If the idea of working in an office the entire week and playing golf on the weekends, fills you with dread, then you are certainly not alone. Wearing an expensive suit to work, and sitting through innumerable meetings and presentations is not how all of us pictured our adult working life; and if you are game for looking beyond the doctors, accountants and bankers, there are alternative careers made just for you.
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<br>Music production is one such field with countless opportunities, offering you careers in singing, recording, advertising, song writing, composing, jingle making and so much more. While all these are generally like your regular jobs, but with a heady dash of music thrown in, there is another aspect to music production, one that we are all in awe of, but seldom see as a serious career- becoming a DJ (Disc Jockey). If the very name conjures up images of tattooed men, leading a nomadic night life, wandering from party to party, club to club, playing the funkiest music, and even getting paid for it, then you are only partially right. Though it is one of the more glamorous and fun careers that you can have in the field of music production, it does require some specialization, training, and of course, a deep-rooted passion for music and all its genres.
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<br>On the face of it, it may seem like mixing, re-mixing, adding beats, and playing it as your own brand of music, is all there is to DJ-ing; in reality you could not be further away from the truth! Today, DJ-ing is seen as an important part of music production, and as a proper career by many; and it is taken up with the same seriousness and dedication as other career streams.
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<br>A DJ needs to deal with a lot of sophisticated technology and equipment with expertise before he or she can be taken seriously. Playing random music does not constitute DJ-ing. Some of the equipment a DJ uses includes - a sound system with CDs of the music the DJ intends to play, an audio mixer, electronic effects unit, samplers, sequencers, digital controller hardware etc. All these are intended to create the desired effect on the music so as to make it unique, catchier, and generally a crowd-puller in clubs and parties. Today, there is more to being a DJ than just this. Turn-tabling, cueing, back-spinning, phase shifting, harmonic mixing all are part of the everyday life of a DJ.
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<br>A DJ may specialize in a certain genre of music production- hip-hop, reggae, trance, house etc. While some DJs may play for a resident club, others may be hired for the night or for exclusive parties. Apart from the obvious fame and popularity and of course the license to party all night long, the cherry on the cake is that you get paid handsomely too. While beginners may earn little, as you gain more experience and popularity, and reach a stage where your name and brand of music is enough to draw in the crowds, the sky is the limit for you. What some of the most popular DJs earn is enough to send anyone into a tizzy. However, only few reach those heights of popularity, and owing to the intense competition, finding a foothold on your own is very difficult.
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<br>Many Digital Audio Workstations let you edit and mix your own music online. Many schools of music have recognized music mixing and DJ-ing as an important part of music production, and you can even get a degree in mixing, enhancing, synthesizing, and harmonizing music. Other techniques need to be practised, and ultimately a good DJ needs to have a hunch for music that will get the crowds swaying. Though fame and success cannot be guaranteed for all in this profession; for those who make it, rest assured that a career that will never be described as uninteresting, boring and monotonous is what you have bagged!
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<br>About the Author: Read more about <a href="http://www.noroff.no/studier/lyd-musikkproduksjon-2" rel="nofollow">lydproduksjon</a> and <a href="http://www.noroff.no/studier/lyd-musikkproduksjon-2" rel="nofollow">musikkproduksjon</a> at <a href="http://www.noroff.no/studier/lyd-musikkproduksjon-2" rel="nofollow">Noroff.no</a>
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Monday, February 1, 2010
Commercial Cleaning Franchises Might be a Good Choice, But Be Careful
Commercial cleaning franchises have massive appeal for many reasons. Firstly, they are one of the most affordable franchise opportunities around. Secondly, the work really does not require prior experience. Thirdly the franchisor supplies the new franchisee with a ready-made client list of active accounts, meaning that as soon as you sign up, you have customers and you can start work straight away.
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<br>This client list is generally sold at about half the gross income that the accounts should earn in one year. So an account which will bring in $50,000 per year will be sold to the franchisee at approximately half that amount, say $25,000. The franchisor will probably also require on-going royalties, management fees and advertising fees.
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<br>So here we have a franchise opportunity presenting itself as inexpensive to buy, no marketing required, with ready and seemingly inexhaustible supply of work available and sweeten an already appealing package, the franchisor may offer to arrange financing for you on attractive terms.
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<br>At first glance it would seem commercial cleaning is an easy and predictable business to get into. You can purchase as many accounts as you feel you can manage and your revenue should be easy to predict. As you learn the business you can purchase more accounts and put on more employees to cover the work-load. But there are many things that can happen unexpectedly to throw your business plan into disarray.
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<br>Your cleaning franchise agreement may stipulate that the franchisor will offer you accounts which add up to a certain dollar value, but when you get to inspect the details of the account you perhaps will find that you cannot accept all of them. The reason may be that you will need to be in two locations at the same time, or the traveling distance from one to the other is too far to be viable. If you reject a particular cleaning account the franchisor will most likely not be under any obligation to provide you with a replacement, so now your projected income is much different from what you had planned.
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<br>If a client cancels one of the cleaning accounts you have purchased - and this can happen because of a dispute with the franchisor - or for a multitude of different reasons - the franchisor does not necessarily have to provide a replacement.
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<br>Be aware of the ongoing franchise fees, management fees, advertising fees and your debt repayment installments. These will probably be fixed monthly expenses. Even if, through no fault of your own, you cannot reach your planned revenue goals within the expected time-frame, these fees will still need to be paid.
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<br>Be careful of the stated worth of the cleaning accounts being offered to you by the franchisor. In a highly competitive market it is natural that cleaning companies will bid as low as possible to win the contracts. The bidding price that wins the contract may be too low for you to be able to make a profit from, but the franchisor will still ask you to buy the account, still require that his monthly fees be paid and claim it is not his fault that you are unable to make a profit.
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<br>Now perhaps you can see that there are many possible traps the you could fall into when buying a cleaning franchise. If you do decide to investigate a cleaning franchise opportunity, visit a franchise directory and view the many franchises for sale in Cleaning Franchises category. After you have shortlisted a few contact them, carefully read each company's disclosure document, get all the salesman's promises in writing, review the franchise agreement carefully, make sure you clearly understand your obligations and investigate claims about potential earnings. One of the most important steps you should take, but the one most often left undone, is to talk to existing franchisees.
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<br>About the Author: Michael Burdett is a frequent contributor to various <a href="http://www.everyfranchise.com" rel="nofollow">Franchise Directories</a>, including Every Franchise with a <a href="http://everyfranchise.com/franchise-news/" rel="nofollow">Franchise News</a> and <a href="http://everyfranchise.com/blog/" rel="nofollow">Franchise Blog</a> and a large selection of <a href="http://www.everyfranchise.com/Cleaning-Franchise/" rel="nofollow">Cleaning Franchises
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<br>
<br>This client list is generally sold at about half the gross income that the accounts should earn in one year. So an account which will bring in $50,000 per year will be sold to the franchisee at approximately half that amount, say $25,000. The franchisor will probably also require on-going royalties, management fees and advertising fees.
<br>
<br>So here we have a franchise opportunity presenting itself as inexpensive to buy, no marketing required, with ready and seemingly inexhaustible supply of work available and sweeten an already appealing package, the franchisor may offer to arrange financing for you on attractive terms.
<br>
<br>At first glance it would seem commercial cleaning is an easy and predictable business to get into. You can purchase as many accounts as you feel you can manage and your revenue should be easy to predict. As you learn the business you can purchase more accounts and put on more employees to cover the work-load. But there are many things that can happen unexpectedly to throw your business plan into disarray.
<br>
<br>Your cleaning franchise agreement may stipulate that the franchisor will offer you accounts which add up to a certain dollar value, but when you get to inspect the details of the account you perhaps will find that you cannot accept all of them. The reason may be that you will need to be in two locations at the same time, or the traveling distance from one to the other is too far to be viable. If you reject a particular cleaning account the franchisor will most likely not be under any obligation to provide you with a replacement, so now your projected income is much different from what you had planned.
<br>
<br>If a client cancels one of the cleaning accounts you have purchased - and this can happen because of a dispute with the franchisor - or for a multitude of different reasons - the franchisor does not necessarily have to provide a replacement.
<br>
<br>Be aware of the ongoing franchise fees, management fees, advertising fees and your debt repayment installments. These will probably be fixed monthly expenses. Even if, through no fault of your own, you cannot reach your planned revenue goals within the expected time-frame, these fees will still need to be paid.
<br>
<br>Be careful of the stated worth of the cleaning accounts being offered to you by the franchisor. In a highly competitive market it is natural that cleaning companies will bid as low as possible to win the contracts. The bidding price that wins the contract may be too low for you to be able to make a profit from, but the franchisor will still ask you to buy the account, still require that his monthly fees be paid and claim it is not his fault that you are unable to make a profit.
<br>
<br>Now perhaps you can see that there are many possible traps the you could fall into when buying a cleaning franchise. If you do decide to investigate a cleaning franchise opportunity, visit a franchise directory and view the many franchises for sale in Cleaning Franchises category. After you have shortlisted a few contact them, carefully read each company's disclosure document, get all the salesman's promises in writing, review the franchise agreement carefully, make sure you clearly understand your obligations and investigate claims about potential earnings. One of the most important steps you should take, but the one most often left undone, is to talk to existing franchisees.
<br>
<br>About the Author: Michael Burdett is a frequent contributor to various <a href="http://www.everyfranchise.com" rel="nofollow">Franchise Directories</a>, including Every Franchise with a <a href="http://everyfranchise.com/franchise-news/" rel="nofollow">Franchise News</a> and <a href="http://everyfranchise.com/blog/" rel="nofollow">Franchise Blog</a> and a large selection of <a href="http://www.everyfranchise.com/Cleaning-Franchise/" rel="nofollow">Cleaning Franchises
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