Franchise & Business Opportunity - Get All The Facts Before You Buy

A franchise opportunity may be the right business for you if you want to be your own boss but do not want to take the risk of starting a new business on your own. Make sure you get all the facts before you buy into a franchise.

Before you decide on which franchise you want to buy look at all the franchise websites and investigate the opportunities that are in the market place. Attend a franchise exhibition and speak to some of the franchisors and financiers.

Once you have narrowed it down to one or two franchises then get all the facts before you sign any documents or hand over any money. Many franchisors will use tactics like "the price is due to rise shortly" or "your territory has a lot of interest" to get you to commit sooner than you had anticipated. Ignore these types of pressure and investigate the opportunity thoroughly before you commit.

Ask for details of all the franchisees that are close to you and get in touch with them. This will help you to make up your own mind regarding the business opportunity and whether it is right for you.

Make your own enquiries and try and talk to franchisees that the franchisor has not recommended. This is because the franchisor is likely to give you details of his best performing franchisees.

Request an audited financial statement of the franchisor and carry out basic financial checks to make sure that the business you are considering buying into is strong, growing and successful.

Find out all the costs associated with starting the business and then running it. Enquire about any unexpected costs that you may have to incur like national marketing costs.

Ask the franchisor to give you details as to how your territory is going to be protected. Make sure that you do all your communication in writing whether by email or post. Written communication will help your case if things go wrong once you have started your business. Make sure that you get any verbal promises put to you in writing. Verbal promises will not count when there is a dispute between you and the franchisor.

Make sure you read the agreement properly and ask the franchisor for clarification of any part that you do not understand. It is often better to do this before you speak to your lawyer. The reason for this is that lawyers cost a lot of money and the more you understand the agreement the less time you will have to spend with the lawyer.

Finally, always get professional advice from your accountant and lawyer when you are ready to commit. They could make the difference between making a bad decision and choosing the right business opportunity.

Buying the right franchise and then committing fully to the business can be an ideal way to get started in business. Making the right choice and asking the right questions at the start will help you in finding the ideal business for you.

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