27 Tough Questions to Ask if You're Buying a Franchise Business
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Background
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How did this business get started?
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When did you sell your 1st franchise?
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What are your future growth plans? What are your income streams and profits?
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Why should I invest in your franchise, and not another?
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Leadership
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What is the experience of your leadership team?
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Who would my contact be as a franchisee?
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Can I meet and talk with other franchisees?
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How do you evaluate whether a potential franchisee is a good fit for this business?
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How do you communicate with franchisees?
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How do you resolve disputes with franchisees?
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Financing and Legal
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What is my investment cost to open?
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After my start-up costs, how much operating money will I need to break even, and to make a profit?
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How many franchise locations do you have? How many are profitable? How many fail each year?
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What are my franchise fees and obligations: rent, utilities, monthly royalty, marketing costs, advertising fees, insurance, legal fees, etc?
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What are my potential profits? What royalties do I pay? What\'s my revenue stream?
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How is a location secured? Who holds the lease?
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What is a franchisee\'s liability and obligations if the business or the franchisee is sued?
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Training and Operations
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How does training work: onsite, offsite?
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What is your ongoing training and support?
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Is there a written operations manual?
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How does it work if I have an idea for growing the business? Am I allowed to innovate? Do I get a royalty if my concept is implemented system wide?
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What steps are taken for quality control? How do you assure my franchise is not damaged by another franchisee\'s failures?
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Marketing and Sales
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How do you research and track consumer demands for this product? What is the business plan for my potential franchise?
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Do I have exclusive franchisee rights to a specific geographic area?
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Are you a member of any business organizations, such as Chamber of Commerce?
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Exit Strategy
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Do you have any plans to sell the business?
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What are the requirements if I want to sell my franchise?
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