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Welcome to Franchise Management For Dummies! In our opinion, it’s not an overstatement to suggest that because of franchising, our lives have improved immensely. We now have access, on seemingly every street in the world, to an ever-growing expanse of high-quality branded products and services delivered consistently from location to location, regardless of where we shop. Franchising is also responsible for creating significant wealth in the United States and globally through local ownership of businesses supported by franchise systems. Each of those locally owned businesses creates jobs that drive our economic health.

Franchising has also become the most important and largest vehicle for training entrepreneurial skills, while providing the “first rung” on the career ladder for many young people. Just consider the sheer number of people whose first jobs were working at a branded franchised location. In addition, in the past few years the methods and standards found in commercial franchising are being applied to many of the health and economic problems in the developing world. Social franchising is a transformational way of delivering products and services to individuals and their families at the base of the economic pyramid (see Chapter 17 for more). Social franchising holds the promise of not just saving countless lives, but of transforming economies that have held people back from achieving a better life for themselves and their communities – not bad for a method intended to create wealth and bring quality products and services to consumers in the industrialized world!

About This Book

Franchising is complex – no one book can provide a complete understanding of its dynamics. That’s why we focus on what we believe are the most important elements. In some areas, because they are so complex, we can only go an inch deep and a mile wide. Transforming a complex business approach with so many variations into a friendly consumer book has its challenges and limitations. We highlight those areas we think will provide you with the most benefit. Where we see potential gaps, we remind you to seek professional and experienced help in franchising. In fact, we can do even more than that: Your friendly authors, Michael Seid (mseid@msaworldwide.com) and Joyce Mazero (jmazero@gardere.com), are available when you need us.

Franchising is a dynamic method of expansion. It will continue to change for many reasons – new methods are constantly being adopted, and technology is changing all the time – but don’t worry, even an old dog can learn new tricks. We have created a companion Dummies.com website (more on this later) to keep the information fresh. We will also likely ask other professionals we respect in the world of franchising to contribute to the website, so we strongly recommend – even if you’ve studied every page of this book – that you check out the companion website.

Most of this book is about franchising as practiced in the United States. After all, modern commercial franchising is a U.S. product, and commercial franchising made its debut in the U.S. under the leadership of one of our founding fathers well before we became an independent nation. (Curious who the first franchisor in North America actually was? Check out Chapter 1.) That said, franchising’s importance has grown globally, creating jobs and wealth along the way, because it has the capacity to sustainably and consistently replicate products and services. Its importance is now part of the solution for addressing societal and community needs in emerging markets in Asia, Africa, South America, and elsewhere. Franchising is even being used to effectively deal with the delivery of social services in the industrialized world. Whether you are located in the U.S. or anywhere else in the world, and whether you are in commerce or trying to tackle a societal problem, know that the basics of what makes franchising successful are universal.

Foolish Assumptions

Michael recalls sending out a copy of the original edition of Franchising For Dummies – which he and Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy’s, co-authored – to the chairman of one of his firm’s clients (a brand you know very well). We laughed at the note he sent back which said “Great book, learned a lot, could you send a brown paper cover for it so I can put it on my bookshelf?” All kidding aside, rest assured that you are no dummy for reading this book – in fact, quite the opposite. The For Dummies series carefully unwinds complex subjects and transform them into friendly, easy-to-read books.

Our goal for this book is be an essential resource for both novices and experts in franchising. Prospective franchisees can find out what to look for in a great franchisor; existing franchisees can take a peek at what great franchisors are providing their franchisees; emerging and experienced franchisors can gain an understanding about the proper methods of structuring, managing, and expanding their franchise systems; and social impact investors, donors, and NGOs can learn how franchising techniques can transform how they look at providing products and services at the base of the pyramid.

Of course, everyone has some understanding of franchising – it’s part of our daily lives after all, and most people shop at a franchisee-owned location nearly every day. But many don’t stop to realize that they are shopping at a business owned and operated by their neighbor. Franchisors have done such a good job in designing, developing, and managing franchise systems to deliver on a consistent brand promise that many people, including some legislators, believe that franchisees and franchisors do more than share a brand.

Although the sign above the front door may bear the name of a national chain, the name on the lease, on the paychecks, and on the purchase orders is the name of someone local who is risking their capital for the future success of the business. Franchising may be about chain businesses, but Franchise Management For Dummies will show you that sharing a common brand and sharing ownership are not the same thing.

Icons Used in This Book

Throughout this book, icons in the margins highlight different types of information that call out for your attention. Here are the icons you’ll see along with a brief description of each.

This points out stuff you should tuck in your brain for future reference.

If we start digging into a topic beyond the essentials of what you need to know, we warn you with this icon. If you’re looking for an in-depth discussion, dig in; otherwise, you can safely skip ahead.

Tips provide hard-earned insider insights. When you’re looking for a better, faster way to do something, pay special attention here.

This flags things to watch out for and avoid – proceed with caution.

This icon points out more goodies to be found on the companion website.

Beyond the Book

As we’ve been bragging about, an abundance of information and guidance on franchise structure and management is provided in this book, but not even we could cover every element in the detail required and still fit it all between these covers. That’s why we offer a whole lot more help and information online – just go to www.dummies.com/go/franchisemanagementfd. This site is chock full of additional information, including more depth on legal issues, advice on structuring your franchise program, tools to help you select and evaluate franchise opportunities, and much more. Check out the Franchise Management For Dummies Cheat Sheet. Simply go to www.dummies.com and type “Franchise Management Cheat Sheet” in the Search box.

Where to Go from Here

You’ve embarked on a journey. Congratulations. Neither Michael nor Joyce can be with you in person as you make this journey (unless you give us a call or shoot us an email). We have tried to be your trusted guides throughout this book, and you can consider Franchise Management For Dummies to be your roadmap – in a simple, straightforward, and (we hope) entertaining way.

To make the journey, of course, you have to read this book. For the best experience, we suggest simply starting with Chapter 1 and going from there. Certainly if you’re new to franchising, starting at the beginning and reading it all the way through would be a good approach. Feel free to flag those sections that you think are the most important to you or that you may not have understood fully. Then go back and read them again – with a broader knowledge of franchising, they may start to make better sense to you.

You can also read each chapter (and even each section) independently, which is useful if you have other things to do at the moment. In each chapter, we note other areas of the book that explore in greater detail some of the information you see.

If you’re experienced in franchising, you may want to skip some of the more introductory chapters and focus on the subjects that interest you most or where you need additional guidance. You can use the table of contents or the index to find what you’re looking for and flip directly to those sections. And of course, make certain you take advantage of the material on the website.

We hope this book gives you a valuable jumping-off point as you make your franchise decisions. Simply turn the page and begin!