The team at Australia’s biggest gourmet pizza brand, Pizza Capers, will soon be wielding Apple iPads to take customer orders at the counter, in the queue, and in the dining area.
Pizza Capers co-founder Scott Geiszler said the newly released iPads had many advantages over traditional cash registers, including their mobility and potential to eliminate double handling by staff, saving time and keeping costs down.
“The new iPads can be used as a Point-of-Sale terminal but staff can also bring them out from behind the counter to take orders from customers in the queue or in the dining area, making them super convenient,” Mr Geizler said.
“We have always been early adopters of new technology – and these iPads are shaping up as a real bonus for us because of their portability, reliability, and because they are a real talking piece among our customers.”
Mr Geiszler said the use of the iPad would save time when taking dine-in orders as they would go directly to the pizza chefs in the kitchen without needing to be re-entered into the order system.
As a further step in bringing the benefits of the iPad to customers, the company is developing an application for iPad and iPhone that will let them “jump the queue” by placing orders directly instead of lining up.
With over 75 stores in Australia, Pizza Capers has established itself as the fastest-growing pizza franchise in Australia with an estimated five per cent share of the national market.
The company recently took its first step offshore, which a new store in the highly-competitive Singapore market. It plans to open more stores in South East Asia in the future.
Pizza Capers has enjoyed strong growth in the past 12 months. In 2009, Pizza Capers increased staff numbers by 200 and grew revenue from $14.5 million in 2007-08 to $38 million in 2008-09, an increase of 137 per cent. Revenue is set to double again in the current year, as more and more customers discover how good a pizza can be.
Anthony Russo and Scott Geizler opened their first store in Kenmore, Queensland to great success, leading to steady growth in Brisbane. With a focus on developing the business with innovative internal procedures, systems and tools they laid the foundation for strong, controlled and sustained future growth.
I was looking at some mining pictures the other day and say this massive machine that seemed to be doing a really important task. So I decided to research this ‘Gold Dredge‘ machine.
What Is A Gold Dredge?
A gold dredge is a mining machine that is used to extracts gold from other materials such as sand and dirt. It uses water and mechanical methods to extract the gold. A gold dredge digs up the sand or dirt using either steel buckets on a sircular conveyor belt – or by suction.
The Concept Of The Gold Dredge
The concept is that when the sand and dirt is mixed with water the sand and dirt will wash away because it is light, while the gold (which is much denser will stay at the bottom of the bucket. The original way that miners did this was with hand buckets, the gold dredge is the same idea but on a larger scale.
Have you ever bought a soft drink from a drink vending machine and thought, ‘Wonder how much you’d make from one of these? Maybe I should see if I can find a drink machine for sale’?
Well before you start considering a move into the drink vending machine busines, let’s take a a closer look at what is really involved..
What Is A Drink Vending Machine?
I am sure the majority of you would know what a drink vending machine is, but let’s look closer into the exactly is involved in the actual machine – so that we can get a better gauge of the business.
Components of A Drink Vending Machine
The Machine
If you are considering looking at vending machines for sale, then you need to realise that one of the key words in that phrase is ‘machine’.
Machines need fixing and upkeep. They are not always reliable, which means that you will have to be ready to provide maintenance yourself – or have a maintenance person on call.
The Drinks
What are you going to sell, and for how much? After you have had your machine for a while, you will begin to realise that some of your products will sell really well – while others may not sell at all.
This is where you need to make sure that your drink vending machine is stocked with the hot products and slowly refine your product range for maximum products.
The Location
But the most important component of a drink vending machine is actually not a part of the machine, but is the location.
The worst machine (if working and has stock), in the best location will dramatically outsell the pristine machine (with the most desired drinks) – if there is no traffic. So make sure that you find yourself the best location for your drink vending machine – industrial sheds and commercial building are usually great locations (but also the most competitive).
So, make sure you take these three components into account before you continue your search for drink machines for sale.
If you are heading overseas or just purchasing something from another country then you are going to want to find a money conversion calculator.
With exchange rates changing constantly (even during the day) money conversion can become quite an art if you are trying to get the best deal.
What Is A Money Conversion Calculator?
Just as there are mortgage calculators for people trying to assess if they have the means to afford a mortgage on a certain property, it is the same with money conversion.
If you are purchasing something that is in a different currency, or considering doing business with an international company, then you want to make sure that you know exactly how much it is going to cost in your dollars. This is where the money converter calculator comes in handy.
It quickly allows you to check how much a certain amount of your money it will cost to purchase something is, say Euro’s, USD or any of the world currencies.
Money conversion calculators are also perfect if you are planning an overseas holiday and it will help you get a better understanding of the exchange rate (money conversion) between the two currencies – helping you better estimate the cost of your holiday.
I am sure by now you would have at least heard of the Rich Dad Poor Dad books by Robert Kiyosaki.
The series, starting in 1999 with the book , it has grown to 15 books and sales in excess of 26 million copies world wide!
The central concept of the Rich Dad Poor Dad Books, and more specifically the first book, is a comparison of his “two fathers”. His “poor dad” who was his biological father, who became Superintendent of the Hawaii State Department of Education but had very little real net worth. Contrasted with this is his “rich dad” advocates tax-advantaged investment vehicles, such as real estate or businesses, rather than ownership of securities.
Rich Dad Poor Dad Books
While a lot of people have passed the Rich Dad Poor Dad books off as too basic or do not provide enough real content – I beg to differ. Robert Kiyosaki is targetting these books as a basic teaching tool for everyday people. And this is the reason he needs to keep things simple.
If you are looking to buy one of the Rich Dad Poor Dad Books, then let me recommend my favourites:
– Provides the basics and will give you a great overview of Roberts style of thinking.
– Robert’s prediction of a financial collapse due to an aging workforce.
Following up from my last post about business class tickets and whether they are worth the price. I want to look at a few suggestions on how to get cheap business class flights!
There are only two ways to get a business class ticket and that is to buy a ticket or to get a free upgrade. Lets look at each a little closer.
If you are going to buy your ticket but are still wanting to make sure you get cheap business class flights then here are a few tips:
Sign Up For Airline Email Newsletters!
The airlines are constantly emailing their subscribers with the latest deals so to make sure you know about the latest offers, make sure you subscribe.
Use Airline Points To Upgrade
While it can take quite a lot of points to purchase business class tickets outright, it is a lot smaller of a percentage to purchase an economy ticket for the flight and then use your airline points to upgrade.
Scour Online Travel Websites
There are a lot of airlines so checking them all will take a lot of time and effort. So why not let someone else do all the work for you and search the online travel websites for cheap business class tickets?
If you don’t want to pay for your business class tickets then you are going to have to risk not getting them, but there are a few things you can do to increase your chances for a free business class upgrade:
Travel Alone
Spare business class seats usually come in single quantities so traveling alone definitely increases your chances of an upgrade.
Use Your Title
If you are a Doctor or a Reverend, then make sure to let this be known.
Pick Your Travel Times Carefully
You will want to pick dates and times that are most likely to have full economy but empty business class. School holidays are good, while early mornings during the week will most likely have a full business class.
The only way you can guarantee a business class ticket is when you purchase your cheap business class flights. If you are expecting a free upgrade you may be sorely disappointed.
If you have ever flown overseas or even a long distance, domestic flight, you will know how cramped an economic seat can get. So why not purchase business class tickets?
Now I know the first thing that every one things when they hear business class tickets is price.
And to be honest, there is quite a price difference between the the various ticket types. Let’s take the following flight for example:
Sydney To Perth – 28th February, 2010 (8:10am)
Red E-Deal – $229
Super Saver Ticket – $420
Flexi Saver Ticket – $751
Full Flexible Ticket – $937
Business Class Tickets – $1,129
So as you can see, the business class tickets are close to 5 times the price of a Red E-Deal ticket, but then again they are only a little bit more expensive than a full flexible ticket.
It really does come down to what you require (and desire) from your travel. The reason a lot of businesses purchase business class tickets for their staff is because their employees could be negotiating million dollar contracts (which could result in a lot of profits for their business) so what is $1,129 compared to the potential profits?
The Benefits Of Business Class Tickets Are
Access to the Business Class lounge
Priority check-in
Priority checked baggage handling
Better Meals
More Space
In other words, the main benefits is time and comfort, which is extremely important as you want your employees to stay as relaxed as possible to make sure they win that big contract!
As you can see, the benefits of business class tickets can be worth the additional money – but if you are only doing short domestic travel – it probably isn’t worth it!
It is interesting to watch the marketing and branding development of a franchise and the visual results of this. The McDonalds Uniform is probably an excessive example of this.
I do not know how many times over the last 24 years I have been alive that I have walked into a McDonalds Franchise to find their employees wearing a new Uniform.
Sometimes it seems that their employees have a new uniform every year, but I thought it would be fun to look at a few of the uniforms that McDonalds career holders have had to wear.
The Best And Worst Mcdonalds Uniform Choices
I am sure you will agree that the uniform has evolved nicely over time!
First of all let me start by saying that ‘I do not have a McDonalds franchise for sale.‘ But that is exactly the point of this post.
Chances are that you most likely came to this post because you were searching the internet for a McDonalds Franchise and could not come up with anything.
Infact, on one of the hundreds of visits to Google.com.au that I make, I decided to actually ‘Google’ ‘ franchise for sale’, and here is a screenshot of the results:
Firstly, you will notice that there were only 6 results after Google searched every Australia website. And secondly, if you took the time to visit each of those websites, you will fail to find any information about McDonalds at all – let alone finding a McDonalds franchise for sale.
I think this is can be put down to the fact that all McDonalds franchise sales must be handled internally. If you read my earlier post about McDonalds Careers, you will know that the McDonalds Corporation likes to promote from within, and there are a lot of success stories of employees now becoming franchise owners.
And as well as that, a lot of McDonald’s franchisees are in fact multiple franchise location owners. They have seen the potential of owning a franchise and have purchased another – meaning that even sold McDonalds franchises are kept within the company.
And lastly, the fact that there are only 6 results when you search for ‘McDonalds franchise for sale‘ must mean that almost every franchisee is happy with their business they have – which is fantastic for future franchisees.
So How Do You Find A McDonalds Franchise For Sale?
The only thing that I can think to recommend is to contact the Corporation and ask how you can purchase a franchise. But make sure you have a large bank balance!
Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, and a Yum Foods company.
The company was founded as Kentucky Fried Chicken by Colonel Harland Sanders in 1952 and since the has grown into a international recognised franchise.
So what has been the KFC menu for success?
With their being so many fast food restaurants around the world and a lot of them also being franchises, what has been the ‘KFC menu for success’, that has allowed to to have such phenomenal international success?
Is it there 11 Secret Herbs and Spices? Or Literally the KFC menu?
Or is it their prices, packaging or their staff?
Maybe it is their TV advertisements or their sponsorship of national sports.
How I do not think that it is any one single things from the above list that is the KFC menu for success, instead it is a combination of all of the above that makes KFC such a great international franchise success story.
The team at Australia’s biggest gourmet pizza brand, Pizza Capers, will soon be wielding Apple iPads to take customer orders at the counter, in the queue, and in the dining area.
