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The attraction of a good franchise is its proven system for making money. You plunk down your money, and the franchisor shares the secrets of the trade: follow these procedures and you, too, can have a successful business and earn a good living.

The tricky part is finding a franchise whose system is truly proven. This is why buying into a new franchise can be risky since they may still be working the kinks out of the system. After all, the franchise company learns more about the business model from the process of expansion. By the time, they’ve got a dozen or more franchises that have been operating successfully for at least a few years, the franchise has a proven track record. But not before then. And because we would never recommend buying a franchise where you didn’t have the opportunity to interview plenty of existing franchisees, this process tends to eliminate those systems that haven’t yet passed the test of time.

3 Simple Questions To Help You Separate The Winners From The Losers

How long has the franchisor been in business?

There are actually two parts of this question. First, when did the franchisor first start the business? They may have operated for years as a single unit operation. Or they may have originally started off with the idea of franchising. How long have they been franchising? What is their franchisee success rate?

How many outlets are there?

If the operation is mainly centered in the region around their headquarters, and you’re in a different part of the country, you may not want to jump into this without a lot more investigation. Learn about their process of expansion. If most of the expansion has occurred in the past year, their system may not be fully tested.

Are there regional differences in the system?

A good franchise is always experimenting. They may find some products or services are more popular in some places than others. For example, McDonald’s sells the McRib sandwich more often in the South than up North. Do you see evidence of creative flexibility? Once you have a solid assessment of how well the franchisor’s system actually works, you can move forward with your next set of questions. First and foremost: Can you follow this system? Assess yourself honestly. Even though it works for others there may be a multitude of reasons why it may not work for you. If this is the case, walk the other way. If, on the other hand, you like the system and it is a proven money-maker, you also need to know if you think you can you work well with the franchisor’s support team. Whatever you do, as you go through your due diligence, don’t let wishful thinking and romantic visions of a particular business bias your thinking. In other words, don’t fall in love with a franchise before you learn everything there is to know about it.

Ready to make your dream of becoming an entrepreneur come true? Get your free evaluation today! Contact Dan Citrenbaum to help you create the career you’ve always wanted. As a business coach, Dan brings years of experience helping people select and buy a franchise or existing business. You can reach Dan at dcitrenbaum@gmail.com or at (484) 278-5489.

Just because you don’t like sales doesn’t mean you can’t own a business. That’s right. Contrary to popular belief, you can be a successful entrepreneur even if your strength doesn’t happen to be cold calling and glad-handing. If you visit a McDonalds the owner probably is not trying to close you on buying a burger. And the same holds true for many other types of businesses.

Related: Ready For A Career Switch? Consider A Franchise Opportunities abound with businesses whose customers are drawn in by an effective marketing campaign, a great location, or strong advertising. And you don’t even have to be an expert in a particular business to get going. All you need is to connect with a good franchise operation that matches your interests and skills, and you can get all the marketing and advertising expertise to help you get going. The trick is to capitalize on your strengths and let the franchisor fill in the gaps. Some large franchise organizations rely on national advertising and marketing programs to generate business. In addition, customers often actively seek out a conveniently located operation, often without realizing it’s an independently owned franchise. Just to give you a taste, here is a small sample of franchise types that fit these categories:

• Electronics sales and repair
• Fitness and Gyms
• Sandwich shops
• Hair Salons
• Residential painting and maintenance
• Pack and Ship businesses
• Massage therapy studios
• Academic tutoring

The trick is to make a good match with a franchise that has an established record of working to develop new franchisees into successful and profitable businesses. That’s where working with a franchise coach can help you use your time most efficiently. Let a franchise coach direct you to operations that have the best time-tested systems and a solid track record. Best of all their services are free since they’re paid by the franchisor. You would then be responsible for talking to as many franchisees as possible. Use their experiences and advice to help you determine if an operation is, in fact, a good match for you. The franchise coach can also help you with pointers on the essential due diligence you will need.

Ready to make your dream of becoming an entrepreneur come true? Get your free evaluation today! Contact Dan Citrenbaum to help you create the career you’ve always wanted. As a business coach, Dan brings years of experience helping people select and buy a franchise or existing business. You can reach Dan at dcitrenbaum@gmail.com or at (484) 278-5489.

The best thing about starting your own business with a franchise is that it comes with everything you need to succeed. So long as you choose a good company with a system that suits your strengths.

This is why your selection process becomes the most critical aspect of your work. When people fail with a franchise, the problems can invariably be traced back to before the beginning. Either they chose a franchise that required skills they didn’t possess or they chose a franchise system that was not ideal, for whatever reason. After years of experience reviewing franchise companies and working with franchisees, I have developed a process that has led to a near perfect success rate among my clients. All you need is to set aside some time over a period of several months and start researching.

What To Learn From The Franchise Disclosure Document

Every franchise is required by federal law to disclose the details about their business in the Franchise Disclosure Document. You should read all 23 items, with particular focus on the following:

The backgrounds of their executives, litigation and bankruptcy

You want to find out about the executives’ business experience. Have they or the company been involved in any litigation or bankruptcies. All are red flags. Items 1-4

Upfront costs

Clearly, you want to avoid getting in over your head. You need to know all your costs, exactly what is included with the franchise fees and what you may have to kick in yourself. Sufficient capitalization is one of they key prerequisites to success. Items 5-7

Franchisee’s obligations and restrictions

You should know right at the start exactly what will be expected of you. If you don’t like what you read, steer clear. Likewise, if the restrictions on operations strike you as particularly onerous, this franchise is not for you. You have to be prepared to follow their system for it to work. Items 8-9, 15.

Renewal and Termination terms

You need to know how easy it is for the franchisor to terminate its agreement with you. Likewise, if for some reason you want to get out of the business, know what rules apply. Legal advice might be helpful here.

List of franchise outlets

This is where you get the contact information for the franchisees, as well as franchisees who have left the system is the past three years. Contact and interview as many as possible. (see below) Item 20.

What To Ask Franchisees

Why did you choose this franchise?

Does they have anything in common with you? Can you see yourself in their shoes? Listen for clues about what skills are necessary for this business.

Have you been satisfied with the level of support and training from the franchisor?

Was it all that the franchisor promised? Do you like the support staff and executives of the franchisor? Are they easy to work with?

What do you like best and least about the business?

Get a good feel for what running this business is all about. Maybe the best thing is the social interaction with customers. Only problem is you don’t want to deal with the public. Choosing a business can be a lot like choosing a spouse. The match has to be particular to you.

Would you purchase this franchise again?

If the answer is no, find out why. These reasons may not hold for you.

How long did it take to reach break-even?

You need to know how much capital it would take to get this business to profitability.

Are you able to earn six figures with this business?

While you may not be able to get specifics on earnings, press for as much as you can to see how it aligns with the franchisor’s sales pitch.

Ready to make your dream of becoming an entrepreneur come true? Get your free evaluation today! Contact Dan Citrenbaum to help you create the career you’ve always wanted. As a business coach, Dan brings years of experience helping people select and buy a franchise or existing business. You can reach Dan at dcitrenbaum@gmail.com or at (484) 278-5489. 

When it comes to buying a business, there’s no truth that doesn’t require verification.

As everyone knows, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Yet every day the newspaper has stories about people who got tricked into a deal that turned out to be mainly smoke and mirrors.

So how do those “lucky” folks find their way to the good business deals? First of all, luck has nothing to do with it. Rather, it’s about finding out as much information as you can and triple-checking everything you know before you even get started.

Doing your due diligence is the most critical part of the process.

That’s why a franchise presents such a great opportunity because it’s the only type of business in which you can learn everything about its nuts and bolts before you buy.

Not only does it come with a tried-and-true operating system, but it also includes complete training and ongoing support to help you make it past the start-up phase for long-term success.

Federal law requires franchisors to disclose almost everything you need to know. And what’s missing from the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) can be learned from franchisees. That means you can find out about all the red flags, upfront costs and whether the franchise has the potential to offer you the kind of income you desire.

In addition, another layer of vetting can be obtained by consulting with a franchise coach or two. Their no-fee advice can help you navigate a gigantic universe of some 3,000 different franchisors.

A good franchise coach can save you precious time by steering you to franchise systems with great track records that you may have otherwise never found.

So, to find a top-performing franchise, start with a franchise coach, then select a few whose business models best mesh with your skills and experience, then start to read the FDDs and call franchisees to get the ins and outs of their businesses.

In the end, you have to decide if you would rather put all your hard work and drive into building a future you can control or sticking with the steady job that may not last the rest of your career.

Stay tuned for Part II: How to evaluate a franchise

Ready to make your dream of becoming an entrepreneur come true?

Get your free evaluation today!

Contact Dan Citrenbaum to help you create the career you’ve always wanted. As a franchise coach, Dan brings years of experience helping people select and buy a franchise or existing business. You can reach Dan at dcitrenbaum@gmail.com or at (484) 278-4589.

© Dan Citrenbaum 2020

Going into business for yourself can seem like a daunting option, but people do it successfully every day. So how can you transition from working for a boss to being the boss? Get good advice from lots of people and learn, learn, learn!

Related: Career Changers: Consider A Franchise In 2015Demystifying the process is what I do for people every day. Over the past several years, I’ve successfully counseled hundreds of people on how to get started safely. They had to learn how to choose the type of business that would work for them and how to become a successful owner. They know better than anyone what it takes to succeed. Most have selected franchises as the surest way to achieve success as an entrepreneur. Since most people enter the business with no experience as a business owner, a franchise offers years of expertise and back room support to help you get started. Over time, I’ve collected some of their best advice for people who want to follow in their footsteps. So if you want to go into business for yourself, I suggest you read on and heed their wise counsel.

8 Tips For Succeeding With A Franchise

Look before leaping

Every year I hear lots of stories about people buying franchises because they always loved that particular business or always wanted to start a bakery because they loved to bake. Then with nary an iota of research, they sign a contract. Maybe they realize the franchisor is new to the business, or doesn’t really know how to help them get going, and they start to feel like they’re drowning in debt with no earnings in sight. Plan to spend two to three months researching businesses.

Cast a wide net

Once they start their research, invariably people learn the business they thought they always wanted isn’t really the right one for them. Either because the franchisor isn’t well run or because there are no nearby territories available. The truth is you should look for businesses with an open mind because you never know who’s behind the operation until you pull back the curtain.

Consult a franchise coach

Talk to one or more to help give you a feel for the franchise environment, what should be expected and what is a no-no. Their services are generally free, and they can help you avoid wrong turns along the way.

Look for a great back office

One of the most important considerations is how well the operation is run. The best way to find this out is to have pointed conversations with executives from the franchise, as well as franchisees all around the country. In addition, you will need to read the Franchise Disclosure Document, which will provide information on everything, from the backgrounds of the executives, whether they face ongoing litigation to a complete list of upfront costs. Are you comfortable in your gut with how they run their business?

The first year is the most important for support

You need to learn from franchisees whether the franchisor’s support system is sufficient to help you learn the business, particularly at the beginning. Are they available whenever you call with questions? Is their software sufficient for managing the system? Do they help with accounting, advertising, leasing space? Know all upfront before signing any contracts.

Expect a slow start for cash flow to get going

As you learn a new business, it takes a while to get all the systems up and running. Depending on the business, it might take months – or even a year or longer to reach profitability. Plan for this by having enough capital to keep you going past the start-up phase. Sometimes cash flow starts growing quickly, but sometimes it takes awhile. Be mentally and financially prepared!

Talk to existing franchisees

Nothing is more important in your search. Talk to franchisees who have left the business, as well. Interview as many as you can, and press for as much detailed information as possible.

Know upfront what it takes to be successful

Are your skills comparable to the skills the successful owners had when they got started? Can you learn this business in short order? Is the day-to-day life of the owner of this business something you can see yourself doing and enjoying?

Be comfortable with the upfront costs

As one franchisee I know told me, “When people say why not just do it on your own so you don’t have to pay royalties, ignore those people.” You should get what you’re paying for, and good franchises provide a good value. If you select a franchise because you decide it’s a great operation, by all means, follow their advice about running the business. Or don’t do it. 

Ready to make your dream of becoming an entrepreneur come true? Get your free evaluation today! Contact Dan Citrenbaum to help you create the career you’ve always wanted. As a business coach, Dan brings years of experience helping people select and buy a franchise or existing business. You can reach Dan at dcitrenbaum@gmail.com or at (484) 278-5489.

Successful entrepreneurs are really not so different from you and me. They demonstrate an indomitable work ethic, a belief in their own vision and a drive to do what is necessary to succeed. What separates the successful from the also-rans is a willingness to learn as much as possible before plunking down any of their hard-earned money. So how do you join their ranks? Choose good mentors, who can guide you over the bumps and avoid some of the pitfalls on the road to success. One way to connect with a mentor is to select a good franchise, whose system comes with long-term training and guidance from people who teach you how to run the business, stand by you all along the way and have your back for the long run. The key is to select the right franchise. To find your way to the right match, you have to commit the time to learn everything you can about your potential new business. The good news is that this learning process is within everyone’s grasp. One of the first steps in the process is to interview yourself. What do you really want to do with your career? This process can be a lot harder than it seems. But the sooner you pinpoint your goals the better you can figure out how to get there. After you make some honest decisions about your strengths and your weaknesses, your personal goals and your skills, you must commit to doing a thorough due diligence of the market and the franchise businesses that interest you. You want to do a thorough examination of every business you consider, which will take time, likely, several months.

6 Steps To Doing A Thorough Due Diligence

1. Read

Talk to as many people as you can about what it takes to succeed in business. Regularly read the business section (if you’re not already doing so), a local business weekly magazine, and get a feel for trends in the marketplace, what types of businesses are on the uptick and which may be relegated to the ash heap of the old economy. Of course, the next new thing may not be on anybody’s radar yet.

2. Explore

Start perusing the types of franchise businesses that are available. You might be surprised to learn that nearly every business category is represented, from service businesses, like caring for seniors, to B2B services, such as temp staffing, as well as the most well-known food franchises. Check out the International Franchise Association web site at www.franchise.org

3. Contact

Call the franchise companies that interest you. Most have regional representatives who will answer your initial questions.

4. See

Visit some of these franchises in person to get a firsthand view of how they function. Interview as many franchisees as possible to see how they’re doing. Do they think the franchisor has been helpful? Are they making any money? What’s the key to succeed in that business?

5. Study

If you’re still interested in the business, get your hands on the Franchise Disclosure Document, which every franchise company is required by law to provide to interested franchisees, and read it thoroughly. You can find a list of franchisees in the FDD.

6. Visit

If you’re still interested in the business after completing these steps, you will proceed through the process the franchisor has set up for potential franchisees. This will include meetings with the executives of the company at a Discovery Day, where you visit the company’s headquarters, meet the team and see for yourself what the business is all about. If your due diligence leads to a selection, you will also want to consult with independent experts, such as a franchise attorney and an accountant to check through the details of the financial arrangement and the franchise agreement. The more thorough your research, the greater the odds of your success. So if you want to succeed in business, by all means move forward, just start with a thorough due diligence. 

Ready to make your dream of becoming an entrepreneur come true? Get your free evaluation today! Contact Dan Citrenbaum to help you create the career you’ve always wanted. As a business coach, Dan brings years of experience helping people select and buy a franchise or existing business. You can reach Dan at dcitrenbaum@gmail.com or at (484) 278-4589.