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Browse our selection of franchise articles and features to help further your knowledge in opening and operating a franchise business. Our exclusive features cover the , , , , , , and site of the franchise business. Written by the editorial team that produces Franchise Update Magazine and Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine, the franchise industries premier magazines.

Going into business for yourself can be a risky and yet ultimately rewarding experience. As with any new business, a franchise unit is going to require upfront capital. And in most cases it takes a significant amount of financing to get started. For those individuals who choose to join the franchising world, there are two distinct ways to finance entry into the business - on your own or with partners. In this section we will take a look at the strategy of getting into franchising on your own and without a financial partner. First, let's consider the cold, hard facts of the financial side of franchising.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 15,603 Reads 1 Shares
Jim Sullivan is the CEO and founder of Sullivision.com, a company that designs and delivers operations and leadership training programs for companies and franchisees worldwide. Clients include The Walt Disney Company, McDonald's, Panera Bread, Regis Corp., Jiffy Lube, Wal-Mart, American Express, Applebee's, Domino's, Dunkin' Brands, and Coca-Cola. Three years ago Sullivan's company began researching the best practices of high-performing multi-unit leaders.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 13,999 Reads 2 Shares
Rob Parsons knew all about franchising. He had worked on the inside at Popeyes and Denny's assisting franchisees with real estate. He had learned the ropes.
  • John Carroll
  • 5,513 Reads 194 Shares
I keep hearing Baby Boomers moan, complain, and quite frankly, just whine about Gen Y. I am sick of it. If you are whining, then you are not a leader. If you are a leader, you will look at this situation and say, "Okay, we have 70 million super-sharp young men and women coming into the workforce, and we are going to get them ready for early leadership positions..." instead of sitting around saying, "They are so entitled, they are so into their own thing, they are always on Facebook, blah, blah." If you are saying this, then maybe you are the one who is entitled. As I always say, "If you spot it, you got it!"
  • Bea Fields (adapted with permission from her blog)
  • 3,606 Reads 116 Shares
So often, franchise tenants come to me stating that they are not profiting because their rent is too high. While this can be true, frequently the tenant has simply leased too many square feet.
  • Dale Willerton
  • 4,280 Reads 1,015 Shares
Dave Melton oversees a half dozen Domino's Pizza locations in the Big Apple. The New York City market is one of the toughest in the country and yet Melton has flourished since beginning his life as a franchisee 20 years ago. But he hasn't just built a successful business in Manhattan, last year he made the New York DMA the most successful market in the Domino's organization. Now that's power.
  • Multi-Unit Franchisee
  • 6,165 Reads
"If there's one thing the recent economy has taught, it's that it's more important than ever to pay attention to costs during tough times," says Neal Faulkner, a Boston-area Dunkin' Donuts franchisee with 17 locations open and two more on the way. "I say if you're still operating today the same way you were three years ago, you're either out of business or on your way there."
  • Multi-Unit Franchisee
  • 9,919 Reads
Mike Pietrzyk's 37 years in the food business began auspiciously in 1972, when, as a newly promoted manager of a Burger Chef in Virginia, he was put in a store scheduled to close in 7 months. "The restaurant wasn't doing well, and they'd decided to close it," he recalls. "They just asked me to keep it together for a few more months." Pietrzyk worked seven days a week and did his own marketing, passing out local coupons and getting acquainted with the community.
  • Debbie Selinsky
  • 6,038 Reads 81 Shares
A couple of weeks before any speaking engagement, I distribute a 10-question survey to the meeting participants so I am well prepared to cover their most pressing concerns. One of the questions I ask is: "What is your best source for new employees?" Some of the possible answers are: "billboards, internal promotion, the Internet, job fairs, newspapers, referrals, schools, signage, and walk-ins."
  • Mel Kleiman
  • 6,195 Reads 261 Shares
If the standing-room-only educational sessions weren't enough to inspire the multi-unit franchisees, the spirited address from NFL Hall of Famer Mike Ditka certainly was. It was all part of the 2010 Multi-Unit Franchising Conference held this past March in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 2,969 Reads 6 Shares
You've done your research. You've narrowed the list or perhaps even selected the franchise brand that you'd like to team up with. You're comfortable with the brand's market presence and name recognition; you believe it matches your skill level, that it's well-suited for your lifestyle, and that it complements your personal business goals. Now it's time to map out your entrance strategy.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 12,081 Reads 1 Shares
Vocelli Pizza
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Brian Klaubert spent 19 years as an engineer before entering the franchising world. Not surprisingly, he had very little financial background for running a business. That's where his franchisor, Christian Brothers Automotive, stepped in.
  • Multi-Unit Franchisee
  • 3,178 Reads 29 Shares
One of the most effective strategies to conducting site selection is not by looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack, but instead, by using the process of elimination.
  • Dale Willerton
  • 4,571 Reads 116 Shares
Some years after David Griffin set out in the late '70s to build an auto detailing business, he found himself with a large, scattered operation that had many of the same attributes as a franchise. He ended up opening five separate locations in Utah, including one big central complex, along with an independent chemical business and distribution center that provided the materials he needed to clean vehicles for local residents, car dealers, and a large wholesale auto auction operation
  • John Carroll
  • 3,675 Reads 24 Shares
The 9th Annual Multi-Unit Franchising Conference, sponsored by Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine achieved its greatest success ever. Despite a down economy, conference attendance was up 30 percent over last year, featured more than 100 sponsors, and a sold-out exhibit hall. The conference was held at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, March 24-26, where Mike Ditka, former Super Bowl-winning coach, was the keynote speaker.
  • PRESS RELEASE
  • 2,671 Reads 1 Shares
When Cheryl Robinson took over the bookkeeping responsibilities at a Supercuts location in 1980, she had little idea that she would one day own and operate her own Supercuts. Today, she and husband Joe, oversee an empire of 31 Supercuts throughout southern California. She's learned a lot about the salon business and franchising over the past three decades. One thing she fully understands is that hard work and customer service at a business are more important than ever during tough economic times.
  • Multi-Unit Franchisee
  • 7,225 Reads
One of the emerging benefits of the social media phenomenon is the technology's ability to put franchisees right in the middle of fresh customer feedback
  • Multi-Unit Franchisee
  • 3,044 Reads 20 Shares
In the late 1970s, David Griffin set out to build an auto detailing business. Some years later, he found himself at the helm of a large, scattered operation. He'd opened five separate locations in Utah, including a large central complex, along with an independent chemical business and distribution center that provided the materials he needed to clean vehicles for local retail consumers, car dealers, and the large, national Manheim auto auction company.
  • John Carroll
  • 8,155 Reads
The beauty of the franchise business model is that it allows individuals to start their own businesses without the sweat equity and headaches associated with starting a business from scratch. No reinventing the wheel here. Hundreds and hundreds of franchise systems have already perfected the products, services, and delivery mechanisms into a proven and successful formula. That's a distinct advantage. But as a first-time franchise prospect how can you ensure that you choose the right system? Are some systems more suited for you than others? What will be your strategy for choosing the right franchise opportunity? These are all important questions that we'll try to answer in this section.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 18,706 Reads 1 Shares
In the previous issue, I outlined a seven-step process guaranteed to improve performance. We call this process Profit Mastery. My goal going forward is to give you more detail on each of the steps, a specific action plan for how to apply each to your own business, and how to incorporate the results into your strategic thinking
  • Steve LeFever
  • 29,194 Reads 9 Shares
Everyone knows what the McDonald's logo looks like and what the "Golden Arches" represent. No matter where you go in the world, if you set foot inside a McDonald's you can order a Big Mac or Quarter Pounder and know exactly what it's going to taste like. Established brand awareness, reliability, and uniformity are part of the power of franchising.
  • Franchising.com
  • 10,027 Reads 11 Shares
Indevia Accounting
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Most families have their favorite holiday traditions, with special rituals, decorations, clothes, songs, and foods that make the holidays unique, memorable, and fun.
  • Jack Mackey
  • 4,138 Reads 29 Shares
You've cut back on as many napkins and ketchup packets as you can, reduced your maintenance costs, renegotiated with suppliers, and maximized employee efficiency (see page 68)--and margins are still razor-thin. Interested in a way to add some zeroes (000's) to those savings, without spending a dime up front? It's time to take a new look at wage-based tax credits.
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 5,226 Reads 1,021 Shares
There's a good reason the United States is called the Land of Opportunity. The spirit of independence is one of the cornerstones in the nation's founding. That spirit persists today in the world of business, where independent-minded entrepreneurs take the risks and reap the rewards of running their own business.
  • Franchising.com
  • 9,294 Reads
In the mid-1990s, when the stock market was on fire and Darrell Lamb spent most of his days on the phone in an unending quest for new investors, he had a chance to invest in an Express Oil Change franchise. Lamb had some great advisers to rely on. His uncle was president of the company and his dad, an Alabama optometrist with a keen interest in growing ventures, was an investor.
  • John Carroll
  • 8,749 Reads 1 Shares
Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine today announced the winners of the first annual Multi-Unit Franchisee MVP (Most Valuable Player) Awards, which recognize exceptional multi-unit franchisees. This year's MVP award winners are: Bill Ramsey, Schlotzky's franchisee; Gary Hughes, ColorTyme and RimTyme franchisee; Glenn Mueller, Domino's franchisee; and Anil Yadav, Jack in the Box, Denny's, and Marcos Pizza franchisee.
  • Press Release
  • 3,420 Reads 8 Shares
Social media is an ingrained part of people's everyday lives. How many people? Well, according to Facebook, there currently are 350 million active users. And by active, Facebook is accounting for those who log on to the site every day. eMarketer anticipates the number of U.S. Twitter users in 2010 to jump to 26 million. That's 15.5 percent of all adults online--and that's huge. What do these digits have to do with growing your multi-unit franchise? Close to everything.
  • Lisa Wehr
  • 4,649 Reads 24 Shares
Dave Melton had heard Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" countless times before he opened his first Domino's Pizza restaurant in Manhattan. But it took a little time to really understand the truth in the song's line "If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere..."
  • Debbie Selinsky
  • 7,908 Reads
Multi-unit and multi-brand operations are where the action is today in franchising. Whether the economy stalls, falls, or climbs, an increasing number of multi-unit franchisees are not content with just one unit--and many are not content with just one brand. Multi-concept franchising offers power in numbers--units, brands, territory, and income--as well as the security gained by spreading the risk across different brands in a franchisee company's portfolio.
  • Kerry Pipes and Eddy Goldberg
  • 5,991 Reads 1,023 Shares
When Frank Illiano left his native Italy and came to the United States 27 years ago, he didn't plan to stay. He figured he'd get a business, work for a while, make some money, and head home.
  • John Carroll
  • 5,578 Reads 117 Shares
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