Franchise FAQ

how to create franchise model

by Cayla Kertzmann Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago
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How to Franchise a Business
  1. Make sure your business is ready to franchise.
  2. Protect your business's intellectual property.
  3. Prepare a financial disclosure document (FDD)
  4. Draft a franchise agreement.
  5. Compile an operational manual for franchisees.
  6. File or register your FDD.
  7. Set a strategy to achieve your sales goals.
May 2, 2022

What is the biggest challenge of building a franchise?

Why is a strong system important for a franchise?

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What is the franchise business model?

The franchisor is the person or company that owns the rights to a brand trademark. The franchisee is the one that pays a fee in order to use the franchisor’s trade name and operating systems. This relationship is built on mutual understanding and support. Take a look:

Who created the franchise business?

The modern business model franchise is supposed to have started with Benjamin Franklin when he made an agreement with Thomas Whitmarsh to provide printing services in Charlestown, South Carolina, in the year 1731.

Why franchising a business?

That is because the franchising system allows you to acquire a ready-made business, with a consolidated brand and know-how already tested. Virtually, you buy a brand and all the processes.

What is a franchise operator?

Operates in accordance with a specified contract; Acts as a branch of the franchise company; Gains access to an established customer base; Benefits from brand recognition; Takes advantage of a ready-made business with all its know-how; Runs the day-to-day business.

How does a business benefit from not having to invest in new outlets or units?

Instead, they distribute their goods or services through licensed sales points, thus increasing their brand presence.

When did franchises start?

The franchise business model is not recent. On the contrary, it dates back to the Middle Age and ancient China, when landowners allowed peasants and serfs to do business on their property – such as hunting or selling products at fairs – as long as they paid a kind of tax or commission on business done in their territories.

Is franchising a partnership?

Not everyone is cut out for franchising. It is indeed a business model based on a kind of partnership. So, both sides need to be comfortable about the franchise business model, regarding the company culture, values, goals, mission, etc. Franchising is like a marriage, they must share mutual ideas over the long term, in order to be profitable and successful.

What is a franchise model?

Franchising, or a business franchise model, is a contractual business model or relationship whereby an established brand, known as the 'franchisor,' allows an independent business owner, or franchisee, to use its branding, business model, and other intellectual property. In return, the franchisee agrees to pay an upfront franchise fee, plus ongoing royalties to the franchisor.

How to get a franchisor to offer you a franchise?

Contact the franchisor's representative and schedule a meeting . A face-to-face meeting is an opportunity for you to know more about the business and help you make an informed decision. Key questions to consider include inquiring about how long the business has been in operation, its growth plan, and risk factors. After the interview, the franchisor should offer you their franchising brochures, guidelines, and other relevant initial documentation for potential franchisees.

How Does the Franchising Process Work?

The franchising process varies depending on the type of franchise arrangement, state, and franchisor guidelines. That said, a typical franchising process will look something like this:

What is a franchise disclosure document?

The franchise disclosure document, or FDD, forms the legal foundation to sell a franchise. It is a fundamental requirement for both the federal and state franchising laws. The FDD requires a franchisor to provide all franchise disclosure documents with their respective state regulators. Also, under the FDD, franchisors can renew their agreement with their franchisees at the end of an agreement in accordance with (Sec. 8) Small Business Franchise Act.

What is franchising in business?

New locations and desirable market: Franchising is a source of capitalized expansion to new and desirable locations. Rather than franchisors putting their own money into market research, franchisees invest their funds to establish a business in a desirable location.

What is business format franchise?

Business format franchise: This is the most common type of franchise arrangement. In this model, the franchisor allows a third party to do business using their trademarks and business model in exchange for fees and a recurring percentage of sales revenue. Franchisees under this model are run according to the parent company's guidelines and rules.

What does franchising do for you?

Quality leadership and lower operating costs: The franchisor will train you and help you identify the best strategies to manage your business operations effectively while keeping your costs low.

Why do we have franchises?

The franchises serve us to expand our business and obtain recurring income from businesses that no longer depend on us.

What to use to attract franchisees?

If you are in the process of attracting possible franchisees, you can use advertising. The best would be business magazines or sites like LinkedIn where you will reach the professional audience.

What are the requirements for franchising?

Some of these decisions will have to do with: 1 The place of the franchises 2 The requirements to be a franchise 3 The training and guidance you will offer as a franchisor 4 The way you will promote franchises 5 The initial cost of franchising and commissions 6 The distribution or manufacturing of the products or services 7 The period of time by which the agreement will be signed 8 This part is of vital importance since those decisions will have a strong impact in the coming years.

What decisions do you have to make for your future?

Some of these decisions will have to do with: The place of the franchises. The requirements to be a franchise. The training and guidance you will offer as a franchisor. The way you will promote franchises. The initial cost of franchising and commissions.

What is the part of becoming a franchisor?

Part of becoming a franchisor includes having to add key personnel to support the franchises.

What are some examples of fast food franchises?

To better understand this concept, we can think of some examples like McDonald’s and KFC. These fast food businesses are all over the world and have managed to expand thanks to their franchises.

Why is it important to have other business units before franchising?

This is why it is important to have other business units before franchising, to have a business replication method already established. In addition to offering instructions on certain business practices, some freedom should be granted to the franchise, as well as certain restrictions.

What do franchisors need to do to replicate their business?

In order to create this replicable model, Nicol says first-time franchisors also need to heavily document how they’ve successfully established the concept. “Prospective franchisors need to create a system of procedures and operations that somebody else can follow,” he said. “It may not be polished or totally complete, but they need to document how the business started, how it should be run, how it should be staffed and more.”

What do franchisors need to hire?

From there, emerging franchisors need to hire a good, tenured corporate support team to provide ongoing support and training to all new franchisees. If growth stalls after the first few locations, Nicol recommends taking a hard look at the marketing strategy for bringing in new franchise leads.

How long does it take for a franchisor to become royalty?

Nicol agrees being properly capitalized is essential. “Typically, a franchisor does not become royalty sufficient until around 75 to 100 open units ,” said Nicol. “That means it takes quite a bit of capital to create and grow a franchise successfully. Sometimes a franchisor will also hold on to their pilot location for too long. Oftentimes, franchisors will need to sell their pilot location and use those funds to focus on the franchisor side. ”

How does franchising increase revenue?

With the right plan in place, franchising can increase a company’s revenue through franchise fees and royalty payments paid by the franchisee, as well as expand brand recognition as the franchise reaches new markets and customers.

What is a franchise disclosure document?

These documents outline the responsibilities of franchise owners, fees and tax responsibilities, financial performance history, rules pertaining to trademarking and much, much more.

What is a franchise business?

A franchise is a type of business that is operated by an individual (s) known as a franchisee using the trademark, branding and business model of a franchisor. In this business model, there is a legal and commercial relationship between the owner of the company (the franchisor) and the individual (the franchisee).

What is a franchise agreement?

The franchisee must also sign a contract (franchise agreement) agreeing to operate in accordance with the terms specified in the contract. A franchise essentially acts as an individual branch of the franchise company.

What is franchisor relationship?

The Franchisor and Franchisee Relationship. The Franchisor is the parent company that sells the rights to franchise their brand to prospective franchisees. The franchisor is the one who has developed the company, brand and operating systems. Upon the decision to franchise their business, the franchisor offers franchisees ...

Why do franchisees work hard?

Although the franchisee is, in essence, buying a pre-established business, franchisees must work hard in order to gain loyalty in their market, attract talent and grow their franchise business. After all, it is the franchisee that runs the day to day business. The franchisor/franchisee relationship should be one built upon mutual respect, ...

What is FDD in franchising?

The FDD. When a franchisee is serious about a franchise opportunity, the franchisor will share their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), which holds imperative information about bankruptcies, various fees, franchisee obligations, and more.

What is a franchisee fee?

In exchange for the rights to use the franchisor’s business model — to sell the product or service and be provided with training, support and operational instructions — the franchisee pays a franchisee fee (known as a royalty) to the franchisor. The franchisee must also sign a contract (franchise agreement) agreeing to operate in accordance with the terms specified in the contract.

Do franchisors offer financing?

For interested and serious buyers, some franchisors offer financing programs that can assist franchisees in finding a loan servicer or alternative methods of payment.

How much does it cost to start a franchise?

Franchise costs vary widely depending on the industry and business you choose to invest in, not to mention where you live or plan to do business.

How to get a copy of a franchise disclosure document?

Reach out to the franchisor for a copy of its franchise disclosure document (FDD), which contains detailed legal information about its franchise group along with financial data like the average gross revenue of its locations.

How long do you have to get a copy of your FDD before signing a contract?

The franchisor is required to provide you with the FDD at least 14 days before you sign a contract, though it’s a good idea to request a copy earlier in your initial phases of research. You can typically download a PDF of the FDD, though some franchisors might be willing to send you a hard copy. 5.

What to do if you don't have a franchise?

If you don’t have the initial investment costs at the ready, you may need to tap into outside financing to launch or run your franchise. Many banks, the SBA and franchise-specific lenders offer financial help for would-be franchisees. Other options include crowdfunding or lenders based entirely online.

How long does a franchise contract last?

Franchise contracts come with terms of five to 20 years. At the end of the term, you can often choose whether to renew the contract or discontinue your franchise. At contract signing, you’ll likely need to also pay any upfront fees or initial investment expenses.

Where is the Critter Control franchise located?

Let’s say you want to open a Critter Control franchise in San Jose, California — a city with a population of about 1 million people. At an average $582,828 gross revenue for that market, according to Critter Control, here’s what you could reasonably expect.

Is a franchise a sole proprietorship?

Purchasing a franchise as a limited liability company (LLC) or corporation, rather than as a sole proprietor, provides financial and legal protection of your personal assets. As an LLC or corporation, you aren’t held personally accountable for debt incurred by the franchise.

What is the biggest challenge of building a franchise?

The biggest challenge of building a franchise is taking the success of the individual business and scaling it to a franchise model. This means it needs to be profitable, needs to service an active market, and needs to include systems that can be easily duplicated.

Why is a strong system important for a franchise?

Just because there is a market for an individual market does not mean that market is large enough to translate to franchise success. Franchise demands must be widespread.

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