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Realizing that you want to buy a franchise is the first step on a new, exciting path. Type in “franchise opportunities” in Google you’ll get back about 38,000,000 hits. If you spent just one minute on each it would take up more than 70 years to evaluate all of them. And, as you probably have experienced for yourself if you’ve ever searched the Internet for anything, you’ll find a ton of information that’s not always easy to organize or understand or even accurate.

Investing in a franchise business is perhaps the second largest investment in your life and leveraging the right expertise can

Why am I a franchise owner?

I wanted to own a business but was not creative enough to come up with an awesome original idea. A huge advantage of owning a franchise rather than either buying an existing business, or starting from scratch, is that there is a proven model in place and you are not in it alone. One should make sure there is an infrastructure in place that includes training, ongoing development and support, marketing materials, and proven processes. A national conference and other opportunities to interact with peer owners, are key to being able to share experiences and best

by: Jordan Gandy

No!

Well, maybe….I think so…

Okay yes!

That would be my train of thought and answer to that question on most days. Franchising has been really fun at times; it also has been really frustrating at times. I have loved our franchisor at times; other times I have wanted to strangle someone at the home office.   I can only imagine this wave of ups and downs, celebrations and frustrations, is common in any other franchise as well, and in any other business for that matter.

To say I have a love/hate relationship with my franchisor would be fairly accurate. I will share

by: Merri Cronk

President of FranNet of Central and West Texas and the Rio Grande Valley

If you’re stuck between wanting to be your own boss, yet not wanting to start a business from scratch, then franchise business ownership could be the perfect hybrid opportunity. Franchising may seem intimidating, especially if you’re questioning if it’s right for you. Business owners face several challenges; however, one of franchising’s greatest strengths is its ability to position a person for greater success through its proven systems.

Potential franchisees should conduct a lot of research when looking