Full Answer
Can you sell a franchise that you bought?
Most franchise agreements contain strict limitations on the franchisee's ability to sell their franchised business. Fundamentally this makes sense, as the franchisor needs to make sure that it has final say over who gets to do business under its name and using its proprietary system and methodologies.
Is it hard to sell a franchise?
Selling an operating franchise has a higher success rate than selling an independent business because most buyers place a high value on the support provided by the franchisors. Unlike franchises, most independent businesses lack the infrastructure and systems that make a business attractive to buyers.
How long does it take to turn a profit franchise?
One common misconception when it comes to operating a franchise is that once you sign on the dotted line and open for business, the customers and revenue will start flowing. This is typically not the case. It normally takes a year or two to become profitable.
How do u sell a franchise?
List your franchise on franchise and business websites, such as Franchisegator or BizBuySell to attract potential buyers or hire a franchise broker to find a buyer. In some cases, franchisors may put you in contact with potential buyers.
How much is my franchise worth?
Franchises are often valued based on a multiple of revenue, cash flow, or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA). As the name implies, the EBITDA method adds back some expenses to the earnings total, and a franchise can be valued at 4 to 5 times EBITDA.
Can I sell my McDonald's franchise?
McDonald's requires that the buyer of an existing restaurant pay a minimum of 25% cash as a down payment, and the balance must be financed for no more than seven years. Each franchise applicant must have at least $500,000 in liquid assets in order to apply.
How do franchise owners get paid?
How do franchise owners get paid? Franchise owners can pay themselves a salary or depending on their business entity, they may be able to take a draw from their accumulated equity.
What is a good return on a franchise?
What is an “acceptable” investment is 100% up to the investor. However, there is an oft-repeated rule of thumb that, after the second full year in business, a franchisee should be realistically able to anticipate a 15- 20% per year ROI plus an equitable salary for whatever work they do in the business.
How long should it take for a business to pay for itself?
Three to four years is the standard estimation for how long it takes a business to be profitable. Most of your earning in the first year of the business will be used for paying expenses and reinvestment.
How much do franchise owners make a year?
According to a survey done by Franchise Business Review involving 28,500 franchise owners, the average pre-tax annual income of franchise owners is about 80,000 dollars.
How do you sell a failing franchise?
Often the best answer to a franchise that is not succeeding is for the franchisee to sell the business to a third party who becomes the new franchisee for that territory. This allows the failing franchisee to terminate its obligations under the franchise agreement and under any lease.
How much is a franchise transfer fee?
Franchisors generally charge a transfer fee of 25% to 50% of the initial franchise fee. The legal costs for these reviews range from $500 to $1,500. This is paid to your lawyer. The seller will pay you a transfer fee that should cover this cost as well as the cost for training of the new franchisee.
How do you sell a failing franchise?
Often the best answer to a franchise that is not succeeding is for the franchisee to sell the business to a third party who becomes the new franchisee for that territory. This allows the failing franchisee to terminate its obligations under the franchise agreement and under any lease.
What happens when a franchisor sells?
Therefore where a franchisor sells or assigns its interest the franchisee will be required to continue operating under the terms of the franchise agreement. Just as franchisees will continue to be bound by the terms of the franchise agreement, the third party will be required to meet its obligations as a franchisor.
How much does it cost to buy into a McDonald's franchise?
McDonald's franchisee applicants must have a minimum of $500,000 available in liquid assets and pay a $45,000 franchise fee. Those looking to launch a new McDonald's franchise can expect to shell out between $1,314,500 and $2,306,500. Existing franchise prices can cost upwards of $1 million or more.
How much control does a franchise owner have?
It's a very rigid business model. It's certainly not for everyone. That said, it's important to remember that the franchisor controls almost everything. From the products/services you'll be offering, to branding, training programs and even the technology you're allowed to use.
Selling an existing franchise
For franchisees who are ready to sell their established businesses, here’s a piece of good news: According to a study conducted at Palm Beach Atlantic University’s Rinker School of Business, franchise resale prices are higher than those of non-franchise businesses.
Step 1: Prepare Your Franchise for Sale
Start by contacting your franchisor. There is no reason to keep the sale confidential from your franchisor who is accustomed to their franchisees exiting at some point. Ask if they can help you with a resale or transfer. Find out the extent of assistance they offer. The process varies significantly from franchise to franchise.
Step 2: Market Your Franchise for Sale
Most business brokers use online portals and their own proprietary databases to market businesses for sale. If your franchisor does not aggressively market the sale of your business, a business broker can do this for you.
Step 3 – Negotiate and Close the Deal
Once you’ve found a buyer who is interested in both your business and the franchise model, you can negotiate a price and begin with the closing process.
Selling your franchise opportunity
Every franchisor knows that the success of a franchise system is dependent on franchisee success. So simply selling a franchise is not enough. It really comes down to awarding a franchise to the right person. For franchisors who want to grow their brands with quality candidates, here are three simple ways.
Step 1 – Work with Quality Franchise Brokers
Working with quality franchise brokers is an effective and popular way for franchisors to find ideal candidates. In fact, franchise referral consultants (a.k.a brokers) have been found as the top source for lead conversions.
Step 2 – Exhibit at Trade Shows
Exhibiting at trade shows is a great way for franchisors to get in front of potential candidates face-to-face. Trade shows allow franchisors to market their brands to a large number of qualified prospects at one time. This in-person opportunity gives both parties a chance to get to know each other in a casual setting.
First Things First
In preparation for advertising your franchise for resale online, there are a few steps you should take to prepare for the sale.
Why Advertise on Franchise Resales
You want to advertise the sale of your franchise on as many online portals as you can to ensure the right buyer finds your listing.
What happens when you try to sell a franchise?
When you try to sell a franchise, you may be competing with one very large, well-financed competitor: your franchisor . 'While many franchisors tell their franchisees that they will assist in finding a buyer when the franchisee chooses to sell, my experience is that most do not offer much, if any, assistance,' says Andresky.
What are the challenges of selling a franchise?
Selling a Franchise: The Challenges. 1. Transfer fees and restrictions. Franchisors like to control and vet who they accept as franchisees, which means there is often an approval process to undergo and transfer fees to pay when a franchise unit changes hands.
Why are small businesses so hard to sell?
The reason most smaller businesses are hard to sell is that they are too reliant on the owner as the rainmaker. With a franchise business, at least some of the reason customers find and return to the business is the brand the franchisor has built. 2. Buyers get an operations manual.
Why are independent businesses harder to sell?
Another reason independent small businesses are typically harder to sell is that their operations are inside the head of the founder. 'One of the benefits of selling a franchise is you have a system to follow, initial training and ongoing support ,' says Larry Lane, owner of VR Business Brokers of McKinney, Texas.
Can you buy a franchise then sell it?
Yes, but there are disadvantages and advantages, and the process of selling a franchise differs significantly to the process of selling an independent business.
The Franchise Agreement
Details of the resale are documented in the franchise agreement which is signed by both the franchisor and the franchisee. The reselling of the franchise is referenced in several sections of the agreement, including:
The Steps to Take to Sell Your Franchise
When handled correctly, there is no reason why the resale of a franchise business shouldn’t be successful.
What is a franchise flipper?
Whether you are simply gathering information about selling your franchise or need to sell a franchise business quickly, Franchise Flippers can help you determine and execute the best strategy for selling your franchise so you can find the right buyer when the time is right .
Is selling a franchise a big decision?
Selling a franchise is a big decision. Franchise Flippers offers a free phone consultation to discuss if, when, and how to sell a franchise business.
What does franchising want to do?
The franchisor will want to make sure that the buyer can meet its financial obligations under the franchise agreement (in addition to paying its other bills as they come due), and is not overextended as a result of a hefty loan.
What is a franchisee's execution of a general release?
The franchisee’s execution of a general release, waiving all potential lawsuits against the franchisor
Can a franchisee sell a franchise?
In either case, the franchisee’s right to sell the franchise will be governed by the transfer provisions in their franchise agreement.
Can a franchisee take advantage of the customer list?
Similarly, even if the selling franchisee is able to start a competitive business , they may still be prohibited from taking advantage of the customer list and goodwill they developed during the term of their franchise agreement , as these assets were built by leveraging the mark and processes of their former franchisor.
Rules and Restrictions
- The important thing to understand about franchise businesses is that they all must abide by the rules and standards set forth by the franchisors. The reason these rules exist is because the corporate office wants to maintain their company image and they don’t want a franchisee to tarnish that with a business model that is different than their own. Franchisors are always involv…
Benefits
- The main benefit of selling a franchise business is that you’ll likely have a lot of interested buyers already available to choose from. Since franchises are usually attached to companies with great reputations, buyers are always eager to purchase them because they figure it will be easy to make them successful and profitable businesses. Often times, franchise businesses are in central loc…
Tips For The Sale
- Studies have shown that franchise owners tend to get higher prices for their franchise businesses when they sell them early on. Newer listings will motivate potential buyers into grabbing a hold of...
- Before you go ahead and hire a broker to list your franchise for sale, get an appraisal on the value of your business first. That way, you’ll know the right selling price to ask for. This is not …
- Studies have shown that franchise owners tend to get higher prices for their franchise businesses when they sell them early on. Newer listings will motivate potential buyers into grabbing a hold of...
- Before you go ahead and hire a broker to list your franchise for sale, get an appraisal on the value of your business first. That way, you’ll know the right selling price to ask for. This is not on...
- Another very important thing to remember is to not neglect the operation of your business. Even though it is for sale on the market, that doesn’t mean you can just forget about it and only focus on...
- Of course, you should keep the franchisor in the loop about what is going on with your sale. Y…
Post-Sale Obligations
- After the sale of a franchise business, the franchisee will still have some obligations left after the transfer of the business has been made. A lot of these obligations must do with what businesses or jobs they can and cannot take after the completion of the sale. Most franchise agreements have non-solicitation provisions and non-competition agree...