No matter what kind of franchise opportunity you’re considering, all franchisors are required by law to hand out a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) at least two weeks ahead of signing time.

In short, the FDD is a master guidebook to the business. Inside, you’ll find a wealth of information about the franchisor and the franchise organization along with the finer details of the opportunity itself.

While these documents are packed with info, it can be a dense read. To the first-time franchise buyer, flipping through page after page of lengthy text and legalese can be daunting.

This guide will help you step through each of the 23 sections or “Items” you’ll find inside. We’ll highlight the key sections to pay close attention to and point out potential FDD red flags to watch out for as well.

Let’s start at the very beginning:

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Completely new to franchising and struggling to understand the lingo?

It helps to have a good idea of the terms and phrases you’ll be discussing with potential franchisors.

To give you a quick-and-easy reference to the world of franchising, we’ve created this go-to cheat sheet. Keep this guide handy when investigating potential opportunities you may be interested in pursuing, as you’ll mostly likely come across a few things you may not be familiar with. Read more

Choosing the right franchise to purchase can be an exhausting task, and securing a franchise loan can seem even harder––especially if it’s your first time franchising.

Drawing up a business plan, laying out your current finances on paper, and finding the best way to obtain a loan can seem like huge tasks. But understanding the process and what resources are available to help you along the way can make the loan process much clearer.

Whether you’ve found the right franchise opportunity or are still researching what you’ll need to make your goals of business ownership a reality, here’s an easy-to-follow step by step guide to securing a franchise loan to help you fund your venture: Read more