By: Mike Padden

Franchising is more than a financial partnership. It’s about people and their relationships, their reputations, the way they deal with each other and their perception of what is the long-term value of the system to the participants, whether they are the owners of the brand or the franchisee.

Franchise family ties hold up in downturn (PDF)

By: Bill Lockett

Buying a franchise has been a very rewarding experience for tens of thousands of Australians.

Like any major investment, you should be totally thorough in your planning and preparation before satisfying yourself that this is the right path for you to follow. Too many failed franchises are blamed on “franchising” and the franchisor, when better planning would have avoided potential failure.

If you plan to purchase a franchise, you’re going to have to take a good look at many things. Continue reading →

IT’S an industry, we are told, in which only 8per cent of participants are unhappy and it contributes more than 10per cent, or $80billion, to Australia’s total production of goods and services. But in the US, an expert argues that 50 per cent of businesses in the equivalent industry are “crap”.

What industry are we talking about? Franchising.

Talk to the owners of Australia’s reigning No1 franchise operation, Nabi Saleh and Peter Irvine of Gloria Jean’s Coffees, which was named 2005 Franchisor of the Year, and they have a different story. Continue reading →

It Doesn’t Happen Overnight, It Takes A Lot Of Work
By: John Wasiliev

Over the past couple of years there has been a growing emphasis in franchising on the commercial side of the business.

The shift contrasts with the main focus seven or eight years ago on creating better and more honest relationships between franchisors and franchisees. This flowed from the franchising code of conduct introduced in 1998 to stamp out opportunistic practices by some franchisors. Continue reading →