A franchise (or franchising) is a method of distributing products or services involving a franchisor, who establishes the brand’s trademark or trade name and a business system, and a franchisee, who pays a royalty and often an initial fee for the right to do business under the franchisor's name and system.
Full Answer
What best describes what a franchise does?
Key Takeaways
- A franchisee is a small-business owner who operates a franchise.
- The franchisee pays a fee to the franchisor for the right to use the business's already-established success, trademarks, and proprietary knowledge.
- The franchisee receives continuous guidance and support from the franchisor.
What are the disadvantages of franchise?
The 4 Disadvantages of Franchising
- Per-Unit Contribution. As a franchisor, you will not profit from every dollar that goes to the franchisee’s bottom line. ...
- The Specter of Litigation. At least once a month, someone tells me they're worried about franchising not for business reasons, but because they're afraid of litigation.
- The Issue of Control. ...
- Investment in Franchising. ...
How to value a franchise?
- Using a multiple of the business’s net earnings or free cash flow, usually 1-4 times EBITDA.
- Using a multiple of future earnings.
- Using “comps” of similar franchise sales obtained from either the franchisor or a franchise/business broker.
- Using assets of the business including the exclusive territory.
What is the purpose of franchise?
- To protect the franchised brand by operating the franchise in strict compliance with system operating standards.
- To build a strong and loyal customer base by offering only approved products and services and by providing superior customer service.
- To ensure that all employees are properly trained, and the franchise is properly staffed at all times.
What franchise means in business?
A franchise is a type of license that grants a franchisee access to a franchisor's proprietary business knowledge, processes, and trademarks, thus allowing the franchisee to sell a product or service under the franchisor's business name.
What is a franchise with example?
Franchising is a business relationship between two entities wherein one party allows another to sell its products and intellectual property. For example, several fast food chains like Dominos and McDonalds operate in India through franchising.
What does this word mean franchise?
Word forms: franchises, franchising, franchised. countable noun. A franchise is an authority that is given by an organization to someone, allowing them to sell its goods or services or to take part in an activity which the organization controls. [business] ...fast-food franchises.
What type of business is a franchise?
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 are the 4 types of franchising?
The four types of franchise business you can invest inJob or operator franchise. These owner operator franchises are usually home based, which keeps overheads down to a minimum. ... Management franchise. ... Retail and fast food franchises. ... Investment franchise.
How do franchise work?
In franchising, a franchise owner partners with a corporate brand to open a business under the brand's umbrella. The franchisee owns and operates that location using the franchisor's brand name, logo, products, services and other assets.
What is the main purpose of franchising?
Franchising allows bigger businesses to branch out and grow while giving people the opportunity to run their own business with the help and support of a larger company that has a proven formula for success.
Why do companies franchise?
Franchising is a good way to obtain expansion capital. Because your franchisees pay to buy outlets in your chain, you can grow the number of locations without tapping much of your own capital or needing to request financing from banks or investors. Minimized growth risk.
How do you make a franchise?
How to Franchise a BusinessMake sure your business is ready to franchise.Protect your business's intellectual property.Prepare a financial disclosure document (FDD)Draft a franchise agreement.Compile an operational manual for franchisees.File or register your FDD.Set a strategy to achieve your sales goals.
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 are the 3 types of franchises?
There are three main types of franchise opportunities available, these are: Business format franchises. Product franchises, or Single operator franchises. Manufacturing franchises.
What are the 2 types of franchises?
There is a wide variety of types of franchise structures used in the industry today. There are two main types of franchising, known as Product Distribution Franchising (Traditional Franchising) and Business Format Franchising, which are conducted under a variety of franchise relationships.
Is KFC a franchise?
KFC Franchise is owned by Yum! brands, global franchisor whose 3 restaurant brands, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC, are amongst the largest and most well-known franchises in the world. They are leaders in their respective industries - Pizza, Mexican and chicken. Yum!
Is Amazon a franchise?
Is Amazon a Franchise? No, Amazon is not a franchise.
Is Coca Cola a franchise?
Coca-Cola is a franchise as a product distribution system and the largest beverage company in the world. As a product and trade name franchisor, The Coca-Cola Company licenses its franchisees to sell and distribute the end product using the franchisor's trademark, trade name, and logo.
Is McDonald's franchised?
McDonald's has been a franchising company since 1955 and has relied on its franchisees to play a major role in the system's success. Currently, about 95% of all U.S. restaurants are franchised to independent franchisees and about 5% are company-owned.
What Is a Franchise?
A franchise is a type of license that grants a franchisee access to a franchisor's proprietary business knowledge, processes, and trademarks , thus allowing the franchisee to sell a product or service under the franchisor's business name . In exchange for acquiring a franchise, the franchisee usually pays the franchisor an initial start-up fee and annual licensing fees .
What is franchise contract?
Franchise Basics and Regulations. Franchise contracts are complex and vary for each franchisor. Typically, a franchise agreement includes three categories of payment to the franchisor. First, the franchisee must purchase the controlled rights, or trademark, from the franchisor in the form of an upfront fee.
What Are the Risks of Franchises?
Disadvantages include heavy start-up costs as well as ongoing royalty costs. By definition, franchises have ongoing fees that must be paid to the franchisor in the form of a percentage of sales or revenue. This percentage can range between 4.6% and 12.5%, depending on the industry.
How Does the Franchisor Make Money?
Typically, a franchise agreement includes three categories of payment to the franchisor. First, the franchisee must purchase the controlled rights , or trademark , from the franchisor in the form of an upfront fee. Second, the franchisor often receives payment for providing training, equipment, or business advisory services. Finally , the franchisor receives ongoing royalties or a percentage of the operation's sales.
What does a franchisor receive?
Finally, the franchisor receives ongoing royalties or a percentage of the operation's sales. A franchise contract is temporary, akin to a lease or rental of a business.
How long does a franchise contract last?
It does not signify business ownership by the franchisee. Depending on the contract, franchise agreements typically last between five and 30 years, with serious penalties if a franchisee violates or prematurely terminates the contract.
When a business wants to increase its market share or geographical reach at a low cost, it may franchise its product?
When a business wants to increase its market share or geographical reach at a low cost, it may franchise its product and brand name. A franchise is a joint venture between franchisor and franchisee. The franchisor is the original business. It sells the right to use its name and idea. The franchisee buys this right to sell the franchisor's goods or services under an existing business model and trademark .
What is franchising in business?
A franchise (or franchising) is a method of distributing products or services involving a franchisor, who establishes the brand’s trademark or trade name and a business system, and a franchisee, who pays a royalty and often an initial fee for the right to do business under the franchisor's name and system. Technically, the contract binding the two ...
What does a franchisee receive from a franchisor?
The franchisee generally receives site selection and development support, operating manuals, training, brand standards, quality control, a marketing strategy and business advisory support from the franchisor. While less identified with franchising, traditional or product distribution franchising is larger in total sales than business format ...
Why is it important to select a franchisor that routinely and effectively enforces system standards?
This is important to you as enforcement of brand standards by the franchisor is meant to protect franchisees from the possible bad acts of other franchisees that share the brand with them. Since customers see franchise systems as a branded chain of operations, great products and services delivered by one franchisee benefits the entire system. The opposite is also true.
What does a franchisor do?
The franchisor provides the franchisee with franchising leadership and support, and exercises some controls to ensure the franchisee’s adherence to brand guidelines. In exchange, the franchisee usually pays the franchisor a one-time initial fee (the franchise fee) and a continuing fee (known as a royalty) for the use of ...
What is franchising relationship?
Franchising Is About Relationships. Many people, when they think of franchising, focus first on the law. While the law is certainly important, it is not the central thing to understand about franchising. At its core, franchising is about the franchisor’s brand value, how the franchisor supports its franchisees, ...
What is business format franchise?
In a business format franchise, the franchisor provides to the franchisee not just its trade name, products and services, but an entire system for operating the business.
Why are franchisors important?
Great franchisors provide systems, tools and support so that their franchisees have the ability to live up to the system’s brand standards and ensure customer satisfaction. And, franchisors and all of the other franchisees expect that you will independently manage the day-to-day operation of your businesses so that you will enhance the reputation of the company in your market area.
What is franchise part of?
Individual franchises are part of a brand’s ecosystem, a network that is a pooling of resources and capabilities.
What is franchising in business?
Franchising is a form of marketing and distribution in which the owner of a business system (the franchisor) grants to an individual or group of individuals (the franchisee) the right to run a business selling a product or providing a service using the franchisor's business system.
What are the different types of franchises?
There are three main types of franchises. • Most franchises fall under the business format type where the franchisor licenses a business format, operating system, and trademark rights to its franchisees. • The second type of franchise is product distribution, which is more of a supplier-dealer setup.
How long do franchise fees stay collected?
In addition, fees are collected regularly for as long as the franchisee owns the franchise. In exchange for these payments, the franchisee will receive continued support such as marketing assistance and ongoing training opportunities.
How did franchises help the United States?
Car manufacturers who had been spending enormous amounts of capital tooling their assembly lines found they could develop retail distribution networks using capital provided by independent dealers. Oil companies such as Standard Oil and Texaco also started granting franchises to convenience stores and repair mechanics across the U.S. to efficiently expand their reach.
When purchasing a franchise, is the franchisee required to comply with strict guidelines and rules regarding the operation of the business?
When the purchase of a franchise is made, the franchisee is required to comply with strict guidelines and rules regarding the operation of the business. These guidelines are in place to maintain brand consistency.
Is franchising a success?
No business method or industry sector can guarantee success, and franchising is no exception. If a franchise system has a proven product or service with a well-recognized brand combined with hard-working, well-financed franchisees, the chances of success are very high — but never a 100 percent given. If, on the other hand, the franchise system is under-funded with an ill-conceived business plan that has not been tested properly, and franchisees have been poorly recruited or trained, failure is likely.
What is a franchising business?
Franchising is a popular tool to scale business operations worldwide and accounts for a large portion of the U.S. market.
What is a franchise agreement?
A franchise is an agreement between two independent parties: the franchisor and the franchisee. One party (the franchisor) offers its business model, brand name, and intellectual property to another party (the franchisee) that will use the resources to start a business according to the existing system.
How does a franchisee get royalties?
First, the franchisee purchases the controlled rights and intellectual property from the franchisor business, paying a lump sum contribution or a one-time fee. Secondly, the franchisor is paid by the franchisee for training, equipment, and business advisory services. In the end, the franchisor receives royalties every month.
What is franchising in the US?
Small businesses in the US use the franchising model to grow into national chains and gain a foothold in other locations such as Europe, Canada, and China. On the other hand, overseas franchisors turn to franchises to establish themselves in the US market, using funds provided by the franchisees in the US mainland.
How much does it cost to franchise McDonald's?
Taking McDonald’s as an example, the estimated total costs to launch a franchise range from $1 million to $2.2 million. When it comes to royalties, the franchisee needs to remit 4%-8% of its revenue to the franchisor per month.
What is a product and service?
Products and Services A product is a tangible item that is put on the market for acquisition, attention, or consumption while a service is an intangible item, which arises from . according to the already established franchisor’s criteria. In other words, the franchisor grants the franchisee the right to use its business model, ...
What is the FTC?
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) serves as a federal regulatory body that aims to protect consumers and ensure strong competition in the markets. The Franchise Rule, which is published by the FTC, represents a legal disclosure conveyed to a potential buyer of the franchise from the franchisor.
What is a franchisee?
A franchisee is a small business owner who operates a franchise. The franchisee has purchased the right to use an existing business's trademarks, associated brands, and other proprietary knowledge to market and sell the same brand, and uphold the same standards as the first business.
What is the relationship between a franchisee and a franchisor?
The relationship between a franchisee and franchisor is inherently one of advisee and advisor. The franchisor provides continual guidance and support concerning general business strategies such as hiring and training staff, setting up shop, advertising its products or services, sourcing its supply, and so on.
Why do franchisors pay a startup fee?
To start, the franchisor assigns the franchisee an exclusive location where no other franchises within the same underlying business currently operate in order to prevent competition and help ensure success. In return for the franchisor's advisory role, use of intellectual property, and experience the franchisee generally pays a startup fee plus an ongoing percentage of gross revenues to the franchisor.
What are some examples of franchises?
Examples of well-known franchise business models include McDonald's (NYSE: MCD), Subway, United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS), and H. & R. Block (NYSE: HRB).
How many McDonald's franchises are there in 2020?
At fiscal year-end 2020, there were 39,198 McDonald's restaurants in 119 countries around the world, 93.17% of which were franchised. So, the company has 36,521 franchisees. 2 The company’s long-term goal is for 95% of McDonald’s restaurants to be owned by franchisees.
Do franchisees get help?
Franchisees typically get a lot of help, as franchisors will tend to supervise their new franchisees closely.
Who owns the intellectual property of a franchise?
No, the franchisor is the entity that owns the intellectual property, patents, and trademarks of the brand or business being franchised. A franchisee buys the rights and licenses to operate a location of the franchisor.
What Is A Franchise?
Understanding Franchises
- When a business wants to increase its market share or geographical reach at a low cost, it may franchise its product and brand name. A franchise is a joint venture between a franchisor and a franchisee. The franchisor is the original business. It sells the right to use its name and idea. The franchisee buys this right to sell the franchisor's goods or services under an existing business m…
Franchise Basics and Regulations
- Franchise contracts are complex and vary for each franchisor. Typically, a franchise agreement includes three categories of payment to the franchisor. First, the franchisee must purchase the controlled rights, or trademark, from the franchisor in the form of an upfront fee. Second, the franchisor often receives payment for providing training, equipment, or business advisory servic…
Pros and Cons of Franchises
- There are many advantages to investing in a franchise, and also drawbacks. Widely recognized benefits include a ready-made business formula to follow. A franchise comes with market-tested products and services, and in many cases established brand recognition. If you're a McDonald's franchisee, decisions about what products to sell, how to layout your store, or even how to desig…
Franchise vs. Startup
- If you don't want to run a business based on someone else's idea, you can start your own. But starting your own company is risky, though it offers rewards both monetary and personal. When you start your own business, you're on your own. Much is unknown. "Will my product sell?", "Will customers like what I have to offer?", "Will I make enough money to survive?" The failure rate for …
How Does Franchising Work?
- Franchising is a marketing strategy and is currently a very popular tool used for business expansion purposes. When a company with a proven business modelwants to scale its operations by increasing its share in certain markets, it can consider opening a franchise for its products or services. A franchise is like a joint venture between the company ...
Real-World Examples
- The franchise business model is popular in highly competitive industries such as the fast-food industry, video rentals, and automotive services. The model first appeared in the US after the Civil War, and it gained popularity in the 1950s and 1960s through to the 1990s. Large companies such as McDonald’s, Dairy Queen, Taco Bell, Denny’s, Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches, Subway, 7-…
Franchising Requirements and Regulations
- Since franchising is a contractual arrangement, it involves a lot of bureaucracyand complex contracts. However, the complexity of the paperwork varies across franchisors. The agreement typically includes three categories of payment and the amounts the franchisee needs to transfer to the franchisor. First, the franchisee purchases the controlled rights and intellectual property fr…
Franchisor vs. Franchisee Relationship
- The relationship between the franchisor and the franchisee is that of an advisor and advisee, where the franchisor provides guidance to the franchisee on how to structure the business. Each of the parties has a role to play and interests to protect in the arrangement. The following are the roles of each party in the contract:
Disadvantages of Franchising
- Apart from the advantages, franchising comes with several drawbacks, such as relatively heavy start-up costs, followed by royalties. The costs are often dependent on the kind of business and franchise you are going to buy. Taking McDonald’s as an example, the estimated total costs to launch a franchise range from $1 million to $2.2 million. When it comes to royalties, the franchis…
Additional Resources
- CFI offers the Financial Modeling & Valuation Analyst (FMVA)™certification program for those looking to take their careers to the next level. To keep learning and advancing your career, the following CFI resources will be helpful: 1. Brick and Mortar 2. Market Positioning 3. Strategic Alliances 4. Total Addressable Market (TAM)