It is so tempting for a franchisor to only tout what they do well, the good decisions they have made and the incredible systems they have built. Although it may sound counterintuitive, a big part of the value of experienced brands comes from all the things they didn’t do well over the years. Franchising works because new franchisees build their business on the shoulders of those who came before them. By Tom Spadea
Most new franchisors spend a tremendous amount of time, money and energy on how to sign up the greatest number of franchisees in the shortest amount of time. Everyone wants to get into high gear right out of the gate. Starvation is one of the biggest fears and motivators for a new franchisor who has just spent months or even years and perhaps well over $100,000 to launch their franchise system. By Tom Spadea
Absolutely! If you make $100 in profit, that $100 on the open market is worth the multiple of the earnings in the business it is generated. If you pay that $100 in royalties to the franchisor, that $100 becomes an expense to your operating unit and profit to the franchisor. By Tom Spadea
My partners and I have launched hundreds of new franchise systems over the years. One of the most difficult conversations we often must have with a new franchisor is telling them that they don’t have a protectable brand name, or that their brand name is owned by someone else. By Tom Spadea
I was asked by a franchisor client the other day what they should do if they had three good candidates for the same territory. What a great problem to have for sure and, in fact, I wouldn’t even really define it as a problem. By Tom Spadea
At some point, everyone involved in franchise development is going to be asked this question by a prospect. It is not unreasonable for a prospective franchisee to want to know the answer. By Tom Spadea
At the risk of really getting into the weeds on a very narrow issue, when was the last time you gave any serious thought to the term length in your franchise agreement? By Tom Spadea
Seems like a simple enough question. However, I think many franchisors forget they are in two businesses. One is the underlying subject matter expert on the service provided to consumers, such as a restaurant, gym, roofing, etc. But the second, and increasingly more important, as your system grows, is the business of franchising. By Tom Spadea
A decade before Spadea Lignana was named the No. 1 franchise law firm by Entrepreneur magazine, Tom Spadea was selling franchises during the day and going to law school at night. By Brianna Bohn
Founders of franchise systems spend time, treasure and pain to get their system to the point that it has significant enterprise value. Many have a numerical goal for that value and a timeline for when they want to harvest their years of hard work. By Tom Spadea