Running a business · 10 guides
Franchise Consultant: problems and fixes, explained by Avinash
Avinash Nichkawde is the only franchise consultant member of BNI Preston Center. These guides are written for a Dallas–Fort Worth reader who has the problem right now: what is happening, what to check, when to call, and what it costs.
- You signed the franchise agreement: the first year, from signing to steady Signing the franchise agreement is the start of the hard part. Here is how to use the months before opening and the first year after it to give the unit its best chance. What matters most once the ink is dryThe first month: paperwork, entity and moneySite, lease and build-outTraining is the most valuable thing you bought
- What a franchise really costs to buy, beyond the franchise fee The franchise fee is the number in the ad, not the number that decides whether you succeed. Here is how to build the full cost of a franchise before you sign. The short answer: the fee is only the entry ticketReading Items 5, 6 and 7 the way a lender wouldCosts that sit outside the brochureRoyalties and fund fees keep running in a slow month
- Is your franchise ready for another country? Signs it is, and signs to wait A promising inquiry from overseas can make international expansion feel urgent. Here is how to tell whether your franchise system is ready to travel, and what to fix first if it is not. The test in briefSigns at home that the system can travelSigns the market is pulling you, not just one inquiryProtect the brand before anyone signs abroad
- Is a franchise safer than starting from scratch? Five beliefs that cost buyers A franchise is often sold as the safe way into business ownership. It can be, for the right buyer and the right system. Here are the beliefs that lead buyers astray, and a better way to judge. Not automatically, and here is whyBelief one: it is my own business, just with helpBelief two: if I love the product, I will love owning itBelief three: I can hire a manager and collect passive income
- How long it takes to franchise a business, stage by stage Franchising a business runs in stages, and some of the waits are set by law. Here is what happens in each stage, what sets the pace, and how to keep the calendar honest. The answer, before the detailBefore the clock starts: the readiness consultationStage one, Develop: laying the foundationStage two, Define: the numbers, territories and legal inputs
- E-2 or EB-5? How a franchise investment fits a move to the United States A franchise can be the business behind an investor's move to the United States, but the E-2 and EB-5 routes ask very different things. Here is the business side of that decision. Two routes that ask different thingsWho does what: the business side and the legal sideHow the E-2 treaty investor route works with a franchiseHow EB-5 is different
- Can you franchise your business yourself? What you can do and what you cannot Plenty of franchising groundwork is owner work. The legal documents are not. Here is how to split the job between you, an attorney and, if you choose, a consultant. Yes, partly: the honest splitWork an owner can start this monthWhere a franchise attorney is not optionalThe parts that look easy and are not
- Buying or selling a franchise in Texas: the state rules, the federal rules, the tax Texas leans on the federal disclosure rule rather than its own registration review, and its franchise tax is not about franchising at all. Here is what that means for buyers and sellers. The Texas picture in four sentencesThe federal rule does most of the workWhat Texas asks of a franchisor: the exemption noticeWhat this means for a buyer in Texas
- Before you buy a franchise: the questions to ask the franchisor and its owners The franchisor tells you what the system promises. Its current and former owners tell you whether it delivers. Here are the questions for each, and the red flags to watch for. Three groups of people, three sets of questionsRead the disclosure document before the first callWhat to ask the franchisor directlyQuestions for owners who opened recently and owners who have lasted
- Your business works and people keep asking to open one: is franchising the next step? Growth by opening every location yourself has a ceiling. Here is how to judge whether your business is ready to franchise, what the build involves, and the mistakes that sink first-time franchisors. The question that keeps coming up at the counterWhat franchising actually is, and why it is not just expansionReadiness tests you can run on your own businessWhen the answer is not yet, or not franchising