The first question a franchise salesperson often gets from a prospective franchise is, "How much can I make?" Being able to answer the earnings question or to give prospects the means to answer it for themselves is one big reason for including an Item 19 in the UFOC.

This issue's Tech Talk takes a look into four ways franchise companies are using technology to improve their business: 1) integrating digital surveillance with POS systems; 2) contactless retailing; 3) protecting the brand in the online era; and 4) using an online service to track promotions and referrals.

On January 31, 2007, the State Council of the People's Republic of China adopted the "Regulations on the Administration of Commercial Franchise," scheduled to take effect on May 1, 2007 ("2007 Franchise Regulations"). With promulgation of the 2007 Franchise Regulations, China entered the last phase of a long and difficult process that started in 1997 to create a legal structure for the franchise business model in China.

When Liz Goodwin of Durham, N.C., was announced as the Curves Franchisee of the Year for the Southeastern Region last October, a cry went up from across the Las Vegas hotel ballroom.

Since 1653, when Izaak Walton published The Compleat Angler, "compleat" has come to mean many things beyond what Walton described as "a Discourse on Fish and Fishing." The dictionary tells us it means classic or quintessential. But compleat also implies mastery far beyond the basics, conjuring up words like visionary, leader, even master.