what is a franchise and how does it work

by Ronaldo Grady Published 1 year ago Updated 1 year ago

A franchise is a business agreement between two parties:

The franchisor : has a successful business, usually with a well-known name, proven processes and a large customer base.
The franchisee: pays a franchise fee to gain the right to trade under the name of the franchisor, taking advantage of their existing brand, highly effective processes and established clientele.

A franchise enables you, the investor or franchisee, to operate a business. You pay a franchise fee and you get a format or system developed by the company (franchisor), the right to use the franchisor's name for a specific number of years and assistance.

Full Answer

What do you need to know about starting a franchise?

Starting a Franchise. At its heart, starting a franchise is all about licensing. In the franchise business world and using franchise business models, business owners, known as the franchisees, purchase a license to use any trademarked logos, names, and business structures or formats or systems of the franchise owner, all known as a franchisor.. Franchise expert, Joel Libava, offers his ...

What does it take to franchise a business?

Key Takeaways

A franchise is a business whereby the owner licenses its operations—along with its products, branding, and knowledge—in exchange for a franchise fee.
The franchisor is the business that grants licenses to franchisees.
The Franchise Rule requires franchisors to disclosure key operating information to prospective franchisees. ...

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How do I start a franchise?

The Franchise Business Model
Is a Franchise Right for You?
Finding the Right Opportunity
Selecting a Franchise
The Franchise Disclosure Document
Evaluating Potential Earnings
Before You Sign the Franchise Agreement

How is the process in a franchise?

The Process

The Process. When you’re ready to launch your franchise, we’ll assist you every part of the way. ...
Expansion Markets. The demand continues for thorough, professional home inspections, and promising franchise opportunities currently exist throughout North America.
Locations Available. ...
Established Businesses for Sale. ...
Our Ideal Owner. ...

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.

Who gets the money in a franchise?

A franchisor makes money from royalties and fees paid by the franchise owners. A franchise owner makes money through profits received from sales and service transactions. This is generally the left-over amount of money received from revenue after overhead costs are taken out.

Is there money in owning a franchise?

Buying a franchise might seem like easy money, but those royalties and fees will quickly cut into profit margins. The majority of franchise owners earn less than $50,000 per year.

What is a disadvantage of franchising?

Franchise agreements dictate how you run the business, so there may be little room for creativity. There are usually restrictions on where you operate, the products you sell and the suppliers you use. Bad performances by other franchisees may affect your franchise's reputation.

What is the McDonald's franchise fee?

$45,000McDonald's Franchise Cost / Initial Investment / Income Most McDonald's owner/operators have entered the corporation by purchasing an existing restaurant. To open a McDonald's franchise, however, requires a total investment of $1-$2.2 million, with liquid capital available of $750,000. The franchise fee is $45,000.

What is the most profitable franchise to own in 2022?

Most Profitable FranchisesDunkin'7-Eleven.Planet Fitness.JAN-PRO.Taco Bell.Orangetheory Fitness.Great Clips.Mac Tools.More items...•

What is the failure rate of a franchise?

Coincidentally when I was with NatWest I managed the survey for the last 22 years. Pretty much every year the survey has been conducted has shown between 8-12% of franchise businesses left their franchise each year. This is for a variety of reasons, including retirement, selling, ill-health and financial failure.

How much money is needed to start a franchise?

Franchise startup costs can be as low as $10,000 or as high as $5 million, with the majority falling somewhere between $100,000 and $300,000. The price all depends on the industry, location and type of franchise.

What percentage does a franchise take?

Franchise royalties range from 4% of your revenue all the way up to 12% or more. The amount has to do with the type of franchise business. For example, a food franchise is a high-volume business. A lot of individual items are purchased by a high-volume of customers.

Is owning a franchise a full time job?

Buying a franchise doesn't have to mean making a full-time commitment. Believe it or not, there are many franchises that can be run on a part-time basis, especially when you first start out.

What does a franchise owner do?

A franchise owner contracts with a company to sell that company's products or services. After paying an initial fee and agreeing to pay the company a certain percentage of revenue, the franchise owner can use the company's name, logo, and guidance.

Do franchisees pay royalties?

In addition to charging an upfront franchise fee, franchises also charge ongoing royalties. If you're looking at investing in a franchise, it's time to start getting comfortable with the idea of paying both. A royalty fee is an ongoing fee that a franchisee pays to the franchisor.

Why buy a franchise?

There are many reasons why buying a franchise might be a better choice than starting your own business with no support:

What is the upside of franchise?

The upside of a franchise is that you’re not doing everything alone. Nor are you starting trading from scratch. If you think a particular franchise opportunity might be the one for you, be sure to request a Franchise Disclosure Document.

What is the most important element of a franchise agreement?

The franchise agreement lays out all of the details which govern the relationship between the franchisor and franchisee, such as: Terms and conditions. Rights and privileges. Restrictions and limitations.

What is a product distribution franchise?

2) Product distribution franchise. A franchise like this operates more like how a supplier and retailer work together. The franchisee is also allowed to use the franchisor’s branding in order to sell the franchisor’s products. But other operations are largely left up to the franchisee with no support or training provided.

What can a franchisee use?

The franchisee can use a wide array of their franchisor’s assets, including the well-established branding and their overall business model. The franchisee will also usually receive additional support and training in how to grow and run their business.

How long does a franchise last?

Again, it is the franchise agreement which governs this. Common terms can be anywhere from five to twenty years. Most agreements are renewable after the term expires.

What is a business format franchise?

1) Business format franchise. By far and away the most popular type of franchise, under this type of agreement a franchisee is able to trade under the brand of their franchisor (sometimes called the parent brand). The franchisee can use a wide array of their franchisor’s assets, including the well-established branding and their overall business ...

What is Franchising?

Imagine that you're opening your own McDonald's. To do this, you have to buy a McDonald's franchise. In order to qualify for a conventional franchise, you have to have $250,000 (not borrowed). Your total costs to open the restaurant, however, will be anywhere from $685,750 to $1,504,000, which goes to paying for the building, equipment, etc. Forty percent of this cost has to be from your own (non-borrowed) funds.

What is the FTC rule for franchising?

The Franchise Rule deals with the franchising contract and requires that the franchisor give full disclosure of earnings, company history, litigation, and key-officer experience levels. It also requires that contact information be provided for existing franchised units. The rule does not, however, cover anything that happens after the contract is signed, such as problems with product availability, site selection, and placement of other units within the same geographical market.

Why do franchisors have to protect their proprietary information?

In order to do this, they establish restrictive covenants for their franchisees. These covenants govern the things a franchisee can do.

What is the AAHOA?

The Asian American Hotel Owners' Association (AAHOA) is one that has actually created its own 12 Points of Fair Franchising in order to improve relationships. The agreement deals with issues like who pays for brand reimaging, new signage, dispute resolution and database information.

How to negotiate a franchise agreement?

There are many elements of the franchise agreement, as well as the franchise deal itself, that can benefit from the advice of an attorney. These can include: 1 Reviewing the franchisor's offering circular (the UFOC) and evaluating the opportunity 2 Negotiating points of the final contract 3 Limiting your personal liability by establishing the correct business structure 4 Dealing with trade secrets and other proprietary issues 5 Establishing your own trade name 6 Dealing with state statutes

What is franchising business?

Think of franchising as paying someone for his or her business strategy, marketing strategy, operations strategy, and the use of his or her name. That's pretty much what franchising is -- you are establishing a relationship with a successful business so you can use its systems and capitalize on its existing brand awareness in order to get a quicker return on your own investment. You are using its proven system and name, and running it by its rules.

Why is franchising important?

This is because franchises typically get up and running faster, and are profitable more quickly. This can be a result of better management as well as a well-known name.

How much does a Chil Fil franchise cost?

The franchise fee for one Chil fil A franchise is only $10,000. That’s unheard of in franchising. The average franchise fee hovers around $30,000 these days-which is not a lot of money for what you get. ( See above)

What is franchising world?

Franchising is a world full of ideas, determination, grand plans and big dreams. On the flip side, it’s also a world that includes disappointments and failures ( unfortunately ). Simultaneously, franchising it’s a world of fresh starts. A forward-looking world where people fire their bosses in order to be the boss.

How does franchising affect the economy?

Franchising: Economic Impact. Franchising-as an industry, makes a huge impact on the U.S. economy. ( Other countries like England, The Philippines, South Africa, New Zealand, and even the continent of Australia, benefit tremendously, economically, from franchising.) From The International Franchise Association:

What to expect when buying into a franchise?

Another thing you’re getting when you buy into a franchise system is their business experience. That’s a huge thing to have behind you as you start your business. The franchisor has already ( hopefully) made the mistakes. They’re the mistakes you don’t ever have to make. It’s a nice way to get into business. Making no mistakes-or at least less mistakes-because they’ve been made already, saves a lot of time and a lot of money. It’s why a lot of people who want to be the boss look into investing in a franchise.

How to get a team together?

One way to get an entire “ team ” together ( if you feel you have a good shot at success with your idea) is to hire a franchise development firm. But, not all of them are created equal.

What happens when a franchise opens?

Simply stated, even before a franchise business opens in an area, several things are set in motion that contribute to the local economy. And once someone signs a franchise agreement and opens the business, some of the benefits to the local area remain in place.

What happens if you own a food franchise?

If you own a food franchise, and you purchase let’s say, milk, you will have purchasing power. The power that comes with being part of a network. A franchise network. Independent businesses in your area won’t be able to touch the price you pay for milk. That’s because they’re buying a case of milk a month, while you ( the franchise network) is buying 100 cases. Big difference. It’s a powerful advantage of franchise ownership.