience; a good mentor is one who will share their knowledge with you.

What do you want from the real estate partnership?

Find a good mentor and discuss the possibility of a partnership. Be sure to discuss issues like your degree of involvement in management, the amount of your investment and your responsibilities. Are you looking for a partnership where you simply invest money and the partner does the work? Are you looking at commercial, residential, vacation resorts or any certain type of property to invest in? Do you want to hold property for cash flow or is wholesaling your preference? Maybe there is a new niche in the market that you are interested in.

You are no-doubt thinking about financial gain; you must make a good profit form the partnership, no matter what type of transactions you’re working or what your degree of involvement is. Does the anticipated profit match the degree of risk in the deal? How safe is the investment?

Liability exposure is something to be considered in the real estate investing world. Will the partnership be set up as a corporation or limited liability company? Will your personal assets be protected should something go wrong? Be sure to address these issues with your partner.

The ideal person to work with as a real estate mentor is one who will explain all the important issues so that you have a clear understanding. You should be comfortable with your financial investment, personal responsibility and the amount of profit made from the deal.

Considering the condition of the real estate market today, a lot of people feel they should think twice about investing. The experienced real estate investor is seeing things quite differently. With a high supply of homes and few buyers, the prices of real estate are very low. This is a buyers’ market and it is a great time to invest in real estate.

Join a real estate investors association or a landlords’ club. Attend seminars and meetings; surround yourself with other people in the real estate investing field, discover who is successful and begin to model your program after them. Develop a relationship with someone who will make a great real estate partner and mentor and you will be off to a great start in real estate investing.