For many of us, the goal of owning a business represents a major life accomplishment we work toward for years. But whether it’s a scary headline in the media or a personal story of failure heard through the grapevine, owning a successful business in the real world can seem like a far off dream too difficult to actually accomplish yourself. While starting a business from scratch can be a huge uphill battle for many people, you don’t need to be an entrepreneur to own and run a successful business.

After years of experience in the franchising industry, we’ve learned that the biggest successes come from those that can think on their feet and have a true passion to create something great for the customer. For some, that means creating or presenting products to customers in a store, for us, it’s even simpler than that. Our franchisees give homeowners and businesses an on-site service experience they won’t forget.

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Starting a business from scratch is anything but easy in today’s market. Depending on your idea, your location and your finances, building a business from the bottom up can mean bending over backwards to deal with regulatory, technological, and operational challenges that stop many first time owners in their tracks.

To avoid these hurdles, many are turning to franchising instead. Unlike going it alone with a brand new business, franchisees are able to hit the ground running with a proven business model and the support from a corporate team that knows how their owners can reach success.

While franchising gives first time business owners many big advantages, it’s important to keep in mind that it’s not a free ticket to success. It’s crucial to make sure your business goals are in line with what the franchisor’s business model can provide, among other things. Read more

Franchising is a great way for first-time business owners to hit the ground running with an effective business model. And with recent tax reforms, deregulation, and a steadily growing economy, the franchise industry is set to build on its momentum and grow for the eighth year in a row. But with thousands of franchisors to choose from, finding the right one for you takes research and due diligence.

Thankfully, it’s not hard to find the information you need. Franchisors reveal a lot about their business through the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), but there’s another piece of the research puzzle just as important for you to dig into: the existing and former franchisees themselves. After all, these are the people who run the business day in and day out.

Speaking with current and former franchisees is a great way to get a more personal perspective into the business. 

Once you’ve narrowed your options to a handful of potential businesses, make a list of people to reach out to along with the questions you’ll be asking them. This guide will show you where to look inside your FDD (which you’ll receive from the franchisor) to find the names of current franchisees as well as ten important questions you should be sure to ask.

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