Top Methods to Evaluate a Franchise
Opening a business or investing in a franchise is a huge decision and when you ultimately decide on the franchise to invest in you’re going to be locked in for the long-term. The idea can look attractive because it’s the job of the franchisor to create an alluring business plan that paints a beautiful picture of growth and profits. The fact is that no investment guarantees success. You need to ask the right questions and look over the material carefully to ensure that an investment is right for you.
Because of the possibility of a bad investment in any business deal, you need to decide carefully if a specific franchise opportunity and franchisor are right for you. Here are three guidelines that can help you decide if you’re making the right decision and will present you with guidelines to consider as your evaluate your opportunities.
Franchise Evaluation Guidelines 1 – Hidden Costs
This is a common slip up for many franchise owners – the can miss the hidden costs that are associated with starting up a business. Noone is really “hiding” these costs per say but because they aren’t readily in the open it’s easy to miss something until it suddenly has to be dealt with. This can include additional inventory stocking costs, rent and lease costs, supplies, license fees, purchasing equipment, marketing, etc.
Another financial issue that trips up franchise owners is start up lag. When you’re evaluating a franchise, find out how much you’ll need to operate that business throughout the first yet. It often takes this long for a business to start turning a profit. If a franchise requires more startup capital than you have you may want to reconsider.
Franchise Evaluation Guidelines 2 – Handling Marketing
Another point to consider when evaluating a franchise opportunity is whether or not the company will offer assistance for marketing and what they provide. Most will have marketing plans and the costs involved. Some brands can sustain themselves on brand visibility but this isn’t the case for all and it shouldn’t be relied on. Part of your evaluation should be determining who is responsible for the bulk of the marketing as well as what types of marketing are allowed and what is permitted.
Including in the marketing analysis should be detailed study of the local competition as well as other franchises and businesses in the area that offer a similar service. Likewise, find out what other stores from your franchise are in the area as this could water down the value of the customer base and cut into profits worse than a common competitor. Know your market before you settle on a franchise opportunity.
Franchise Evaluation Guidelines 3 – Finances
Remember that when you’re buying into a franchise you’re making an investment into that company. As important as it is to know the potential for future financial success you also need to know the financial history of the franchisor. Request the financial disclosure documents and hire a legal consult if you need help reviewing the information. Pay particular attention to their growth pattern to ensure that it’s been steady. Also review their plan for continued growth. You want to ensure that the company is making its money from royalties as opposed to the sale of franchises. Royalties mean a growing customer base.
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April 15, 2011 | Posted by Hunter C Zimmerman
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