Hey, you should start your 2018 out right. Getting up to date on all of the legal and political changes that affect your franchise business & bottom line.

Corporate taxes, Joint Liability, and a host of other changes that have signficant impact on your business.

Come here Robert Cresanti, President & CEO of the International Franchise Association explain these issues to you.

You'll want to be up to date and well informed on new opportunities and the significant politial and legal challenges facing franchisors.

Your franchising success depends on getting the best franchise intelligence available and CAFA is where you'll get it.

And now for something completely different. For ths event, we have a new moderator! Please welcome Marisa Faunce.

Marisa Faunce, Moderator, is a franchise attorney with the law firm of Plave Koch PLC in Reston, Virginia.

Marisa has more than 20 years of experience representing franchisors with respect to their transactional and regulatory matters.

She is also a trademark attorney and handles domestic and international trademark portfolios for franchisors

Time: Tuesday, January 16th from 11:45 - 2pm

The Tower Club in Tysons Corner VA

For our newer members, please review the Tower Club Club's Dress Code.

Registration 11:45 - 12:15 - Lunch 12:15 - 12:55 - RoundTable 12:55-2:00

Click Here to Pay and Register

"How Much Money Can I Make with Your Franchise Brand?" The New Rules on What You Can Say ----

The FTC permits a franchisor to make financial performance representations, also called "FPRs" or "earnings claims", in Item 19 of its franchise disclosure document, "FDD".

The franchisor has to have "a reasonable basis" for the representations.

Starting next year, early 2018, the rules for FPRs will change for many franchisors.

Here is just one example of the effects of the changes.

Some franchisors provide just average or median sales information in their Item 19.

But, starting in 2018, franchisors will need to add highest and lowest sales in the sample set.

There are many more changes, which our panel will helpfully point out to you.

This matters to you, your franchise brand, and how you sell franchises in a lawful manner.

You need to stay up to date on these changes.

CAFA has a terrific panel of well regarded state regulators & highly experienced franchise attorneys to help you out.

So, come to CAFA on Tuesday, September 19th to find out which of your franchise selling practices will be affected by the new rules & what you can do to prepare for these changes.

Dale Cantone - is an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Maryland and the Deputy Securities Commissioner for the Maryland Securities Division.

Dale is the chief of the franchise and business opportunity unit of the Maryland Securities Division. In addition, since 1996, Dale has served as Chair of the Franchise and Business Opportunity Project Group of the North American Securities Administrators Association, Inc. ("NASAA").

NASAA is a group of state administrators that proposes model laws, policies, and initiatives to promote investor protection as well as uniformity at the state level. Among other initiatives, NASAA authored the Uniform Franchise Offering Circular Guidelines.

Tim O'Brien -- Chief Examiner Virginia Division of Securities & Retail Franchising Richmond, Virginia

The Virginia Division of Securities and Retail Franchising is responsible for the regulation of securities, broker-dealers, broker-dealer agents, investment advisers and their representatives.

It is also responsible for the registration of franchises and trademarks in Virginia.

David Cahn, Franchise Attorney since 1995, speciality practice focused on franchise relationships, extensive experience with regulatory compliance, transactions involving franchised businesses and disputes between franchisors and franchisees.

Warren Lee Lewis, Moderator, is the author of The Franchise Seller's Handbook.

And recently awarded, The Best Lawyers in America 2009-2016, Listed in Washington, D.C. for Franchise Law

Franchisors continue to frequent tradeshows, despite the high cost of the leads obtained. The quality of those leads can be low and tradeshows are expensive in both time and money invested.

In our May lunch & learn, Joe Caruso and other experts on Linkedin, are going talking about how to translate the skills you have at the tradeshow to techniques you can use on Linkedin.

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Joe will explain the 4 ways you can get leads from your marketing on Linkedin. Handouts and complete instructions will be provided after the meeting.

The other speakers (TBA) will talk about expanding the reach of your franchise brand's company page, using Sales Navigator to replace your current CRM and paid lead generation using Linkedin.

By spending only as little as 2 hours a week, you can recruit more prospects for less money, higher quality, and sell more franchises.

You only need (2) skills, which you already have:

1. Be polite;

2. Be able to chat.

We will see you there!

warren lewis.jpgWarren Lee Lewis Moderator

Location: The Tower Club in Tysons Corner VA, 8000 Towers Crescent Drive, Vienna, VA 22182

Registration 11:45 - 12:15 - Lunch 12:15 - 12:55 - RoundTable 12:55-2:00

Click Here to Pay and Register

SBA senior staff announced that the long-awaited changes to the franchise affiliation process are about to be issued through the release of a new SOP (Standard Operating Procedure).

SBA indicated the SOP will include a one-page addendum that addresses all franchise affiliation requirements.

These changes will lead to:

1. Franchisors having to negotiate with each lender on these issues, putting the burden of SBA affiliation and credit-related SOP issues on franchisors and lenders to solve loan by loan.


2. The SOP is a flexible document. But there are important issues that you need to understand.

Edith Wiseman of Frandata and Kent McClintock of M&T Bank will explain how this affects your franchisee's SBA loans.

Make sure you attend this one, if you want your franchisees to be SBA eligible.

Warren Lee Lewis Moderator

Time: Tuesday, March 21st from 11:45 - 2pm

New Location: Serendipity Labs, 4500 East West Hwy., Suite 125, Bethesda, MD 20814

Registration 11:45 - 12:15 - Lunch 12:15 - 12:55 - RoundTable 12:55-2:00

Click Here to Pay and Register

You spend a lot of money finding and recruiting new franchise operators.

But, it isn't over, not quite yet. You have to turn your new franchisees into franchise insiders, all-stars on your franchise team.

"Onboarding, also known as organizational socialization, refers to the mechanism through which new franchisees acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and behaviors to become effective organizational members and insiders."

So, what is new about onboarding for franchisors? Join us on November 15th & find out.

(First tip: Connect with our speakers on LinkedIn by clicking on their picture.)

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Warren Lee Lewis Moderator

Time: Tuesday, November 15th from 11:45 - 2pm

Columbia Country Club, Chevy Chase MD

For our newer members, please review the Columbia Country Club's Dress Code.

Registration 11:45 - 12:15 - Lunch 12:15 - 12:55 - RoundTable 12:55-2:00

Click Here to Pay and Register (Note our new prices.)

You are selling your franchises, or you have hired a franchise development company and there is lots of activity. All very positive.

What could go wrong?

Well, several franchisors have found out--they have been prohibited from selling franchises, or have incurred other penalties, in some states.

Do you know the 7 warning signs that your franchise sales may be off track, or that your franchise development company may be getting you in trouble?

How do you get your franchise sales back on track?

Meet Maryland's and Virginia's chief franchise regulators, who will give you 10 tips on how to comply with their laws and stay out of trouble with their states.

Topics will include:

-financial performance representations (earnings claims)
-registration tips and pitfalls
-risk factors and fee deferrals
-subfranchisors and area representatives
-recent enforcement actions
-recent legal changes

Dale Cantone Image 1.JPGDale Cantone - is an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Maryland and the Deputy Securities Commissioner for the Maryland Securities Division.

Dale is the chief of the franchise and business opportunity unit of the Maryland Securities Division. In addition, since 1996, Dale has served as Chair of the Franchise and Business Opportunity Project Group of the North American Securities Administrators Association, Inc. ("NASAA").

NASAA is a group of state administrators that proposes model laws, policies, and initiatives to promote investor protection as well as uniformity at the state level. Among other initiatives, NASAA authored the Uniform Franchise Offering Circular Guidelines.

obrien_headshot.jpgTim O'Brien -- Chief Examiner Virginia Division of Securities & Retail Franchising Richmond, Virginia

The Virginia Division of Securities and Retail Franchising is responsible for the regulation of securities, broker-dealers, broker-dealer agents, investment advisers and their representatives.

It is also responsible for the registration of franchises and trademarks in Virginia.

Warren_Lewis.jpgWarren Lee Lewis Moderator, is the author, The Franchise Seller's Handbook, 2010.

And recently awarded, The Best Lawyers in America 2009-2016, Listed in Washington, D.C. for Franchise Law

Time: Tuesday, September 20th from 11:45 - 2pm

Columbia Country Club, Chevy Chase MD

For our newer members, please review the Columbia Country Club's Dress Code.

Registration 11:45 - 12:15 - Lunch 12:15 - 12:45 - RoundTable 12:45-2:00 (Click to Register)

Franchise Profitability

How do you reboot your franchise brand?

How does a beloved & local 650+ unit franchise system which loses 600 units make a comeback?

More generally, Brand updates are crucial to keeping your brand relevant to consumers. But what principles need to be used? How do you even know when you need a Brand update?

Speaker: Jim Plamondon of Roy Rogers Restaurants.

Roy Rogers was "purchased by Hardee's in 1990 as part of a real estate play to move into the mid-Atlantic and Northeast states, it converted dozens of Roy Rogers over to its own banner.

For a variety of reasons, the move was not a success and sales volumes tumbled."

Speaker: George Petrides, Jr., CFE, CEO Wild Bird Centers of America, Inc.

Franchising professional with twenty years' experience building, evaluating and encouraging growth in retail operations nationwide.

Warren Lee Lewis Moderator, is the author, The Franchise Seller's Handbook, 2010.

And recently awarded, The Best Lawyers in America 2009-2016, Listed in Washington, D.C. for Franchise Law

Time: Tuesday, July 19th from 11:45 - 2pm

Columbia Country Club, Chevy Chase MD

For our newer members, please review the Columbia Country Club's Dress Code.

Registration 11:45 - 12:15 - Lunch 12:15 - 12:45 - RoundTable 12:45-2:00

Click Here to Pay and Register

Every spring, CAFA has a Lunch and Learn for the most important developments in franchise sales.

This year, we have stellar group of experienced sales professionals to lead our panel discussion.

1. What's New in Franchise Sales?

How has Social Selling affected franchise sales?

Do you know the 3 different ways you can recruit new franchise operators on LinkedIn? Which is most effective? Which is most risky?

Why advertising on Facebook may be a waste of your brand's time and money. And why your new website redesign may fail.

Why LinkedIn company pages are the way to recruit, and what you have to do to be successful. How you can help your franchise brokers to expand your brand's reach in LinkedIn.

2. What hasn't changed in Franchise Sales?

The "series of mental operations" your franchise prospects must complete remains unchanged.

Your brand requires a written, formal and defined franchise sales process with:

1. A way to qualify candidates.

2. A way to move qualified candidates through your process.

Why experienced professionals are needed. How to use a CRM or automated sales process to complement your professionals.

3. What have people forgotten about Franchise Sales?

Many franchisors have forgotten the art of prospecting. Everyone new to franchising wants leads, without doing the work to prospect.

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Joe Caruso, " I got my franchising start over 20 years ago with Hardee's and Carl's Jr, during a restructuing.

I had to change everything we did and rebuild our franchise sales process.

So I re-designed the entire process - which is still in use today."

Dr. Michael (Mick) Riddiough.jpgDr. Michael (Mick) Riddiough, "Having worked within the franchise industry for 30 years, I have extensive knowledge of the essential tools needed to succeed in today's market. "

"Recently, by utilizing new media, digital marketing and a wide range of classic sales methods and development models ... we were able to help a franchisor grow from 9 units to 92".

Sidney Lee.jpgSidney Lee, For 11 years I "managed largest and most strategic licensed account relationship in the Starbucks Coffee Company LS portfolio."

Now, my company Choice Advisors, "helps entrepreneurs succeed in either buying a franchise or transitioning an existing business from an "operator model"​ to a "franchise growth model".

warren lewis.jpgWarren Lee Lewis Moderator, is the author, The Franchise Seller's Handbook, 2010.

And recently awarded, The Best Lawyers in America 2009-2016, Listed in Washington, D.C. for Franchise Law

Time: Tuesday, May 24th from 11:45 - 2pm

Tower Club, Tysons Corner, Northern Virginia.

For our newer members, please review the Tower Club's Dress Code.

Registration 11:45 - 12:15 - Lunch 12:15 - 12:45 - RoundTable 12:45-2:00

Click Here to Pay and Register

Chipotle's ambitious "Food With Integrity" marketing campaign that boasts of "Responsibly Raised™" meats and "vegetables grown in healthy soil" has run into the bleak reality of ensuring the safety of the food supply chain.

"Sourcing ingredients from many different small local sources is a compliance nightmare, as far as food safety is concerned, due to some serious diseconomies of scale."

"Instead of dealing with one firm, dealing with a hundred firms does increase risk," John Gray, an associate professor of operations at The Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business, told CNBC.

How do franchisors create standards and compliance procedures to ensure that they don't become the next Chipotle?

We have 3 excellent speakers for our next roundtable on this important and timely issue.

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Michael A. Berger, Founding Partner and VP of Supply Chain at Elevation Franchise Ventures, LLC. Michael has led the company's growth from a single restaurant to a chain of 60 restaurants in 7 countries and an organization of 20+ staff members

Philippe Bind.jpgPhilippe Bind, is the Sales Manager & Executive Chef at Performance Foodservice, and a Spokesperson for Chicago Steak Company. Chicago Steak Company is a premier provider of gourmet dry aged beef, USDA Prime steaks, seafood and desserts.

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Chris Kermode is the Senior Director of Supply Chain at the Matchbox Foodgroup.

Chris manages the supply chain and purchasing functions for a number of restaurants that offer the best in casual American fare.

warren lewis.jpgWarren Lee Lewis, Moderator, is a partner at Akerman, LLP.

Time: Tuesday, March 15th from 11:45 - 2pm

Columbia Country Club, 7900 Connecticut Ave., Chevy Chase, MD

For our newer members, please review the Columbia Country Club's Dress Code.

Registration 11:45 - 12:15 - Lunch 12:15 - 1:00 - RoundTable 1:00-2:00

Click Here to Pay and Register

Rosemary 2.pngThe Women's Franchise Network of Washington DC and CAFA are collecting donations for Dress For Success.

Please bring your monetary donations or clothing donations to the November 17 CAFA meeting.

What would you wear to a job interview? That is exactly the type of clothing Dress For Success is looking for to distribute to its clients.

Your fabulous suits and other professional apparel could furnish another woman with the confidence to enter or return to the workplace, make a great first impression and land a job that could change her life.

Many of DFS' clients go directly to an interview, so please ensure that all items donated are freshly dry-cleaned / laundered and ironed, not more than 5 years old, and suitable for wearing to job interviews.

DFS will accept fall/winter in season clothing only. (They don't have room to store spring/summer clothing). The greatest needs are clothing sizes 0-2 and the plus sizes. Please scour your closets for the following:

· Interview appropriate suits
· Interview appropriate blouses
· Professional separates including blouses, slacks, skirts, dresses, blazers and jackets
· Work appropriate shoes (especially in sizes larger than 9)
· Jewelry and scarves
· Handbags (briefcases, portfolios or work appropriate handbags)
· Winter coats, hats, scarves and gloves.

Dress For Success - Next CAFA Meeting, Tuesday November 17th