Before you make the decision to open a McDonald's franchise, you should closely look over a copy of their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD). This is a 375 page documents that provides an extensive overview of the rights and responsibilities of a McDonald's franchise owner. The FDD explains the basics of cost, location, training, operations, and the ongoing fees involved in operating a McDonald's franchise. The document contains a lot of legal and business terms, so if you do not have an extensive background in law or business you may want to hire a business or corporate lawyer to help you decipher the FDD. You want to make sure you fully understand your rights and responsibilities before committing to a franchise. The FDD contains a 15 page franchise agreement, which you should have a lawyer look over so you understand your rights as a franchise owner. As the FDD is a fairly long read, you may want to review specific sections only and skim the rest. Item 19, for example, is vital for potential franchise owners as it provides an overview of the costs of opening a franchise as well as the amount of money you can make depending on location. This item is important to read as you want to make sure a McDonald's Franchise is a viable business venture in your area before making the decision to go into business. A physical copy of the McDonald's FDD can be purchased online using PayPal or a credit card. However, you can find a free PDF online through a simple google search. If you're only planning to read certain sections, or if you're comfortable reading from a screen, it might be best to save your money and simply go online. Opening a McDonald's franchise can be costly, and you'll need to put down a lot of money upfront. You need to have a great deal of money saved up to open a McDonald's franchise. You may have to wait a few years and save before applying for a franchise. You need a minimum of $750,000 in personal funds upfront. This money has to be yours and cannot come in the form of a loan or credit. If you're purchasing an existing restaurant, you must have 25% of the down payment towards the total cost must be paid up front. For a new restaurant, you must be able to pay 40% up front. Pre-opening costs for equipment and other supplies usually run somewhere between $959,450 to $2.11 million. The good news is, for these kinds of cost, you can apply for a bank loan. As a franchise, you will be charged a service fee of 4% of total sales. Also, $45,000 of your initial franchise fee must be paid to McDonald's. As a franchise owner, you have some freedom in regard to when you operate and the hiring process. However, you must adhere to certain rules of the McDonald's corporation as you're representing an international chain. McDonald's as particular independent suppliers, who you will learn about in training, that they require you purchase food, packaging, equipment, and other supplies. You cannot, therefore, switch up the kinds of napkins or ketchup packets you use, as unity is important to building a chain. If McDonald's is having a national special or releasing a new product, your establishment will have to comply with prices and dates set by the corporation. You may be able to set some of your own schedules or specials, such a weekly customer appreciation day, but you would have to get a clearance from the corporate headquarters first. The dollar menu is a hot button item for franchise owners, as many find themselves losing money do to the heavily marked down prices. Unfortunately, you cannot get rid of or alter the dollar menu during your time as a franchise owner. Once you have your funds in order, you can apply to be a franchise owner. In order to have your application accepted, you must have experience in entrepreneurial business, have excellent credit, and have adequate funding. You will start the application process by filling out an online application. The application will ask for basic information, like your name, address, phone number, date of birth, and e-mail address. It will also ask whether you've ever been convicted of any crimes other than minor traffic violations and, if so, the details of those crimes. It will ask basic questions about your credit history, financial situation, and your educational background. After your initial application is accepted, there will be a phone interview and a round of Personality and Ability testing. You will fill out a personality questionnaire as well as take some ability tests to make sure you know the basics of operating a large business. Once this phone interview and testing is complete, you will spend a few days working in a McDonald's restaurant while being observed. At the end of this, you will undergo a panel interview to see what you've learned. You will also meet with existing franchisees to ask questions about operating a McDonald's. If you pass all the above mentioned parts of your application, you will be invited for a one-on-one interview in a McDonald's headquarters near you. After this interview, the McDonald's corporation will make a final decision on whether or not to proceed with your application and allow you to open a franchise.
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One-sentence summary -- Read the McDonald's Franchise Disclosure Document. Be prepared for a lot of expenses. Learn the conditions of operating a McDonald's. Undergo the application process.

If an idea captures your and won't let go you've got to pursue it. Great artists don't worry if it will sell, if it fits current artistic trends, or will take a long time to make. Great artists jump into their passions with open arms, trusting themselves to make it work. If you want a unique, refreshing artistic voice, then you need to trust your voice. It can be hard to embark on a project that feels weird, new, and experimental. But remember -- if you can't get passionate about the project, how can you expect your audience to feel passionately about it? There is a reason burgeoning painters spend time sculpting, and vice versa. All forms of art are intrinsically linked, and they share similar vocabulary and skills (color, shading, composition, etc.). By pushing yourself to approach art differently, you open yourself up to a wealth of new influences, techniques, and styles. Push yourself to get out of your comfort zone -- this is often where you make the biggest breakthroughs and personal discoveries. This includes other forms of art, such as writing and music. Creative expression, whether with a paintbrush or a piccolo, is about getting your ideas out of your head and into the audiences. The medium you use to do that doesn't matter. Great artists are often great readers, using books and literature to push themselves to new ideas and philosophies. They are unashamed of their past, no matter what it is, and are confident using it for motivation and inspiration. Furthermore, great artists rarely say "no." They keep their minds open to everything, becoming a sponge of influences that come together to make something incredibly unique, and incredibly you. For most artists, art is a form of communication. You create art because you want to share it with other people. Otherwise, you could just leave the ideas in your head. Exactly how you want to show your work and to who is your choice. You could try to get your work shown in galleries and put up for sale. You could try getting published. You might be more comfortable putting your work online and possibly selling prints of it. Or maybe you would rather just frame some of your best work and hang it up in your home for your family and friends to enjoy. Ask for honest critiques, and try to accept them with grace. You will never catch everything, and your audience's opinion will help find areas to improve in. Ask people what they think about the art, and what it might mean. Does it match up with your own thoughts and ideas? Did you accomplish your goals with the piece? Could you better communicate them your goals, or are you happy with ambiguity and differing opinions? Constructive criticism is designed to help you improve your artwork, either the piece you're working on now or your future works. A person giving constructive criticism will usually point out both the flaws and the strengths in your piece and make suggestions on how you could fix the flaws. While it isn't always fun to hear, criticism is something you're going to have to deal with as an artist. Learn to identify when a criticism of your work is valid and use that information to focus on correcting your mistakes.
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One-sentence summary --
Trust your gut when choosing projects. Experiment in a wide variety of styles and disciplines. Draw influence from your entire life, not just your artistic pursuits. Show your work to others for thoughts and feedback. Accept constructive criticism.