In a previous post we talked about deciding if a business is franchise worthy. The next step is the big one. It’s one thing to do market research on a business idea, it’s quite another to open your checkbook and put your money where your idea is. Here are a few things you’ll need to do to get your business going, and to get it franchise-ready. Open A Store In the case of Just Socks, my hypothetical idea, the next step assuming that the data found in the market research step was positive for a retail store like this, would be to open one up. And, unless you have the money needed to open a retail store, including furnishings, signage, and of course, inventory, you’re going to need to get a small business loan. The first step: Visit a local bank that offers small business lending, hopefully one that participates in programs administered by the SBA. Loans approved by the SBA offer certain guarantees for participating banks. Check out SBA LINC , a free tool that connects borr