Wednesday morning’s WSJ article, Fed Hints at Move to Boost Recovery is welcome news for many franchise owners and franchise marketing professionals. The news comes on the heels of IFA’s September 16th press release announcing that, "After nearly two years of intensive lobbying by members of the International Franchise Association, franchise businesses are closer to improved credit availability with the passage of a provision by the Senate that increases the Small Business Administration’s loan limits from $2 million to $5 million."

The press release links to a compelling story of Pat Luers of Centerville, Ohio, who opened his first BrightStar a year ago. After creating 40 new jobs, he hopes to expand, but not without a line of credit from the SBA.

These two points of news give me plenty of hope for a continued recovery from The Great Recession, albeit a recovery unlike the pre-2007 consumption economy. ConAgra’s CEO, Gary Rodkin, said it best in a conference call to investors rationalizing a 12% fiscal first-quarter earnings fall by describing the new consumer landscape saying that, "The strong, deal-seeking mindset consumers developed earlier in the recession has become the new normal. As consumers continue to tighten their purse strings and whittle down their pantries, retailers and manufacturers have discounted more heavily to re-energize sales." So, with all this uncertainty, what is your perspective on the market for Franchises? I'd like to hear what you have to say. Drop me a note.