Are you considering the purchase of a franchise? Are you thinking of using a franchise consulting service to assist you?

Are you considering the purchase of a franchise? Are you thinking of using a franchise consulting service to assist you? Even in choosing a consulting service, don’t you want to “look before you leap?” Read on. © Copyright 2019 by The You Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior permission in writing from The You Network, LLC. 2 Because YOU Matter SM Welcome to The YOU Network – the consulting service designed to help serious investors succeed in franchise ownership. You’re considering buying a franchise. You think you could benefit from working with a franchise consultant, to help you through the “new and uncharted waters.” You’ve read enough about franchising to learn there are a few unsavory characters and companies out there, and you want to make sure you don’t meet up with any of them -- starting with the consultant you choose to work with. Just HOW do you know you’re working with the “right” franchise consultant? A lot depends upon what you want. If you’re not really serious about buying, and you’re just looking for someone to “match” you to various franchises to see what might turn up, there are many web services that will point you in a direction. But understand that their doing this is akin to providing you with a “horoscope.” Their “matches” are not based upon market-validated or scientific profiling, or even industry experience, as many of these so-called “consultants” have been providing this service without even having worked in franchising. So, in other words, you’re just getting their “hunch.” And in the worst of circumstances, these companies are only leading you to specific franchises they hope to sell you and gain special commissions from – so they don’t have your interests in mind at all. Once they refer you to a franchise, odds are you won’t hear from them, or receive much counsel from them, again. We believe you deserve and WANT better service than that. If you’re serious about considering franchising – then you want to work with The YOU Network. We’re the seasoned pros (minimum of 15+ years per consultant), the “grey hairs,” the folks with REAL experience. We provide a FAR more comprehensive service to you – beyond just “matching.” And it costs you NOTHING. In our model, franchisors pay us -- not you -- for saving them time in finding qualified potential buyers. To better understand what sets us apart, here is a sampling of what we DO and DO NOT provide you: - We help you assess your skills, financial needs, strengths, weaknesses, aspirations and lifestyle requirements – BUT without gimmicky and unscientific personality “tests” (like those offered by our competitors) that are no more than marketing ploys. - We direct you and introduce you to the appropriate franchise concepts that meet your needs and wants. - We continue to work hand-in-hand with you as you investigate your franchise concepts, so that your evaluation process is focused, thorough, and you learn what you initially need to know about franchising – AND we can be available to you even AFTER you purchase a franchise. With many of our competitors – once you are introduced to your “franchise matches” you see or hear very little from your consultant again, making your investigation process and purchase both stressful and leaving you more uninformed than you would like. 3 - We publish a wealth of educational information that assists you in both your evaluation process and in your post-buy efforts to manage your franchise effectively and efficiently – instead of material designed to “convince you to buy a franchise.” Only a franchisor can sell you a franchise – so our only role is to help you make an informed decision about your future. In short, we provide a service similar to that of a “buyer’s agent” in the world of real estate – only with a few “twists” unique only to franchising that serve to your benefit. And, just like a buyer’s agent, our services to you are FREE-of-charge. Why Our Service is Free To understand how we can provide all of these services to you without charging you a fee, you need to understand a little bit more about the world of franchising – as it’s unlike most businesses with which you may be familiar. Here’s an excerpt from our most recent book, Franchising 2030: When franchising first came alive (and we don't mean the very first use of the concept, as it took a while, like all new ideas to "catch on" -- but we mean when it really took off, in the 60's, as a vehicle to launch new fast food companies like McDonald's, Pizza Hut, or automobile dealerships, or football teams, or service businesses) -- well, it was an answer to the American Dream! Franchising was, quite literally, a "lynchpin" in the brave new post-WWII American world where "everyone could win." For a reasonable investment, you could spare yourself the headaches of the homework, mistakes, development time, extreme capitalization, training, high learning curves -- and hopefully, failures -- that could occur when getting an entrepreneurial business launched from scratch. Instead, you paid a fee to use a proven franchise "system" -- and if you followed their rules, you could potentially have a successful business running in 1-3 years. Like we said, "everyone could win." The national brand power melded with the local. The macro thinking synergized with the micro. The ying was with the yang, or if you prefer, the bing was with the bang. Woo hoo. The idea still gives us goose bumps. It almost sounded too good to be true! For millions of people, franchising, since its inception, provided an opportunity for business ownership that probably wouldn't have been feasible otherwise. Multiple generations of families built "empires" from single unit or multiple-unit business ideas -- and made a lot of good, honest money in the process. Even today, the average franchise unit produces $150,000 net income for its owner. Not a bad living. The "ideal" of the franchising business model has always been pretty simple. If, as a business owner, you have a really good business in operation, you can attempt to raise capital yourself to expand your business (never an easy task) -- OR, you can franchise your business (become a franchisor) and use other people's money 4 (franchise buyers, or franchisees) to help you gain distribution. In return for using "other people's money," franchisors provide their franchisees extensive training, use of their trademark and products and services, and a host of other varying and ongoing support services -- for a designated period of time averaging 10 years -- that are all designed to provide these franchisees the best possible chance of succeeding. In addition to "starter fees," most franchisors also charge ongoing royalty payments -- usually in the form of a percentage of sales -- so as to allow entry costs to be kept at practical minimums and to help the franchisors continue to build and maintain an optimally competitive "system." The really smart franchisors -- men like Ray Kroc of McDonald's or Frank Carney of Pizza Hut, recognized early on that there was an inherent "win-win balance" required for long-term success. Kroc was quoted many times as saying something like, "If you're going to take someone's money, you need to do everything in your power to help make that person successful." He, quite simply, understood that he could only be as successful as his franchisees. If they failed, he failed. So it went without saying that a good franchise owner worked hard to keep his franchisees happy, and employed strong ethics every step of the way. Similarly, a good franchisee, worked hard to meet his or her end of the bargain. They didn't sit back and expect a franchisor to do it for them. This “win-win” philosophy is critical to any franchisor-franchisee relationship. And because the better franchise companies believe strongly in this, they don’t just let anyone purchase one of their franchises – BUT only those they feel are qualified to own and operate it successfully. They have very strong qualifications standards and procedures that must be met before they allow any individual to purchase a franchise. And anyone purchasing a franchise would WANT to know their franchisor had faith in their being able to succeed – or why else be involved? And so, the better franchise companies pay The YOU Network a fee, only when we have brought to them a qualified candidate that we believe will make a good owner – and they choose to accept that candidate. Indeed, the better companies prefer candidates from TYN because they know how thorough and how careful we are in selecting the right clients for them. Using the “buyer’s agent” analogy again, we’re similar to a real estate agent when he/she helps a person find a home. IF we are successful in helping you find a franchise that meets your needs, desires, interests, professional objectives, and personal goals, then we are compensated by the franchise company. And only IF. And, you should also know that the price of any franchise to you is exactly the same, whether you use this service or not. So, you have nothing to lose…and a lot to gain by using the The YOU Network service. 5 Your Consultant Robert T. Foley is a Thought Leader, Author, Blogger, Podcast Host, Speaker and Career Coach in the emerging field of 50+ Second Career planning. Educated as a Social Worker at Providence College. Bob decided that his true calling was to enter the field of Human Resources initially and then he ascended to the CEO ranks practicing his corporate craft in the Hospitality, Franchising, National Association, Publishing and Financial Services industries. Bob heard the call of the franchise business several times during his career serving both as a 600-unit Hotel Franchisor CEO and as a threetime franchisee owner/operator in the home improvement, business development and executive search sectors. Bob has seen the franchising business from all sides of the prism and now stands ready to help coach you – the next franchisee candidate. He believes strongly that franchising is the best avenue for the 50+ or Renaissance Warrior sector. Why? Because today’s 50+ Renaissance Warrior is seeking their next opportunity not a rocking chair. They have paid their dues in the “first half of their career” and now they yearn for work that they want to do not have to do to sustain themselves for the second half of their lives. 50+ living and working guidance takes a coach who has been educated about this unique time frame and has lived it. Bob personally knows the challenges of the 50+ lifestyle. He holds certifications in Retirement Coaching, Leadership Development and Business Planning. He left his 50+ corporate career in the rearview mirror and, after his transition, decided to dedicate his life to transforming Baby Boomer candidates into Renaissance Warriors. That is how he found a home at, “The You Network”, where he practices his craft of helping people find their new purposeful work life. This period of reflection, with Bob, sets his clients on a path of their choosing armed with several possibilities and the right introductions. 6 How We Work With You To understand our way-of-working, let’s start first with a quote from Keith Girard, of AllBusiness.com: Today, thanks largely to the Internet, franchise opportunities have exploded in number; you can choose from more than 3,500 offerings. But it's still largely a "buyer beware" business, despite the involvement of government regulators, trade associations, more than 1,600 franchise attorneys, and thousands of franchise "consultants." Like every industry, we have our 10% of “bad apples” that make it difficult for the rest of us. In franchising, as we mentioned earlier, you will find many companies and individuals who claim to be “franchise consultants” – but who are, in fact, inexperienced franchise business owners who are being paid to introduce you to very specific franchises, not necessarily those that best match your needs or skills. There are also some franchisors who would be happy to take your money – without first probing your skills and needs. Happily, we don’t work with either of these groups. It has also been our experience that every single client starts out with us thinking they know a lot about franchising – and learn, through our process, that they really knew very little at all. Many customers come to us thinking they want a Subway, and end up buying a maid service. They learn from working with us that their business skills, lifestyle requirements, financial needs didn’t match what Subway, (or whatever franchise they thought they wanted) could provide them – and that there were a host of other companies they needed to consider instead. If we just introduced you to firms you thought you would like, odds are you might make big mistakes. Therefore, our entire process concentrates on finding a franchise that works for YOU. Our support is the most comprehensive on the market – even helping you with decisions AFTER you have decided to purchase a particular franchise. Without this type of service, you are left with the unwieldy task of learning about each individual franchise company on your own. And if you have never evaluated a franchise company before, it can be an ominous task. It is VERY easy to lose your objectivity, without the guidance of an experienced person who is NOT beholden to any one franchise company. And, very importantly, if we don’t think we have a company that fits your unique needs – we will inform you, honestly and quickly. Call it “tough love” if you like…but there is no point in wasting your time – or ours. There are 8 essential steps to our process – all designed to help you find a quality franchise opportunity and to learn as much about franchising as possible in the process! Most of these steps are by telephone and do require a time commitment on your part, which would be explained to you: 1. The first step is a telephone conversation between you and me, so we can learn more about each other – and you can decide if you want to commit to the investigation process. 7 NOTE: If you are going to rely on input from other people, such as spouses, advisors, etc., during your franchise investigation, I recommend that they be involved in this discussion, if schedules permit. If not, then you and I can chat initially, and you can decide if you want others involved during a later conversation. 2. If you and I mutually decide that it makes sense to continue, I will send you our Confidential Personal Profile form. This form requests more information about YOU, including your business interests, your selfassessment of selected skills, your preferred level of investment, an overview of your financial situation, location preferences, etc., so that I have the initial background I need to assist you. (All of this information is encrypted and transmitted to TYN in complete confidentiality.) 3. Once I receive your completed form, we will schedule a 2-hour phone consultation session together. The purpose of this is to understand why you answered the questions on the form the way you did. We’ll also run you through a few “mock” business exercises, so that you could get a feel for the type of work that would be required of you with different business models. We find that this session not only helps us truly understand your motivations and needs so that we can best work for you – but it allows us to teach you about franchising at the same time. 4. We investigate possible franchise companies that meet your criteria. We discuss you with owners and decide if a formal recommendation will be made. 5. You and I will review the franchise companies that we feel are appropriate for you. IF one or more companies command your interest, then we will contact the company on your behalf and they will contact you to provide specific information about their business. 6. We will prepare you for each company interview you undertake. Remember, this is a “mutual” evaluation process and these companies will be interviewing you as you will be interviewing them. These personal appearances (by telephone) before company executives are very important. We can help you make a positive first—and lasting—impression. A representative from each of your companies will help you understand their business, will review their FDD (Franchise Disclosure Document, a legal document that discloses details about a particular franchise) with you, will arrange for you to do “validation calls” with other owners in which you can learn first-hand what it might like to be an owner. We also schedule visits for you to actual locations, if you desire. Before each of these meetings, we “arm” you with questions to ask your franchisors, and questions to ask franchise owners, for your validation calls. We help you understand “what it is you need to learn”– and how to get the information. We stay at your side as your advocate/counsel and meet with you by phone each week to keep you focused and informed. 7. You will ultimately decide which company’s franchise —if any—best meets your needs, desires, interests, resources, professional objectives, and personal goals. If you are successful in being awarded a franchise, we celebrate! 8 8. We help prepare you for your “closing” – your meeting with your franchise company in which you purchase your business. We cover specifics with regard to business structuring, outside resources needed (such as attorneys or accountants) and common sense advice for “getting ready to launch.” And as mentioned earlier, we then provide you with information about our post-buy services that you can leverage at any time after your purchase. Throughout your investigation process, we also make available to you a number of resources that enhance your learning experience: – articles such as “Franchising Fundamentals,” “Finding Your Silver Bullet, “How NOT To Evaluate a Franchise,” “YOUR Personal Success Strategy,” “Looking Out For Your Family’s Financial Future,” “The Pros and Cons of Franchising,” and more… – books on franchising and franchise management for you to read – custom criteria designed just for you, and questions to ask of your franchise companies that ensure you are thorough in your evaluations The more you know, the more informed your decisions will be. Because You Matter SM … a footnote As said at the start, we work hard for you – so that you can have a greater chance of success. There’s no better time to get started with this strong “work ethic” than at the beginning – even before you begin your investigation. You should know one more thing. We have helped countless individuals purchase a business that meets their needs. We have also advised many people to NOT purchase a franchise, because we did not believe they had the right motivations, skills, resources, or family support to be successful. We “talk straight” at The YOU Network because it’s for your benefit – and our franchisors’ benefits. We ask each of our clients, that if they decide to enter this process, they must work as hard for themselves as we work for them. Only then do we get the “win-win” we all need and want. So let’s get you started! Call or email for a free franchise consultation today.