Questions To Ask When Buying A Franchise
Most aspiring franchisees have spouses and kids that must be considered as part of the decision to buy a new business. Having the support of your spouse and family is critical when contemplating business ownership. Conversely, moving forward without their support is a recipe for failure.
questions to ask when buying a franchise
Buying into a franchise system is different than launching your own business, as it has its own set of rules and regulations. Franchises are required to comply with both state and federal law. To learn more about the specifics and legal issues as they apply to your state, you should retain a franchise lawyer who can explain every detail and ensure that you are well informed before making a purchase decision. There are also financial considerations to take into account when buying a franchise, the details of which can vary wildly by brand. Just as it is important to retain a franchise lawyer, it is also advised that you speak with a financial advisor.
Keep in mind that becoming a franchisee is the start of a long-term commitment and relationship. Franchisors expect that you will have a long list of questions you need answered. (On the flip side, you should expect to answer lots of hard questions yourself.)
3.) I know that for at least the first few years I will be very dependent on you and your staff to help me succeed as a franchisee, and I think your fees are very reasonable given the support I will need. But in the future, when I am more self-supporting, where will I see the value from the fees that I am paying you?
Your long-term business goals should be a major factor when selecting a franchise. Whether you want to pass your franchise business on to a family member or ultimately sell the business will influence which franchise model is best for you.
Another way to validate franchsies is reviewing satisfaction reports that FBR compiles for top brands. These reports offer deep insight into franchisee survey responses across several categories. Looking at aggregate response data in combination with speaking to individual owners is an effective way to vet brands before buying.
Buying a franchise or launching any new business can be extremely exciting and also a bit nerve wracking. However, by asking the right questions and performing thorough due-diligence you will be able to make a decision based on facts and data so that you can set forth with confidence!
A critical step in the process of buying a franchise is a comprehensive due diligence examination to ensure you are making an informed decision before entering into an agreement. Below is an in-depth list of questions for interviewing a prospective franchisor during the research process.
The franchisor will ask you questions about your background and goals, if you have any existing experience in the industry, your plans for building a customer base and financing the franchise, and your exit strategy. While it may seem like a lot of questions, this is all about getting to know you in order to establish a relationship together.
Larger franchisors have multistep, structured processes that typically start with a phone call, include several presentations and end with a trip to the corporate headquarters for a "discovery day" (or a virtual one due to Covid-19). With smaller brands, it might be a less-structured process, where you could start with a phone call with the CEO or founder. Either way, you will have the opportunity to ask some pointed questions to determine if the franchise is a good fit. Here, I've outlined 10 questions to ask a franchisor.
There is a lot to think about when investing in a franchise. A good franchisor will happily answer all of your questions and have a lot to ask you as well. After all, a franchisor's success is based on the success of their franchisees.
Asking former and current franchisees questions can be a good way to find out the realities of being a franchisee in a particular franchise system. You should speak to at least 5 former franchisees and 5 current franchisees to get a range of perspectives.
Asking a franchisor questions about a franchised business will also help you to decide whether or not to buy one. You should get these answers from the franchisor in writing. You should also get a business adviser, accountant or legal adviser to check the information a franchisor gives you.
Asking questions is just one of the steps you should take before deciding to buy a franchise. You may also want to complete the free online franchising course and read more about the key steps you should take before signing a franchise agreement.
There are many reasons people decide they want to acquire their own franchise business--and each of these reasons involves a variety of considerations. In the mind of most people contemplating such a decision, however, there is one overriding factor: money. If you're considering buying a franchise, you should be asking yourself a number of significant money-related questions. Here's what we consider the "Top 10":
2. How much will I need in operating capital reserves to cover losses after opening the franchise until it reaches the breakeven point in terms of cash flow? You're not going to have any customers or revenue on the morning of your first day in your new business, but you will have expenses. Until your revenue grows enough to cover these expenses, you're going to have to feed additional cash into the business to pay the bills. Make sufficient allowance for this factor in your plans and, when in doubt, guess high. No one has ever gotten into trouble on a new business startup because he or she had put too much in financial reserves.
4. How long will it take my new franchise to reach break even? This is one of the most important money-related questions you'll need to answer. It's no fun to feed extra money into a business to cover operating losses, but that's the reality in most startups. You'll normally find the answer to this question is a potential range of time for the franchise you're considering. Always plan that it'll take the longest time within this range to reach breakeven, so you're as safe as possible.
You should know the answer to each of these questions before you decide to invest in any franchise opportunity. If you do, and assuming the answers are acceptable to you, you can minimize some of your concerns about money as you build your new business.
Personality plays an important role in franchise ownership. Since the owner sets the tone for the business, their personality will drive the environment and atmosphere. People do business with people they like. Employees work for people they like. An owner that does not like to work with people will have a difficult time attracting strong customer service-oriented people. If, on the other hand, you are a people person, strong motivator, and leader, employees will be happy and customers will be satisfied. Do you have the right personality for franchise ownership? Ask yourself these questions:
Starting your own business is exciting and rewarding but at the same time nerve-wracking. Remember that not all franchise agreements are made equal, so take time to flesh out as many questions you can think of. Not only will this help set your mind at ease but also gather all the important facts and data to make a well-informed decision.
An important consideration when you buy a coffee shop is where the coffee shop is located. Your coffee shop location is crucial to the success of your business. Is the business in a high traffic area? Is it easily accessible from the road? All of these are important questions that should determine whether or not you want to buy.
During your initial franchise interview, remember that the interview process will go both ways. Below are five essentials questions that you should ask the franchisor to understand the business better.
Our team of expert writers at Why Franchise is here to help you become a successful franchise owner. We strive to be your go-to resource throughout your journey, from buying your first franchise to becoming a franchise expert!
There are numerous stories of people who started with a franchise and built them into multi-million dollar businesses, and unfortunately there are also a lot of stories of people who have lost their life savings. Because franchising does not automatically guarantee success, before buying any franchise, you need to consider some highly important questions. And until you have successfully answered most or all of these questions in the affirmative, we strongly suggest that you slow down and reassess the opportunity, even if the franchisor is one of the best Canadian franchises.
These are some of the critical questions you need to ask before buying a franchise; there are simply far too many questions to list so we guide our clients through a range of questions based on the stage of research they are at. If you have questions about buying a franchise in Canada, give us a call. We would be happy to discuss it with you.
Review the franchisor's mission statement or other information about what the company stands for and how they conduct business. Does the franchisor's business model include community outreach efforts? Do they recognize and celebrate the achievements of their franchises? Is a commitment to franchisee success a foundational element of how the company operates? These are important questions to ask before buying a franchise business because you want to know as much about the company culture as possible to determine if the opportunity is a good fit for you and your business goals.
An established cleaning service franchisor should have plenty of success stories to share. Whether these success stories are available on the company's website or you talk with franchisees directly, you'll want to learn about their challenges and how the franchisor has helped them create a profitable business. From questions about buying a cleaning franchise business to why the franchisee chose the franchisor, you'll gain a lot of insight regarding the viability of the franchise and what you can expect by examining success stories. 041b061a72