Posted to MediaSyndicate.com (Jul 11, 2007 - 01:27 PM) : BlueMauMau.org, the web's source of franchise news and information by franchisees and for franchisees, has launched the web's largest listing of franchise concepts. With more than 2,400 entries, it is nearly twice as many as any other major franchise portal.

The big Kahuna!

Whether you’re an investor or a budding entrepreneur looking to shed the old 9-to-5 and run a business of your own, navigating through the plethora of franchise opportunities out there can make for mighty choppy waters. That’s what makes the launch of BlueMauMau.org’s new franchise directory, one of the largest known directories of American franchisors, an invaluable resource for both current opportunity seekers and present franchise owners.

The new, revamped BlueMauMau.org features more than 2,400 entries, nearly twice as many as any other major franchise portal. That’s the bigger. The better comes with the extensive information that comes with each entry. Nearly all franchisor entries have a hyperlink to the franchisor's site, as well as a number of interactive tools to help budding entrepreneurs find and contact the right franchise for them.

“I think it goes without saying that when you’re looking into franchise opportunities, you need to do your homework. BlueMauMau.org provides you the access to resources needed to do that homework and a vehicle to get some feedback from other current and prospective franchise owners. Not to mention free access to articles by some of the leading franchising journalists, authors and franchising gurus. You simply can’t find that on any other site,� said Don Sniegowski, editor of BlueMauMau.org.

BlueMauMau.org provides a forum for hundreds of “citizen journalists� to post articles on the in’s and out’s of franchising. Some of the regular contributors include esteemed franchising authorities like:

• Janet Sparks – The former publisher of Continental Franchise Review, an industry newsletter that covered the franchise community for more than 30 years. Today, Janet is an independent journalist who reports on the latest developments in franchising for leading franchise publications.
• Peter Birkeland - Author of Franchising Dreams, Peter Birkeland is a franchising guru, named by Fortune Small Business as "One of the top ten minds in small business." Peter founded Peter Birkeland & Associates to help companies create and execute growth platforms that increase productivity.
• Jim Coen - Currently serving on the New England Franchise Association’s board of directors, Jim is the president of Franchise Perfection, a franchise advising and consulting practice. Prior to that, he worked with Super Coups, a Massachusetts-based direct mail franchise business-to-business opportunity and hosted "Let's Talk Franchising" on AM 1060 WBIX, The Boston Business Station.
• Bob Purvin – Chairman and CEO of the American Association of Franchisees and Dealers (AAFD)
• Stan Turkel – A New York-based hotel consultant specializing in hotel franchising issues, asset management and litigation support services. Stan is also a member of the International Society of Hospitality.

Contributions from BlueMauMau.org members are not limited to franchising veterans. Its message board and blogs provide opportunity seekers, franchise newbies and members of all levels of experience and expertise the chance to share their insights, observations and even some news scoops on specific franchises and franchise-related topics. The news and information feature star rankings, a la Amazon.com style, so readers have a way to gauge the value of information shared by members.

In addition to its comprehensive directory, message boards, and blogs, BlueMauMau.org gives the prospective franchisee a host of other beneficial resources. Those include:

• Book reviews on titles dealing with franchising
• Podcasts featuring presentations and interview with franchising industry leaders
• Newswires on the latest breaking stories in franchising
• Calendar of franchise events nationwide
• Franchipedia, a franchising encyclopedia, with entries from expert members
• Buddy lists to chat with fellow entrepreneurs on BlueMauMau.org

“Budding franchisees can find it difficult to gather the franchise realities needed to make a profitable investment,� continued Sniegowski. “Our upgraded Web site combines volume of entries with quality and quantity of information, enabling a franchisee to get the lowdown on pretty much any franchise opportunity offered in the U.S.�

ABOUT BLUE MAUMAU

Since November 2005, BlueMauMau.org has been all about providing essential information for budding franchisees and a forum to communicate with other prospective entrepreneurs. With more than 2,400 franchisors listed, Blue MauMau delivers one of the most extensive, if not the most extensive, American franchise directories on the Internet. In addition, BlueMauMau.org provides blogs, message boards, newswires, chats, podcasts and other media to give franchise “hunters� the information needed to find the right opportunity. For a free membership or more information, you can go to http://www.bluemaumau.org.