Franchisee resource center

Identifying the major traffic patterns, the availability of parking close by, the cost of utilities, the rent per square foot and various other aspects are just a few of the factors to consider when locating your franchise site.

Here are a few tips to help you make the most of your franchise show attendance:

Whether it is a “Discovery Day” or other term that the franchisor uses, most franchisors require prospective franchisees to visit their corporate headquarters as a pre-requisite to buying a franchise.

How can you be sure it’s the right choice for you? We asked Glen Kaufman, Managing Director at American Securities, a private equity firm with a consistent track record in the industry. The middle-market firm invests in companies with revenues ranging from $100 million to $1 billion.

The reason why anyone would choose being an Area Representative is that they are paid a certain portion of the initial franchise fee of each new franchisee they solicit as compensation. Aside from the sales commission the area representative may get paid by the franchisor a portion of the royalties received for servicing franchisees. In some cases, franchisors will pay the area representatives a portion of the fee received from new franchisees in the reps’ territory even though the area representative may have had nothing to do with the screening or recommending that particular franchisee. However, all these and other contingencies- such as compensation for furnishing many of the pre-opening and on-going services to the franchisee- should be covered in the area representation agreement.

Most prospective franchisees are drawn to the business by previous frustrating experiences in their past employments. This could have been caused due to lack of control over one’s work environment, being bound to report to superiors and insufficient room to exercise one’s authority at their work place. The micro- managing bosses, unresponsive organizational structures, or lack of voice in the organizations process are a few of the reasons why many people decide on investing in franchises as their new career. By investing in this business they take control over their own life with a little risk as compared to starting their own business from scratch.

Even the most honest and forthcoming franchisor can’t tell you what it’s like to be a franchisee. You should take the time to call existing franchisees and get some candid answers to your questions. Be careful that you don’t get a limited list of hand-picked contacts. It would be a waste of time to talk only to the most successful operators or those who are coached to give the “right” answers. Calling franchisees at random will give you the clearest picture of what you’re getting into. Here are some questions you should ask.

Most of the franchises offering Product oriented goods have very stringent rules. Since their brand is associated with a tangible good they must guarantee the desired quality from the consumer’s expectation. Franchisees must purchase the goods from a designated supplier and must keep items in their inventory as suggested by the franchisor. This can be company regulated policies or simply to help the franchisor launch some of their new products.