One Business Owner’s Story
In 2008, as the recession deepened, the store I had managed for 15 years went bankrupt. My husband and I had four kids to support, including two in college and a high school senior who had his heart set on attending a small liberal arts college (read “expensive”) just like…
Just One Franchise: Russo’s New York Pizzeria
Brand Keys 2014 Customer Loyalty Engagement Index (CLEI) results are in and Dominos rules the major pizza brands as the closet to always meeting customer expectations. With a 90% rating, it’s hard to beat. But Papa John’s is in at a close second with 87% and Pizza Hut is only…
Just One Franchise: Pop-A-Lock
People who are locked out of their cars already feel pretty vulnerable. Whether they’ve lost their key or locked it in the car — or perhaps they stepped out of the car for a moment and their toddler managed to lock them out with the key still in the ignition…
Franchisee Troubles
Hashim Syed once received an award from 7-Eleven for running “the best store in the country.” But now he’s under fire from the franchisor after speaking out against the company on WBEZ Chicago on April 8. One week later, inspectors from the franchisor came out to check up on the…
Lessons from UPS and The Hagan Brothers
A legal battle is heating up between UPS and two brothers who are UPS Store franchisees. The combatants are suing and countersuing and accusing each other of all kinds of illegal and breach-of-contract behavior. While it remains to be seen how this case will play out, there are a few…
Choosing a Franchise: Quality Control
McDonald’s is the quintessential franchise example for many reasons, but one of the most important has to be the concept of standardization. Travelers could be sure of what they were getting at McDonald’s, so the sight of the Golden Arches during a long road trip could be a relief. One…
Just One Franchise: Vom Fass
Named German Retail Franchise of the Year in 2012, Vom Fass brings the world’s largest selection of oils, vinegars, spirits, liqueurs, and wine to American foodies through franchises. Johannes Kiderlen transformed his father’s business into a franchise focusing solely on these four products in 1994, and now the franchise is…
Choosing a Franchise: Trust
The goal in franchising, for many people, is to be able to follow a franchisor’s business model and see results. Instead of doing research and wasting money on trial and error, people figure, they can follow the franchisor’s system and bypass the hardest parts of starting a business. This makes…
Just One Franchise: BullChicks
Most quick service restaurant franchises use a small menu that reduces the amount and variety of food they need to stock and allows for standardization in food prep. BullChicks, on the other hand, has developed a completely customizable menu of 20 burgers, 20 wraps, and 20 salads as well as…
Franchise Business’s Profit and Loss
When you’re searching for the right franchise, you’ll have lots of documents to read, plenty of people to talk to, and advice from all sides. One piece of the puzzle that many future franchisees overlook is the business profit and loss statement (P&L) from your potential franchisor. A P&L lists…