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Iced coffee seems to be gaining tremendous popularity as the summer months bring on the heat. And according to data from NPD Group's Consumer Reports on Eating Share Trends (CREST), servings of iced and frozen coffee drinks have shown a 20 percent increase during the first months of 2009 over the same time period last year.  READ MORE.

John Hotchkiss was born in Pontiac, Mich., and grew up in San Antonio, Texas. But he likes to say he "was born" into franchising. "I started working in our stores when I was 9 years old and really enjoyed it. I learned in high school that it was a good business to own when I came home exhausted from a crazy, busy night at one of our stores and my dad was relaxing and reading a book on the back porch," he recalls. "He had 700-plus employees working hard that night making him money. READ MORE.

Sam had developed and owned a successful retail operation during his business career. He also tried to be diligent by having what he thought was a sound estate plan executed before he died. He and his wife Sally felt they had everything taken care of. So when Sam died unexpectedly, Sally was dismayed to see the vehement dispute that developed between her two sons as to who would operate the company going forward. READ MORE.

Can I afford to hire (or keep) that new manager - or salesperson?" "What do I need to do in sales to cover their full cost?" What do these questions have in common? Each relates to how changes in costs, volume, and pricing affect your bottom line. By the end of this article, you'll have a single analysis model to help you answer these questions more accurately than ever before. READ MORE.