AI Adoption Is Now a Franchisee Recruitment Question, Not Just an Operations One
Franchise candidates are asking hard questions about AI in the discovery process. Here's what they want to know and how development teams should answer.
Uncovering the Best Franchises to Work For
Learn how FBR's Employee Satisfaction Awards work, who's eligible, how the winners are calculated, and how you can make the list of the best franchises to work for.
The Manager Multiplier: Your Best Retention Strategy Is Already on Your Org Chart
Franchise employee engagement sits at 83% vs. a 31% national average. FBR research shows great managers are the engine behind that gap — and how to keep building it.
Why FBR Awards Should Be Part of a Winning PR Strategy
How PR teams can get more exposure for your franchise clients with the most important industry recognition in franchising.
You Don’t Need to Wait for Congress: What Smart Franchise Brands Are Doing Right Now
You don't need the American Franchise Act to pass to support your people. Discover what the AFA means for your brand and how leading franchise systems are already closing the gap.
How to Celebrate Employees Every Day—Not Just on Employee Appreciation Day
It’s no secret that a happy and engaged team has a ripple effect. They're your brand ambassadors—while they're with your team, and just as importantly, after they move on. Here are five ways to show them you care on Employee Appreciation Day and all year round.
Read This Before You Ask Franchisees for Feedback
Whether this is your first time reaching out to formally measure franchisee satisfaction and feedback, or you’re planning for your next annual survey, there are a few simple things you should consider first.
Pulse Surveys: A Small but Mighty Tool for Increasing Franchisee Satisfaction
Pulse surveys are a fast, easy, relatively inexpensive tool to measure system performance. Learn what makes a successful pulse survey and how to implement them in your system.
Franchise Performance Benchmarks: A Breakdown of 330 Brands
Understand the franchise performance benchmarks from critical operational areas that directly correlate to franchise growth, including the #1 indicator: trust.
Inside the Top 200: What 2026’s Top-Ranked Franchises Do Differently Webinar
Watch now to find out what separates a good franchise brand from a great one. In this data-driven webinar, we [...]
Why Does FBR Offer a Free Franchisee Survey?
Franchise Business Review offers a free franchisee survey. Find out how and why we do it and how to get your free survey with no catch!
6 Ways [+ Free Tool] to Grow Your Network at the IFA Convention
Download a free, customizable digital business card template, complete with step-by-step instructions on how to easily add it to your phone, to making networking easy at the IFA Convention.
Why Your Franchisees Will Love a Survey, and You Will Too
In most companies, employees have an annual performance review. When done properly, it creates a powerful feedback loop and an opportunity for positive change. In franchising, an annual satisfaction survey offers similar benefits. If you're using on of these common excuses not to survey your franchisees on a regular basis, find out why you could be putting your system at risk.
Top 5 Must-Read Franchising Articles of the Year
Discover the 5 most-read articles you may have missed from 2025. Each is packed with expert tips and insights that are just as relevant in 2026.
5 New Year’s Resolutions Every Franchisor Should Make
For many of us, New Year’s resolutions revolve around getting — or staying — healthy. But regardless of personal resolutions, for franchisors it also means building a healthier brand in 2026.
The Power of Franchisee Satisfaction: A Persuasive Factor for Prospective Franchise Buyers
We asked three franchisees if franchisee satisfaction was a factor in their decision to buy. Here's what they said.
Franchising Predictions for 2026
What’s in store for the franchise sector? Franchise thought leaders share their top predictions for 2026. Each year we ask [...]
Setting Up Frontline Employees for Success: Highlights From Summit 2025
Learn what highly successful franchisors are doing to empower franchise frontline employees to create a positive culture and drive success.
How AI-Enabled Franchise Support Will Redefine Growth, Talent, and Franchisee Success in 2026
AI-enabled franchise support systems will reshape franchisee success, employee experience, and development in 2026. Learn what leaders must do now.
Franchise Development Do’s and Don’ts
Learn the essential franchise development do's and don'ts that have the biggest impact on finding the right candidates to grow your franchise system.
Key Forces Shaping Franchising in the Year Ahead
Professionalization, capital selectivity, labor pressures, and rising operator expectations will have an outsized influence on system performance in the coming year. These forces are raising the baseline for what it takes to succeed as a franchisor and reshaping how brands structure their teams, attract investment, support franchisees, and protect profitability in 2026.
How to Plan a Year of Content Marketing [+ Free Template]
Get your free, customizable franchising calendar template to plan your content marketing strategy for the year and track key dates and franchising events.
How Franchise Development Has Changed—And What You Can Do About It
Take a look at the top franchise development challenges for 2026 and how leading brands are using data, transparency, and smarter processes to attract qualified candidates.
5 Takeaways From the Franchise Operations Summit: What You Need to Know in 2026
What did you miss at this year's FBR Summit? Here's a recap of attendees' most valuable takeaways—and how it will guide 2026 strategic planning for operations teams.
How to Create a Framework for Franchise Hiring [Free Cheat Sheet]
Creating a hiring and retention toolkit is a simple, yet effective way to support franchisees. Download a free checklist to review the tools you currently offer and identify additional resources to assist franchisees overcome staffing challenges.
5 Franchise Development Budget Planning Mistakes to Avoid
Despite the seemingly endless meetings and ensuing headaches that accompany budget planning, there’s no escaping it. To make this year’s planning a little easier for you, we’ve put together the most common budgeting mistakes and how to fix them.
What the Top Ranked Franchises Do That Others Don’t
Research shows that the brands with the most satisfied franchisees set expectations about the time and money required to reach profitability long before a franchisee even joins the system.
What Top Franchisors Do to Support Franchisee Hiring (and How You Can Do It Too)
Learn what the best brands are doing to help franchisees overcome their #1 challenge: hiring and retention.
The American Franchise Act: What Everyone in Franchising Needs to Know (in Plain English)
Understand the implications of the American Franchise Act and how you can support franchisees with hiring and retention now while protecting your brand.
Resolving Conflict in Franchising
When conflict inevitably arises, having a conflict resolution framework in place for approaching tough conversations will help ensure franchise leaders and franchisees are aligned, respected, and heard.
The Hidden Cost of Manual Franchisee Data Consolidation (& How to Fix It!)
Uncover the hidden costs of manual franchisee data consolidation that are dragging you down and explore tools that save time and help you scale your brand more quickly.
Still FBR, Just Better Dressed
Take a look at us now! With 20 years under our belts, FBR's brand refresh brings all of that together to better tell the full story of who we are and what we stand for.
The Franchising Operations Executive’s Growth Paradox: Why Scaling Fast Requires Fractional Talent
Learn how to achieve true scalability in franchise operations with a simple shift to a fractional talent model to free up executives to focus on strategy.
5 Signs of a Successful Franchise Advisory Council
In order for an FAC to truly represent franchisees’ perspectives, the group itself has to function effectively, which is dependent on practices and a culture within the group that set up both the FAC and the franchisor for success. If you have an FAC in your system, look for these five indicators to determine if it is running successfully.
Leveraging Data Analytics for Franchise Growth
Discover the power of data analytics in driving informed decisions and growth in your franchise system.
Effective Franchisee Onboarding Processes
Learn how to implement best practice for onboarding franchisees to set the foundation for long-term success. Free checklist included.
Franchise Horror Stories: 5 Ways to Separate Your Brand From the (Scary) Headlines
With high-profile franchise systems making headlines for exploiting franchises with unfair and deceptive practices, how can brands that foster strong, supportive franchisor-franchisee relationships differentiate themselves? Here are five things you can do to set your brand apart.
How QSRs Can Leverage Video Analytics for Smarter Loss Prevention
Discover how integrating video into QSR restaurant analytics can help with loss prevention, consistency, performance, and profitability across multiple locations.
Franchise Customer Satisfaction Survey Best Practices
Learn best practices for franchise customer satisfaction surveys, plus tips on survey design, response rates, and leveraging results for growth.
5 Franchise Workforce Trends: What They Mean for Franchise Employers
These are the top franchise workforce trends expected to shape franchising into 2026—and strategies to address them.
The Hidden Costs of Admin Overload in Franchising: How a PEO Can Help
Learn how a PEO can help you level-up franchisee support, improve system performance, and scale your brand more effectively. Franchising [...]
What Questions to Ask on an Employee Engagement Survey
Uncover key questions to include in your employee engagement survey to boost team satisfaction, productivity, and workplace culture.
Let’s Talk: Crisis Management For Franchisors
Learn how to prepare your franchise system to effectively handle crises and maintain operational stability.
Stop the Whack-a-Mole: Scalable Franchise Operations Starts with Systems, Not Heroics
Get practical advice from franchising experts on do's and don'ts for creating scalable franchise operations and franchisee support.
Scaling Smarter: How Virtual Tools Unlock Growth for Franchises
For many franchise leaders, the hardest part of scaling isn't market expansion, it’s ensuring their franchisees can grow efficiently while maintaining quality and consistency across locations. Learn how virtual tools can increase speed to lead.
AI Won’t Save You, But It Can Help You Scale Franchise Operations
Using AI for franchise operations is no longer optional, but it must be implemented with intention. Learn what franchising experts recommend.
From Recruitment to Reputation: How Your Hiring Experience Reflects on the Entire Franchise Brand
Turn the franchise hiring experience into a brand asset. Learn how franchisors are standardizing, automating, and improving hiring across every location.
The Speed Advantage: How Rapid Lead Response Drives Franchise Growth
The difference between closing a deal and losing a prospect often comes down to seconds, not hours or days. Find out how you could be unknowingly sabotaging your conversion rates with one critical oversight.
Profitability Is Not a Mystery: Why Franchisors MUST Start Talking About the Money
Learn when and how to set clear expectations around profitability to ensure franchisors and franchisees are aligned and set up for success.
Left on Read: Why Franchisees Feel Abandoned in Local Marketing
Why the disconnect around local marketing? Learn how to provide clear guidance to help franchisees succeed.
What Franchisees Actually Want from Field Support
Franchise experts share what franchisees really need from field support to drive success.
Halfway There: How Financial Clarity Can Help You Learn and Improve for the Rest of the Year
Learn how a fractional CFO can partner with you to dig deep into you numbers, identify trends, and translate financial data into clear, actionable advice.
From Assessment to Acceleration: How a Technology Roadmap Helped Any Lab Test Now Scale for Growth
See how a clear technology roadmap and disciplined execution helped the Any Lab Test Now move faster and scale smarter.
From Yellow Pages to AI Search: Why Local Businesses Must Invest in AI SEO
Learn what you need to know about AI SEO to keep your franchise locations visible with the shift to AI-powered search results.
10 Tips and Tricks to Crush Your Franchise Recruitment Goals With Data Storytelling
Franchisee satisfaction data is a powerful storytelling tool. Learn how to use it to crush franchise recruitment goals at all stages of the sales funnel.
Is Your Tech Stack Helping or Hurting Operations?
Follow these four simple steps to ensure your tech stack is optimizing your brand’s potential.
Are You Scaling Success or Scaling Problems?
Learn how a franchise operating system can help you deliver a consistent brand experience at scale.
The Role of AI in Franchise Operations
Discover how AI technologies are transforming franchise operations, improving efficiency, and enhancing customer satisfaction.
8 Do’s and Don’ts of Content Marketing
Sponsored content can be a highly effective tactic to capture the attention and build awareness of your brand - when crafted effectively. If you’re thinking about adding it to your marketing strategy, follow these do’s and don’ts for writing sponsored content that performs well.
Digital Marketing Strategies For Franchisors
Learn effective digital marketing strategies to boost your franchise's visibility and attract potential franchisees.
Why I Keep Coming Back to the FBR Summit – and Why You Should Too
Discover why franchise expert returns to the FBR Summit year after year.
Creating a Content Marketing Strategy to Attract More Franchise Candidates
Learn 6 valuable content marketing strategies that are essential to getting your brand in front of more candidates.
How to Maximize Your FBR Summit Experience: Before, During, and After
Make the most of your time at the FBR Summit with these expert networking tips before, during, and after.
Capitalization, Competency, and Commitment: A Franchisor’s Responsibility
Understand the key components of the franchisor's responsibility to franchisees and the elements required to build a high-performing franchise system.
12 Resources for LGBTQIA+ Entrepreneurs and Franchisees
List of funding options and community and mentorship organizations to share with LGBTQ+ franchisees and candidates.
The Value of Having Franchise Operations Teams at Franchise Events
There is tremendous value in having your franchise operations team attend industry events – and yes, we meant teams. Here are the top four reasons your whole franchise operations team should attend the FBR Summit.
Enhancing Customer Experience in Franchising
Learn how to implement strategies for a consistent and outstanding customer experience throughout your franchise network.
Top 5 Reasons to Attend the FBR Summit
The Summit is the ONLY event designed exclusively for franchise operations leaders and their teams that directly support franchisees.
Private Equity Investing in Franchise Companies Need Franchisee Satisfaction Data—Here’s Why
Franchisee satisfaction can make or break the potential to scale a brand, yet it often goes overlooked by private equity firms.
Franchisee Vision Plans: The Most Effective Tool You’re NOT Using
Most franchise companies have a crystal clear vision of where they want to go. But the mistake many franchisors make is not requiring their franchisees to have their own vision. Implementing a franchisee vision plan program is the most effective way to set expectations and align franchisees’ goals with the goals of the organization. Learn how to start putting vision plans to work in your organization with these free resources.
The SBA Franchise Directory Is Back. Now What?
With the elimination of the SBA's Franchise Directory, here are 5 ways you can increase the likelihood of candidates’ loans getting approved.
What You Need to Know About Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Franchising
New research from the Franchising at Work study reveals how employees really feel about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in franchising.
Utilizing Social Media for Franchise Recruitment
Explore strategies for using social media platforms to recruit potential franchisees.
What Franchisees Really Think About Their FBCs (and What You Should Do About It)
Enhance credibility and trust in your FBCs by uncovering insights from franchisee satisfaction survey.
Net Promoter Score for Franchises
Does Net Promoter Score work for franchises? Here's what you need to know about using NPS to ask for feedback from customers, employees and franchisees.
Franchise Advisory Councils: Pros and Cons
What are the pros and cons of a Franchise Advisory Council? Learn the risks and benefits when considering implementing an FAC in your franchise system.
What Your Franchise Broker Needs to Know About Franchisee Satisfaction
Franchise brokers can be an important part of your franchise recruitment strategy, but most franchise brokers are working with a hundred or more brands. So how do you make sure your broker is recommending your brand over others when talking with potential leads? Find out how your franchisee satisfaction data can be the silver bullet to get your broker sending more candidates your way.
Want to Boost Franchisee Survey Participation Rates? Take a Lesson from Tropical Smoothie Cafe
Franchisors often ask us how they can encourage their franchisees to participate and boost survey participation rates. We recently unearthed this 2019 video of Charles Watson, CEO of Tropical Smoothie Cafe, inviting his franchisees to take our survey, and we couldn’t help but share!
5 Questions Private Equity Investors Need to Ask Before Investing in a Franchise
If you're a private equity investor (or a franchisor in acquisition mode), make sure you're asking these five questions before making an investment in a franchise.
The Pros and Cons of Employee Engagement Surveys
Discover the pros and cons of employee engagement surveys. Learn how they can improve employee satisfaction, morale, and retention while identifying pitfalls to avoid.
What Makes a Great Franchise Business Coach and How You Can Make Them More Successful
One of the most difficult—but also most crucial—roles on your support team is the franchise business coach (FBC). Find out what makes a great FBC and how to get the most out of the three-way relationship between the franchisor, franchisee, and FBC.
Employee Satisfaction vs. Employee Engagement: What’s the Difference?
Your employees may be satisfied with their day-to-day roles, but they might not be engaged. Understand the difference between employee satisfaction and engagement - and why it matters.
The Ultimate Guide to Employee Pulse Surveys
Everything you need to know about using employee engagement pulse surveys to drive hiring and employee retention in your franchise system.
How Franchisors Can Use EOS® and Satisfaction Data to Drive Growth
Discover how franchisors can integrate Franchise Business Review (FBR) insights into the EOS® framework to improve decision-making, enhance satisfaction, and drive business growth.
The Franchisor’s Guide to Employee Wellness
Download a free guide to learn how to implement an effective employee wellness strategy to create an environment where employees and your franchise organization thrive.
The Financial Impact of Employee Turnover
What franchisors need to know about the true cost of employee disengagement and strategies to improve engagement and retention.
Franchising Predictions for 2025
What’s in store for the franchise sector in 2025? Franchise thought leaders share their top predictions.
6 Things Private Equity Investors Need to Know About Franchising
Driven by the attractive growth prospects and scalability of franchise models, private equity firms are increasingly focused on potential investments in the franchising sector. Here are six things PE investors need to know before acquiring a franchise brand.
Building a Powerful Franchise Development Website
Discover the essential elements that make a franchise development website effective in attracting and engaging potential franchisees.
Want to Level Up Franchise Operations? Start with Employee Engagement
Learn how to help franchisees build stronger franchise operations through increasing employee engagement—without overstepping or jeopardizing compliance.
5 Steps to High-Impact Financial Coaching for Franchise Business Coaches
Many franchise business coaches are confident supporting clients with operational issues but struggle with conversations about financial goals and KPIs. Arm them with these 41 questions to improve franchisees' financial performance.
The Do’s and Don’ts of Multi-Unit Franchising: How To Grow Sustainably
Understand the pros and cons of multi-unit franchising and learn how to tell if your franchise system is growing too fast.
15 Reads for Franchising Professionals
Looking for your next page-turner? Try out these recommendations from FBR president Michelle Rowan.
Where the Magic Happens: The Power of Smaller Conferences in Franchising
Attending franchising conferences is a significant investment of time and resources. Here's why smaller events sometimes offer the biggest returns.
How Successful Platform Franchise Brands Use Franchisee Survey Feedback
Learn how platform franchise brands can grow and strengthen their portfolios by making franchisee survey feedback a strategic priority.
The Importance of Employee Listening and Engagement in Franchising
Learn how to strengthen employer-employee relationships through employee listening within all levels of the franchise structure to build a more profitable and productive system.
The Importance of Consistent Franchisee Feedback: What You Need to Consider
Before you decide to postpone your franchisee survey, consider the potential risks of delaying or neglecting your annual franchisee satisfaction survey.
The Franchise Brands You Won’t See On Our Awards List
Not every brand is an award-winner (yet!), but they are still committed to franchisee satisfaction. Here's why they deserve to be recognized.
Building an Intentional Culture in Your Franchise Business
JoBen Barkey is a featured speaker at the FBR Summit 2024 in Denver. He'll share the story of how he created a culture within his franchise business that allows him to pursue his passion for giving back. Get a preview with this Q&A.
Unlocking Success with Performance Max Campaigns
What is a Performance Max campaign and how can it enhance your franchise marketing? The experts at Location3 explain when, why, and how to add PMax to your marketing mix.