Where do I Go to Find The Right Franchise?

Where do I go to find the right franchise?

Did you ever walk into the ocean until the water got so deep that you stopped walking and just started to swim to survive as the waves started to hit you? Is that a thrill or a bit scary?

That’s the way I look at finding a franchise. I know that’s the way many of us feel when we’re looking to find the right franchise to buy. It starts out kind of fun, exciting, even exhilarating as we begin window-shopping…and then?

I recently met a franchise candidate at a franchise tradeshow who told me “ when my wife and I began looking it was kind of fun and exciting, but as we talked to more people and looked at more franchises it just became a scary blur”. I have heard a version of this from many of the folks I have helped. It is a very common observation and feeling. It is just simply tough to filter through the massive amount of information and opportunities.

That initial excitement soon turns into overwhelm. Once you start contacting companies they start sending you information, they want to get your information, get you on phone calls, and before long start asking for commitments. They are asking you to review documents that look bigger than books, join in webinars and want you to come meet them. It can get tough really fast. How do you know what information is correct? How do you decide whom to trust? How do you know if this is right for you? How do you know if you are buying or being sold? It can be a pretty slippery slope.

There are a number of ways to find franchise companies.
• You can look on the Internet at franchise portals that display hundreds of different companies
• You can go directly to a company‘s website
• You can look around your neighborhood
• Maybe someplace you visited and had a great experience
• You can go to tradeshows and see the franchises displayed and talk to sales people
• You can read magazines or books
• Maybe a friend has told you about a franchise they know is successful

There is so much information out there you can literally get lost. I have heard it from so many people. They get frustrated, tired and overwhelmed. As the truism goes, “a confused mind does nothing”. That’s so often the case. We just simply stop.

They’re many ways to find franchise companies. The question is how do you know whether it’s a good match for you. Sometimes we work through the overwhelm and come out the other side with the franchise. Sometimes we come out the other side with a franchise that’s not a good match. We simply didn’t know what questions to ask , how to ask them and who to ask him to. So often we just do not know what to do to make sure we make a great decision.

With approximately 4000 franchise companies available there’s bound to be some bad ones. Those that will take your money without making sure you are a great fit for the brand. Sometimes a sales person can get a commission, a franchisor can pay some bills and put somebody in business even if it’s not the right business for the candidate (you).

How do you prevent this on your own? Great Question… If you do not have the experience, find someone who can help you think it through.

The Great American franchise expo features people from all walk of franchising, from financial and legal experts to franchise consultants. You will find their perspective invaluable as you approach discovering new concepts.