Franchising Books

If you are considering franchising your own business concept, this is the best, most definitive guide I have seen on the subject. As a former franchisee and author of a book on franchises, I've experienced and read a lot on the subject. This book is well-researched, easy to read and a very thorough guide. A must read before you start selling franchises, and an interesting, helpful and very informative read if you are considering buying one to operate as a franchisee.

Whenever I go to any strip mall or general retail area I start to wonder if there are non-franchise establishments left. Almost everything is franchised and if there is not one near you just wait because is coming soon. This book details out some of the facts about the franchising boom. It states that almost 2,300 companies franchise and that there are about 770,000 outlets that generate about $1 trillion in sales annually. Yes the world has gone franchise and the best thing to do is hop on the band wagon.

This book talks about why some firms in some industries chose to go the franchising route and when others do not. One of the main goals of the book is to explain when franchising is a good strategy for a firm and when it is not. There are advantages and disadvantages to this strategy and the authors try to walk you through them. The authors also try to help the reader determine whether you are better off using franchising in your own business.

Overall I found the book to be interesting and full of great information. The authors seem to know their stuff and if you are involved in franchising in any capacity then this book should help you if for nothing more then to gain a better understanding of the big picture and understand the drivers for the business model.

I did not have the slightest clue how to go about the buying a franchise, but this book changed all of that. It breaks everything down step by step, and explains all of the little things to you. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in opening a franchise. It is also useful in determining if you are not cut out to open a franchise. Hope this helps!

This book offers a very easy-to-understand introduction to franchising. If you're interested in becoming a franchisee, this is a book you must read! It's loaded with useful information and will save you a ton of time and money.

Fin

I work in the franchise industry and can say that this book is a great primer for anyone thinking about franchising their business or buying a franchise. Highly recommended!

After evaluating numerous franchising books, this one has been the most useful especially if you are looking to franchise your own restraunt. The content of the book more than pays for steep price.

I expected more. Will be looking at other books on the market, but have not yet, so cannot comment on how it compares to others. I was just really looking for less general info (I know what a franchise is) and more specific info to evaluate them.

Anyone looking for a quick education on franchise opportunities should take a few hours and read Joe's book. Extremely informative and worthwhile!

This is an excellent book and a must read for anyone considering going into franchising. This book helped me eliminate many concepts which I initially thought were good. But after reading this book, I learned what great franchise companies are all about. I finally bought into one and am very happy.

Definitely a must read BEFORE you buy a franchise! This book provides food for thought and makes you truly think long and hard about the whole franchising business.

I have read four or five books on purchasing a franchise and this is clearly the worst. The books from Nolo are the best and the Better Business Bureau are second. This book is mostly hype about how great the franchise experience can be with pep talks and nonsense about how you are good enough to be in the 1 percent of successful franchise buyers. The information is neither objective nor balanced. I encourage people to always look at who the writers are to see if the source can be trusted. In this case it is consultants who make their money training people who sell franchises, helping people franchise their existing business and selling coaching services to existing franchisees. They have no vested interest in discouraging you from buying a franchise. Spend your money on a different book. I am suspicious of the other rave reviews, it looks like a marketing campaign to me. It is hard for me to believe real people found value in this book.

My husband and I are considering opening a franchise. Although we have business experience, neither of us have ever actually managed a retail store or food service establishment. We certainly had never negotiated a lease or franchise agreement. This book points out a lot of details that will help you protect yourself when negotiating with a landlord or franchisor. It also gets you to think about whether you are a good fit for this type of lifestyle and are you reviewing an appropriate territory for your business. I checked this book out at the library and now I am buying a copy so I can highlight it, make notes and such.

Upon embarking on an endeavor to purchase a franchise business with my wife, we realized we knew nothing about where to start. We decided to start at the bookstore and purchase a book on franchising. We chose Franchising 101 because it appeared to be laid out in a format that was easy to read and follow -- we were right! This book has become our bible every step of the way. From analyzing the opportunity to digesting the UFOC, every question we have stumbled across has been answered by this book. In addition to the valuable information provided, we actually found our franchise attorney by contacting one of the contributing authors. Franchising 101 leaves no stone unturned in looking at this very important life decision. It is a MUST READ for anyone considering the purchase of a franchise business.

Practical, Pragmatic Preparation

Cooked up by CPA's, Attorneys and Insurance Brokers, with a dash of disgruntled franchisees and a pinch of fatherly advice from a Franchiser, this utilitarian dish is nothing if not healthy.

With a steady diet of this recipe, potential franchisees will leave the table full and satisfied and yearning for a VERY rich desert to make up for all the pragmatic, reasonable and intelligent ingredients used to prepare this three course meal.

Section 1: "Choosing Your Franchise" opens with a franchising history explaining how Singer Sewing Centers were the first franchiser in 1858. There are tales of early automobile dealerships, oil company and service station franchises, and motel chain successes that led to the explosion of the franchise phenomenon in the 1950's and 60's.

The most interesting portions describe the rise of Ray Croc's ëFranchise of the Centuryí, McDonald's. There's a promise of a "Good News Future" discussing the establishment in 1992 of the American Association of Franchisees and Dealers or AAFD, (the equivalent of a Franchisees union).

There are multiple warnings that you must be very clear of the large difference between an entrepreneur and a franchisee. It is simply stated that if you spend more time thinking about how things "could or should be" then it is likely you are an entrepreneur and franchising is definitely not for you.

Predefined trade dress, business practices, required equipment, signage, etc., are each carefully chosen and non-negotiable by the franchisee. Once again, the AAFD proudly defines newly negotiable items of contracts and leases while clearly stating that the Franchiser maintains the upper hand in all cases.

From the initial colorful history right into the bland body of "how-to" information through helping the potential franchisee to determine the selection, research, pricing, purchasing a franchise and choosing location and leasing details.

Finally there is a tale by a none too happy franchisee who thought long and hard but ignored danger signs in acquiring a business she had decided on before her research told her that this was a sour deal.

Section 2: "Acquiring your Franchise" is the main course and while definitely healthy and well prepared, it is something you read because it is good for you, not because you like it. This course is made up of a discussion of another acronym, the UFOC or Uniform Franchise Offering Circular. This is a federally mandated document outlining 23 tightly defined items which are illuminated to simplify them for the reader.

If you are purchasing a franchise, then this will always be the first and most important step in determining core issues about a particular Franchisor. Two attorneys walk you through the preparation of the franchise agreement, lease negotiation, incorporation, then come the CPA's with cash flow, banking, loans and business plans. It's all critical to those considering the purchase and highly informative as a checklist of important issues.

Section 3: "Managing your Franchise" is a discusses the managing, motivating, hiring and firing of employees. The bulk of this chapter is made up of more essential pragmatic requirements of market research, taxes, insurance, accounting, marketing and business management practices. This section chafes a bit with the fatherly advice of a franchiser who basically suggests that franchisees should respect their elders and be good kids and they will be rewarded with favoritism. Business should not be run on favoritism, but realistically, it's good advice as people skills often determine business success.

Altogether, what it all comes down to is that operating a franchise is serious business, that it takes money to make money, and that it will clearly be very hard work.

There are the benefits such as managing your own time, doing what you enjoy, scheduling your own vacations, and making major decisions without a boss hovering over you. It will leave those with a taste for perks and bonuses wanting. This is definitely your minimum must-have businesslike presentation without discussing even a few of the benefits of self-employment.

This step-by-step guide will no doubt be good for you if you've already firmly decided that franchising is the career path you wish to follow. Nothing is left out and there will be plenty of good information to answer your financial questions and set a course for smooth franchisee sailing.

After you make your decisions you'll definitely want to go elsewhere for convincing reasons to become a franchisee because Franchising 101 offers up only pragmatic, practical fare. This is the hard work without discussing any of the rewards to tantalize you and only a sad tale of one unhappy franchisee answer your questions regarding possible self-fulfilling careers.

As the President of FranchiseInterviews.com, I am constantly reading books and articles on franchising. I consider Franchising 101 one of the best sources on franchising.

I have read 4 different books on franchising and would definately consider this one the best!

While i havent completely finished the book, i have lost interest. The no1 impression this book gives to me is : all but a mess.
let us look at the table of content. the title , the subtitle are all in same font and same color. I have no hell idea without deep examing where the structures are. second, english is poorly written. the title of chapter 2 is called: strategy of entering a market. title of chapter 3 is called: market entry strategy. i have no idea what the difference are. (of course, the author wanted to give a difference, but his use of english just confuses me ). Therefore, I feel it is very annoying to use this book as reference because i cant find where the references are at.
Can we call a book without a nice table of contents a good book? i dont think so

To me Christoph Lymbersky is clearly the rockstar under the academics. Simply because his style of writing is easy to read and he always seems to find the right words to make even complicated topics interesting and easy to understand.

He leaves away all the "big" words that other academics use to make themselves sound intelligent and respectable. Christoph Lymbersky writes in a style that gives you the feeling that he is sitting right in front of you and explains to you what market entry strategies are all about. It is not surprising that through his extensive link to professionals he developed his own entry strategy which is probably the most common one used in the field. I would have liked to read a bit more about his "wave strategy" and was missing some more paragraphes about it but I am sure that we will hear more from him. Besides that I find the book complete and comprehensive.

However, typical for Christoph Lymbersky is also that he does not write a book that is only about his findings but simply mentions his idea as one of many that are available to companies that want to extend their operations to foreign countries.

The chapters are all underlined with plenty of examples from the extensive research the author has done. The perfect mix between theory and real life examples makes it easy to remember everything important in a chapter and helps the reader to become an expert himself.

Finally somebody who writes in a style that is useful for professionals, students and academics.

I am a professor have been using this book as a textbook in my class. I can only recommend it for colleagues and professionals. The book is written very well. The author keeps the reader interested by an extensive amount of examples from the field.

Also, which is especially important for students and professionals that don't have much time is that the book is easy to read. The author found a very good balance between the theory of a textbook, the advice of a practitioners guide and the interesting side of a business thriller.

My students have been telling me that they enjoyed reading and working with the book which is why we have made it the textbook for our International Market Entry Class.

The Book Market Entry Strategies by Christoph Lymbersky introduces the concept of different market entry strategies such as Licensing, Franchising, FDI, M&As, Greenfield, Exporting, Turnkey Projects, Management Contracts etc. Each strategic concept gets explained with its advantages and disadvantages. A lot of examples from companies around the world illustrate the theory explained and make it easy to remember pitfalls and success stories.
In a second part the book introduces intercultural differences, what to take care of when entering a foreign market and how to prepare an international strategy. Choosing the right people to send overseas, the right market and the right strategy for the market can determine if an international strategy turns out to be a success or a failure.
The author explains in detail what steps to take, how to choose a market and how to avoid mistakes that other companies have made. The combination of the intercultural part, strategic theory, examples and case studies make this book a "must read" for every international business student and international marketing or strategic manager.

The Book Market Entry Strategies by Christoph Lymbersky introduces the concept of different market entry strategies such as Licensing, Franchising, FDI, M&As, Greenfield, Exporting, Turnkey Projects, Management Contracts etc. Each strategic concept gets explained with its advantages and disadvantages. A lot of examples from companies around the world illustrate the theory explained and make it easy to remember pitfalls and success stories.

In a second part the book introduces intercultural differences, what to take care of when entering a foreign market and how to prepare an international strategy. Choosing the right people to send overseas, the right market and the right strategy for the market can determine if an international strategy turns out to be a success or a failure.

The author explains in detail what steps to take, how to choose a market and how to avoid mistakes that other companies have made. The combination of the intercultural part, strategic theory, examples and case studies make this book a "must read" for every international business student and international marketing or strategic manager.

Andrew Sherman is both an experienced franchise attorney and has been involved in franchise management. This is a great, step-by-step "how to" book on everything you need to do to create a successful franchise.

Having been down that road, I can tell you that you are not likely to create a successful franchise without the assistance of a great franchise consultant. This book, however, will help you ask the right questions in order to evaluate a prospective franchise consultant.

The book will also help you determine if your business is potentially franchiseable.

This book is truly a Godsend for my business. I know virtually nothing about becoming a franchisor and I have a wonderful consultant, but this book takes all the guesswork out of the process.

There are great examples of the operations manual, legal documents even personnel questionnaires.

With this book in my arsenal, I'm ready to get my franchise started. I'm even buying multiple copies of the book for my business partners. This is a MUST buy for anyone starting a franchise.

Keep in mind, "Franchising and Licensing" is not for franchisees (people buying a franchise). So if you're looking to buy a franchise, consider a different book.

I found this book very informative and directed towards people who are considering franchising or licensing their businesses (as I am) as opposed to someone looking to buy a franchise. I would have wanted more information on the licensing aspect however. About 90% of the contents are for prospective franchisors and only 10% for somebody looking into the other option which is licensing. That's why I only gave it 4 stars instead of 5. I would have wanted a little more info on licensing as an alternative. But as far as the franchising content it is definitely 5 stars.

These series of books have a lot to offer.They offer more advice,easier explanations and affordable than most books.They're good value.

As for this book it explains everything you would want to know before investing your money in any franchise business.What to look for,what to consider and so much more.I learned a lot from this book.

Explains franchising well, pretty detailed without getting confusing, but definitely biased towards buying a franchise, but I think all these books are biased and tell people to run out and incur all the risks and invest $500,000 on a product that will net you $40,000/year (if your lucky) after all the franchising fees and franchising costs.