• Using+Franchise+Audit+Questions+to+Support+Franchisee

357 Audit Questions to Turn Your Compliance Check into a Support Tool

By |2021-05-26T19:53:41+00:00July 30th, 2019|Blog|

Do your franchisees feel supported during compliance checks? Most franchisors will say “no”. But it doesn't have to be that way! FranchiseBlast has collected 357 franchise audit questions from top franchisors to help you "audit your audit" and elevate the compliance check from an exercise in “catching” franchisees doing something wrong, to “coaching” them to make the business be its best.

  • Office+Pride+podcast+series

How Office Pride Commercial Cleaning Services Is Using Podcasts in Training

By |2021-05-27T13:36:02+00:00April 15th, 2019|Blog|

Wouldn’t it be nice if your training sessions were available whenever you had the time to listen – maybe when you’re stuck in traffic or working on mundane tasks? Welcome to the age of podcasts. Learn how Office Pride Commercial Cleaning is using podcasts to help franchisees be more successful by providing training and support - when and where it fits their schedule.

  • franchising at work

Best Franchises to Work For?

By |2021-05-27T14:48:41+00:00September 7th, 2018|Blog|

We're surveying EVERYONE that works in the franchise industry to find out what they think of their job, team, and company. Share your experience with us and help us identify the best places to work in franchising!

5 Must-Have Resources for Emerging Franchise Brands

By |2023-03-21T20:31:55+00:00September 4th, 2018|Blog|

We’ve pulled together this list of the top 5 must-have resources for emerging brands, full of the best practices we’ve collected over a decade from franchisors who are growing their brands strategically while maintaining a system of highly satisfied (and profitable) franchisees.

  • customer+satisfaction

Is Your Brand Being Sabotaged?

By |2021-05-27T14:51:53+00:00August 29th, 2018|Blog|

There’s so much to know and learn as a new franchisee – and so much ‘paper work’ coming down from HQ, that franchisees often get lost in a barrage of paper, rather than focusing on the big picture. That can lead to your franchisees unknowingly sabotaging your brand and their customer satisfaction. Nancy Friedman, President of Telephone Doctor Customer Service Training, outlines five common phrases that can sabotage a business and how to mitigate them.

  • operations+seminar

Operational Excellence: The Driver of Sustainable Franchise Growth

By |2023-03-16T20:47:32+00:00August 9th, 2018|Blog|

We see so many brands that grow quickly but don’t have the operations support in place to sustain it. Join us in Tampa on September 12 for the IFA's Operations Seminar, where top ranking brands in franchisee satisfaction will share techniques and insight on how to achieve grow your brand strategically through operational best practices.

  • franchise+culture

Franchise Culture as a Foundation for Success

By |2023-03-16T20:58:14+00:00July 27th, 2018|Blog|

Franchise culture NEEDS to be an operational priority - starting with leadership, but really for everyone in your organization. The challenge is knowing where to start. Join FBR at the IFA Operations Seminar in Tampa this fall to learn the secrets of creating a winning culture from leading franchisors.

Franchisee Satisfaction and Your Bottom Line: Real-World Case Studies

By |2020-11-11T19:22:54+00:00July 6th, 2018|Resources, Webinars|

We often hear that the data we provide has helped our clients identify key issues among their franchisees, but it can sometimes be difficult to put an operational value on tracking franchisee attitudes. In this webinar, we speak with three franchisors about how moving the needle on satisfaction has also helped them grow their brand, both in same-store sales and new development.

Councils, Committees, and Advocates: Best Practices for Leveraging Franchisee Input and Rolling Out Changes

By |2020-11-11T19:23:20+00:00July 6th, 2018|Resources, Webinars|

A system with 500 franchisees handles communications very differently than one with 25, but regardless of size, franchisees demand that their voices be heard and respected -- and rightfully so. Still, finding the optimal strategy to solicit feedback, make decisions, and roll out changes while making sure everyone feels represented can be extremely difficult for any brand. Our panelists discuss how a brand of any size can create efficient, open communication channels to keep both franchisor and franchisees happy.

  • Group of people at a table with a Bar Graph Growth Moving Up Improvement Concept

Rising Tides: How Sharing Unit Level Data System-Wide Benefits Everyone

By |2020-11-11T19:23:33+00:00July 6th, 2018|Resources, Webinars|

We've often discussed the importance of collecting and analyzing unit-level data to help franchisees improve their profitability and grow their bottom line. This time, we focus specifically on WHY it's important not just to collect the data, but to share it with the entire system. Our panelists discuss what they share, how they overcome franchisee pushback, and what benefits they've seen by making this data available system-wide.

Tech Talk: Implementing the Right Technology at the Right Time for Your Franchisees

By |2020-11-11T19:23:50+00:00July 6th, 2018|Resources, Webinars|

If every franchise brand had a fully integrated, customized, easy to use, modular, cost-effective technology platform for their franchisees, operations would run very smoothly. Unfortunately, the perfect tech options seem too expensive for the brands that need them most and the questions involved with moving from one platform to another can quickly halt a much-needed upgrade. In this webinar, we speak with panelists who can clarify how to make the choice in platforms, when to make the investment, and the most seamless ways to roll out a new system.

  • binoculars representing transparency in franchising practices

Creating Franchisee Vision Plans (and Aligning Them with the CEO’s Vision)

By |2020-11-11T19:24:04+00:00July 6th, 2018|Resources, Webinars|

Franchisees are motivated by the potential to realize their dreams. Unfortunately, it can become very easy to lose sight of the long-term goals while dealing with the short-term challenges within the business. Working with franchisees to put their vision in writing can help them to stick to it and track their own progress, and helps YOU to make sure their vision stays aligned with the brand's so that both parties are working toward common goals.

  • Firehouse Subs

What All Franchise Brands Can Learn From Food

By |2024-11-18T15:11:36+00:00May 31st, 2018|Blog|

Perhaps no other franchising sector is as competitive and battle-tested as food. Every year, we release our annual report on the top food franchises based on franchisee satisfaction. The brands in this report have maintained double-digit growth and high franchisee satisfaction through some of the toughest years in franchising history. Franchisors from all types of sectors can learn a lot from what these brands do (and don’t do) to be successful.

What Story Is Your Item 19 Telling?

By |2020-11-11T19:27:56+00:00May 10th, 2018|Resources, Videos|

More than ever, savvy franchise buyers are honing in on your FDD’s Item 19. After all, it’s the closest they can get to answering the burning question, “How much money can I expect to make?” FBR's President & COO Michelle Rowan shares three need-to-know tips to make your Item 19 accurate and engaging.

  • Top Quartile Performance 2018

The Link Between Franchisee Satisfaction and Performance

By |2020-11-11T19:28:30+00:00April 2nd, 2018|Research, Resources|

Franchise Business Review's data shows that brands with high franchisee satisfaction drastically outperform brands with low satisfaction on every key performance metric. This graphic illustrates the gap between brands in the top quartile of satisfaction and brands in the bottom quartile in annual unit growth, royalty revenue, franchisee turnover, and franchisee income.

  • 5-Minute Friday Tips

4 Warning Signs of Franchisee Dissatisfaction

By |2024-11-18T15:23:28+00:00March 26th, 2018|Resources, Videos|

Using the data Franchise Business Review has collected from over 1,100 franchise brands, we've identified four warning signs that indicate that your franchisees are unhappy or disengaged - which means your system is at risk. FBR's Michael Kupfer talks about what you need to watch out for.

  • Item 19

3 Ways You’re Wasting Money

By |2020-11-11T19:31:23+00:00March 9th, 2018|Resources, Videos|

Nobody likes to waste money, but time and again, we see franchisors making simple mistakes that are costing them. In under three minutes, FBR's President & COO Michelle Rowan shares three ways you could be losing money - without even knowing it. Watch now to find out if your system is at risk and learn how to fix it.

How Yogi Bear’s Laser-Focus on Brand Differentiation Made It a Top Franchise

By |2024-11-18T15:40:19+00:00January 30th, 2018|Blog|

Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp Resorts was named one of Franchise Business Review’s top 200 franchises of 2018. We recently sat down to chat with Jim Westover, VP of Operations, to talk about the franchise’s growth over the past 50 years and how their focus on brand differentiation and franchisee education has been a critical factor in becoming a top choice for franchise buyers.

  • franchisee satisfaction data as business intelligence

Franchisee Satisfaction Data as Business Intelligence

By |2017-09-11T09:42:23+00:00September 11th, 2017|Uncategorized|

Business intelligence is all about using data to make informed decisions for your organization. It applies data analysis to glean actionable insights, identify risks and opportunities, and guide strategic plans. If you’re not collecting franchisee satisfaction data, you’re missing a critical piece of business intelligence. And that means you’re putting your entire system at risk.

  • grow your franchise brand

Growing Your Franchise Brand Without Losing Sight of What Matters

By |2021-05-27T14:29:43+00:00July 20th, 2017|Blog|

The energy behind small, but growing franchise brands is often fueled by the passion, culture, and core values of its founders, staff, and franchisees. As a brand grows, those things tend to get diluted or take a back seat to other priorities. Pulse surveys can help you keep your franchise on track and keep franchisees and corporate staff from disengaging.

  • Women in Franchising

Women in Franchising

By |2020-11-11T19:38:32+00:00April 11th, 2017|Research, Resources|

Franchise Business Review asked the franchise industry to nominate the women leading the way in franchising through exceptional leadership, knowledge, and creativity. This special report highlights some of the nominations we received, along with franchisee satisfaction data around women franchisees, resources, and advice from franchisors on building a more profitable system.

  • communication audit

Communication Audit: Think of It as Benchmarking

By |2023-03-16T19:59:09+00:00April 10th, 2017|Blog|

When was the last time you did a communications audit? Probably too long ago. Strategic communication is a critical component in your organization's ability to reach and exceed business objectives. And just as you would with other key areas of your organization like operations, marketing, and finance, communication must be reviewed, directed, adjusted, and monitored to ensure the best possible outcomes.

5 Tips for Overcoming Analysis Paralysis

By |2020-11-11T19:38:56+00:00March 16th, 2017|Resources, Webinars|

Whether the thought of analyzing data fills you with dread, or you just don’t know where to start, this 30-minute webinar will help even the most data-phobic franchisor understand how to use your data to drive your strategic efforts and start outperforming your competitors.

  • franchisee happiness

eBook: The [Franchise] Happiness Project

By |2024-11-18T15:33:19+00:00February 1st, 2017|eBooks and Whitepapers, Resources|

If you can commit to focusing on one area to work on each month and embedding it into your corporate culture, you may find that a step-by-step approach to change can end up making a big difference. This eBook lay out 12 best practices you can implement over the course of a year to increase satisfaction and improve productivity.

  • The Franchise Happiness Project

eBook: The [Franchise] Happiness Project

By |2024-11-18T15:34:31+00:00February 1st, 2017|Blog|

If you can commit to focusing on one area to work on each month and embedding it into your corporate culture, you may find that a step-by-step approach to change can end up making a big difference. This eBook lay out 12 best practices you can implement over the course of a year to increase satisfaction and improve productivity.

The Missing Piece of Your Corporate Culture

By |2021-05-27T14:29:43+00:00May 13th, 2016|Blog|

Franchise brands with strong cultures have extremely high satisfaction and engagement among their franchisees. But cognitive culture is only half the story. Research cited by Harvard Business Review article points out that emotions are central to building the right culture.

Young Franchise Brands: Your Franchisees Want Better Tech

By |2024-11-18T15:51:41+00:00November 24th, 2015|Blog|

Newer, smaller franchise brands typically don’t have a ton of capital, so investment in powerful software platforms can be extremely difficult to finance. At the same time, steady, sustainable growth of the brand depends on franchisees being successful and validating well for interested candidates. So do you invest beyond your means to streamline unit-level and brand growth, or do you stick with inefficient systems until there’s enough capital to spend on better technology?

How to Drive Franchise Profits Via Customer Satisfaction

By |2015-11-06T10:26:20+00:00November 6th, 2015|Uncategorized|

As local business owners, your franchisees are often buried in the day-to-day details of running their businesses—hiring, payroll, sales, customer service—meaning they typically have time to pay attention to customer satisfaction. Make it easy for them by providing them with customer satisfaction data that relates specifically to their location.

The Most Important Franchise Operations Tool You May Not Be Using

By |2015-07-07T11:01:41+00:00July 7th, 2015|Uncategorized|

In June 2015, over 100 franchisors learned how to run their brand more successfully via Franchise Business Review’s 2015 Ops Webinar Series. They benefitted from the insight of 15 respected franchise industry leaders who shared their experiences, expertise, and favorite resources during five online sessions. Throughout the series, one idea kept that regardless of the session topic was...

  • binoculars representing transparency in franchising practices

GAINING TRACTION: 5 Steps to Drive Franchise Performance and Profitability

By |2021-02-12T16:59:51+00:00February 20th, 2015|Blog|

Having a strong culture of transparency is critical for the long-term success of your franchisees and your system as a whole. Franchisees can easily get distracted as their business grows, which will ultimately stall their growth. Being 100 percent transparent as an organization will keep you and your franchisees laser-focused on things that really matter.

Don’t be a Dummy

By |2014-07-03T00:00:00+00:00July 3rd, 2014|Uncategorized|

No matter how “good” your system is, there’s a little bit of dummy in every organization. If any of these sound like someone you know, now is the time to address it – they could be holding you back from being truly GREAT.

Improve Franchisee Relations One Note At A Time

By |2024-11-18T15:09:53+00:00June 19th, 2014|Blog|

A common complaint from franchisees is that their franchisor doesn’t listen, the corporate office is out of touch, and they don’t feel part of the larger brand. There are a lot of big picture things you can do to change this, but there’s also one seemingly small thing that can make all the difference: A handwritten note.

Complainers Among Us

By |2024-11-18T15:08:22+00:00June 5th, 2014|Blog|

There’s no doubt we’ve all worked with a complainer or two—that person who spends all his time griping about a situation rather than doing something to improve it. Complainers may hurt your brand in more ways than you know.

Let Your Franchisees Teach Your Franchisees

By |2014-05-07T00:00:00+00:00May 7th, 2014|Uncategorized|

We hear it time and time again: Franchisees learn better from each other. So, when a franchisor has a best practice to share, an improvement to make, or a new process to implement, they get better results when the news is delivered by franchisees.

Long Run Leadership

By |2014-05-03T04:00:00+00:00May 3rd, 2014|Uncategorized|

Being a runner from Boston, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what I’d have done if I’d been crossing the finish line at 2:50 p.m. on 4/15/13.

Jimmy John’s Greatest Mistake

By |2014-04-07T00:00:00+00:00April 7th, 2014|Uncategorized|

The passion of Jimmy Liautuad is palpable. He’s got a big personality, and as he shared at Franchise Time’s Finance and Growth Conference in March, he’s had a great ride as CEO of Jimmy John’s Gourmet Subs—a brand he started back in 1983. But it hasn’t all been roses.

The Five Most Important Things We Learned at IFA

By |2023-03-22T19:56:50+00:00March 5th, 2014|Blog|

Our team spent most of last week in New Orleans at the IFA Convention, so I asked them to dig out from their beads and give me the best tip they took away from being there. Just like the conference itself, there’s something for everyone in their responses.

Compete Locally to Succeed Nationally

By |2013-10-07T04:00:00+00:00October 7th, 2013|Uncategorized|

Local efforts can have a big impact on a franchise system as a whole, including its unit profitability, storewide sales, and overall brand growth. If you’re not already, you may want to consider what (or who) is actually driving your local efforts.

Item 19: Uncluttering the Debate

By |2013-06-27T04:00:00+00:00June 27th, 2013|Uncategorized|

It’s no secret that the Item 19 is a hot-button issue in franchising. While the majority of experts vote in favor of it, there are still many who argue that an Item 19 is not absolutely necessary. Who's right?

The Best Conference Tip I’ve Ever Gotten

By |2023-10-18T15:45:37+00:00May 22nd, 2013|Blog|

The best conference tip I’ve ever gotten was from Susan Black-Beth at the IFA Leadership Luncheon in February. I always walk away from conferences with a few (soon-to-be-forgotten) great ideas, but Susan’s hit home and I’ve been thinking about it—and working on it—ever since.

Would You Trust You?

By |2023-03-22T19:59:48+00:00March 5th, 2013|Blog|

If by some unlikely twist of fate, you were instantly transplanted from the home office to ownership of your own franchise unit, how would you feel about the direction of the company? What thoughts would be crossing your mind as you read the latest memo from the executives? Would you trust you?

The Silent Killer

By |2012-10-31T04:00:00+00:00October 31st, 2012|Uncategorized|

A few months ago, I wrote about complainers and their negative effect on a franchise brand. Since then, I’ve been [...]