Few things in life are more discouraging than applying for a job and being told that you don't have enough experience. It makes perfect business sense to hire only those who have the necessary skills to do the job in question, however, it also proves to be something of a catch-22 for the unqualified applicants: in order to gain experience in the field, they have to get a job, and in order to get the job, they have to have experience in the field. It can be hard to keep up hope for your career when it feels like you're stuck in an endless loop of insufficiency.



Fortunately, there are a few ways out of this cycle. A college education can help smooth the process along, but it's never a guarantee of work, in fact, many employers require a college education and work experience, which puts even more people at a disadvantage. Another escape route is starting your own business, but if it indeed is a business you know nothing about, your chances of success aren't very good, and the cost of potentially losing a business could outweigh the potential benefit.

The best way to go could very well be starting a franchise business. Whether you want to start a Vendstar vending machine franchise or an Air Advantage wireless internet sales business, no previous knowledge or experience is required with these or a host of other home based businesses.

The primary reason for this is that the franchisors are ready and willing to teach you anything and everything you need to know to get your business up and running. They have had years (and sometimes even decades) as a business, in which they have perfected their business model and practices. All they have to do is give you that knowledge, and you are ready to go, putting the same methods to work for yourself.

What's more, they almost always provide ongoing support for those days that you run into a problem that you don't know how to solve. L & W Investigations, for example, provides 24/7 support for any and all questions or dilemmas a franchisee may encounter while investigating insurance fraud claims. The fact that franchisees work at home does not mean that they are left alone to cope with what business throws at them; they always have help.

For the most part, what a franchisor is looking for in a franchisee is not specific experience, but the drive, determination, and common sense that it takes to keep a business afloat and advancing. It is far more important that a person has the character traits necessary for the endeavor than the knowledge, because knowledge can be passed to an eager student, while character cannot. Take Vehicle Tracking Solutions and TVME INC., for example; the first work from home business sells GPS tracking devices for delivery vehicles, and the second sells media systems to bars, restaurants, bowling alleys, and other public meeting places. To succeed in either of these businesses, a person has to be a good salesman, and that is more of a natural ability; it isn't something that the franchisor can teach. But they can teach basic business practices to someone who is a salesman but has never run a business. Education is not required, experience is not required, only the drive to own and operate a business is required, and that is something that most people interested in opening a home based business already have.

Though not every franchise business opportunity is in the sales market, the same principle holds true for all. The only thing a franchisor needs from you (aside from the initial financial investment) is the mind of a business owner, which is a nice turnaround from the average employer in corporate America who is hiring you not for your potential, but for your current knowledge. In some ways, franchisors see what you can become, not just what you currently are.