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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.

Have you recently stayed at a branded hotel, or eaten at a franchised restaurant where the property was tired-looking and in need of an update? Was the overall experience less than expected because of the worn-out facility? On your next trip did you make a point to book a room or eat a meal at a competing brand, where the facilities and amenities were up to date? Worse yet, was the property yours?
  • John Geenen
  • 5,486 Reads 23 Shares
Your franchise plan should include a well-rounded checklist Joining the world of franchising can be an exhilarating - and often frightening - process. It requires a tremendous amount of research mixed with a bit of intuition and gut feel. To do it properly requires the careful development of a plan of action. One of the best ways to plan for something significant is to create a checklist and make sure that you cover and review each step.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 14,686 Reads 1 Shares
Ken Greene has a secret. When he gets ready to open a new Honest-1 Auto Care franchise unit in New York (34 now and counting), he knows how to save up to 60 percent on the cost of his equipment.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 9,932 Reads 1 Shares
Aziz Hashim turned his back on what would have been a lucrative career in electrical engineering following college, to return to his passion for the franchise business - where he first worked during his high school years. He loved the social interactions he experienced in the food business and was drawn back to it. His very first franchise location was a KFC he opened in downtown Atlanta in 1996.
  • Multi-Unit Franchisee
  • 6,795 Reads 9 Shares
Potential franchisees should take a lesson from cautious pedestrians who look both ways before crossing the street. Before paying a substantial franchisee fee, you must be aware and understand that the franchisor may not, or simply won't, be able to handle every related detail for you.
  • Dale Willerton
  • 4,545 Reads
Economic realities have been harsh, lenders stingy with money, and many suburban territories unavailable or overbuilt. These are just some of the reasons a few multi-unit franchisees are turning to opportunities in nontraditional locations. Many franchises have potential in places that have not historically been franchise hotbeds, like airports, hotels, colleges, senior centers, highway rest stops, hospitals, and military bases.
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 4,587 Reads 70 Shares
In Dave Melton's Hire the American Dream, the Domino's Pizza multi-unit franchisee outlines much of his own personal journey and roadmap to discovering how to hire the best and most productive employees, and create a culture that leads to success for everyone in the company. It's a task that all franchisees encounter and Melton's tried and true methods have applications for many situations.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 4,127 Reads 90 Shares
Edvin Rajauskas and Val Kirielius have come a long way to open their first Buffalo Wings & Rings franchise location - all the way from Lithuania to be exact. The two Lithuania natives formed a partnership that has them destined for the American dream. Just last month, the two opened their first Buffalo Wings & Rings restaurant in Springdale, Ohio. They are excited about their new franchise and say growth is on their minds.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 4,300 Reads 75 Shares
Ken Leese, a New Jersey-born accountant who played on the tennis team at Old Dominion University, sees his career as a multi-unit franchisee and area developer in terms of sports analogies.
  • Debbie Selinsky
  • 6,890 Reads 1 Shares
In April 2010, McDonald's helped cement the realization that if franchises want to continue succeeding in this consumer-driven world, they must get involved in social media.
  • Lisa Wehr
  • 4,202 Reads 1 Shares
Readers of Multi-Unit Franchisee magazine have resoundingly told us how they look forward to our annual rankings lists. So once again, working with research ally FRANdata, we've gathered the data, crunched the numbers, and formulated our annual "MU50" lists.
  • Kerry Pipes and Eddy Goldberg
  • 21,271 Reads 1 Shares
Hungry Howie's Pizza
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Hungry Howie's Pizza
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Hungry Howie's Pizza
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When Cheryl Robinson went to work as a bookkeeper at a Southern California Supercuts salon in 1980, she knew nothing about franchising. Worse than that, she had "the world's worst hair. My idea of a good 'do' was a bikini scarf and hair tape on my bangs," she jokes. "I had curly, unruly hair and was using terrible products. I quickly learned that Prell--since it could hold up a pearl--was drying the holy hell out of my hair."
  • Debbie Selinsky
  • 10,580 Reads 372 Shares
So you got the franchising bug. You heeded the calling to go into business for yourself. But you decided you didn't want to go it alone and you've teamed up with an operating partner to launch the new unit. It's now time for a reality check. When you first identified a partner, the two of you seemed to really hit it off. Your personal and business interests and philosophies seemed to blend, your skill sets complemented each other, and your eagerness to "run your own business" was infectious.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 27,045 Reads 2 Shares
The other night I told one of my daughters, who is in college, that I was going to the IFA convention and would be gone about a week. She asked me why even have conferences, and why business people travel anymore, because with all the technology out there people can communicate almost like it was in person (we Skyped with her for the last five months when she was in Argentina).
  • Darrell Johnson
  • 6,605 Reads 72 Shares
The allure of franchising can be intoxicating. Many young people (fresh out of college or with very little business experience) see franchising as a logical shot at owning their own business. Franchising can also offer a fresh start following corporate downsizing. So long as the required financing can be worked out in advance and the franchise agreement approved, the next major step is operations. It's where the rubber meets the road.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 18,982 Reads 1 Shares
In 1998, a young Canadian attorney named Fiorenzo Bresolin traveled to Florida to work on a large real estate transaction. It wasn't long before he fell in love with the state--and its booming real estate business. The outgoing corporate lawyer went on to develop, along with partners, a 500-acre corporate park in South Florida owned by the late Mel Simon of the Simon Property Group; today he's knocking on doors to place his restaurants in some of those malls.
  • John Carroll
  • 9,111 Reads 569 Shares
So you got the franchising bug. You heeded the calling to go into business for yourself. But you decided you didn't want to go it alone and you've teamed up with an operating partner to launch the new unit. It's now time for a reality check. When you first identified a partner, the two of you seemed to really hit it off. Your personal and business interests and philosophies seemed to blend, your skill sets complemented each other, and your eagerness to "run your own business" was infectious. Now, however, you are a few weeks or even months into the business and you're working long hours and spending a lot of time with each other. You're facing stress and important decisions like how to market the new unit, hire and train employees, manage supplies, and many other operational issues that must be efficiently overseen. It's these reasons that make it so important to create boundaries and job responsibilities – for you and your partner - and then stick to them. The level of success for your new franchise business depends on it.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 27,048 Reads
Historically, franchising has accepted EBITDA as the benchmark for establishing valuation. However, as seen over the past several years, valuations can vary widely across franchisors, franchisees, and company-owned concepts. Franchising has seen transaction multiples ranging from the low single digits up to lofty double digits. So what is the justification for this wide range in transaction multiples? What makes a buyer willing to pay 8x for one deal, but only 4x for another?
  • Dean Zuccarello
  • 17,788 Reads 1,834 Shares
If you haven't already done so, it's time to face the facts. Your customers are online and they're using social media. Here's what many of them are doing - connecting with their friends on Facebook, chatting up brands on Twitter, and spending quality time with companies through videos on YouTube. They are writing and reading blogs, listening to and participating in podcasts, and connecting on LinkedIn. Want to reach them? You can if you're at the right places.
  • Multi-Unit Franchisee
  • 3,539 Reads 1 Shares
Anil Yadav likes to think big. The multi-unit, multi-brand franchisee in Northern California owns 155 Jack in the Boxes and 26 Denny's restaurants in California and Texas. In fact, he's Jack in the Box's largest franchisee and he owns one of the largest privately held franchise companies in the country - which just happens to employ more than 4,000 people. Apparently, all that's not enough.
  • Multi-Unit Franchisee
  • 3,966 Reads 1,023 Shares
In his book, <i>Hire the American Dream</i>, Domino's Pizza multi-unit franchisee Dave Melton outlines much of his own personal journey and roadmap to discovering how to hire the best and most productive employees, and create a culture that leads to success for everyone in the company. It's a task that all franchisees encounter and Melton's tried and true methods can be applied to almost any situation.
  • Multi-Unit Franchisee
  • 3,302 Reads 12 Shares
Dine Brands Global, Inc.
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Dine Brands Global, Inc.
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Dine Brands Global, Inc.
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As "The Lease Coach," I am a magnet for leasing questions. In fact, I receive hundreds of questions from independent and franchisee tenants each year; I am approached after my seminars, e-mailed, and called. One telephone call that I received was from a woman who had recently purchased a franchise. She started by telling me that her franchisor had offered to do her site selection and real estate work for an extra $3,500. Not knowing much about commercial real estate, she had thought that was a great deal and had accepted the franchisor's proposal for help. According to the franchisee, she was to meet and spend the day with a local real estate agent looking at sites, which she did.
  • Dale Willerton
  • 4,261 Reads 113 Shares
Over the past few issues of the Multi-Unit Franchising Report we have highlighted a handful of franchisees and their efforts to keep better tabs on the income and expenses of their units. Such unit economics strategies have become central to many franchisee operations. As the old adage states, you can't manage what you don't measure.
  • Multi-Unit Franchisee
  • 3,109 Reads 62 Shares
Before signing on as a multi-unit franchisee, Rob Parsons already had an insider's view of franchising, having spent time at Denny's and Popeyes working with franchisees on the real estate side. At Popeyes, Parsons worked with Jim Lyons, an industry veteran who is now chief development officer for Del Taco and Captain D's. Lyons played a key role in mentoring the young Parsons. During a five-year stretch at Popeyes, Parsons played a key role in pushing the brand's New York market from 58 to 101 locations.
  • John Carroll
  • 4,138 Reads 3 Shares
With all the emphasis on providing customers with "value," I asked about 100 attendees at the IFA Convention in February to describe what value meant. The top five answers on the board:
  • Jack Mackey
  • 5,053 Reads 1,014 Shares
There are many different ways to approach the day-to-day operations of a franchise unit. Some people prefer to have operational partners and divvy up responsibilities. This might make sense when you have two or three people who each possess different skill sets. Perhaps one is better with organization and accounting, another more adept at marketing and customer relations, and so forth. It can be a good management tool but it's not for everyone. Remember it means profits are divided among the partners. Besides, some entrepreneurs like to have their hands on all aspects of operations and maintain a more centralized control.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 13,392 Reads 1 Shares
Businesses spend an average of $28.87 per hour for each employee, according to recent figures from the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. This figure includes salary plus benefits such as health insurance, vacation time, and workers' compensation. Overall, 69.7 percent ($20.13) goes toward salary and 30.3 percent ($8.74) to benefits, with 1.6 percent ($0.47) of that benefit percentage going to workers' comp.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 7,293 Reads 253 Shares
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
  • 15,687 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
  • 14,040 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
  • 5,545 Reads 194 Shares
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