Recently by Dr. John Hayes

When you're buying a franchise you probably need money - most buyers do - and numerous lenders are lining up, especially at franchise expos, to be of service. One option that buyers often overlook is leasing, and it's worth your time to check out the possibilities.

If you're investing in a franchise that includes equipment, such as a POS system, or ovens and appliances for the kitchen, or if you need a truck, such as a van, you may be better off leasing than borrowing. Leasing equipment is the equivalent of "renting" the equipment, which means that you won't take money from your working capital to buy the equipment.

With a lease, you get to use the equipment and pay monthly, and at the end of the lease you can acquire the equipment, or upgrade it and roll the package into another lease.

Here are eight reasons why you should consider a lease when you start a franchise:

1. Hold on to your working capital.

Cash on hand is a huge advantage.

2. Claim a tax benefit.

Section 179 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service Code allows you to write off a percentage of a monthly lease payment.

3. FICO requirements are usually lower for leasing.

There's less risk with a lease so credit rating requirements may be lower.

4. There are no prepayment penalties.

If it turns out you've got extra cash on hand, pay off the lease without a penalty.

5. You can choose the term.

24 to 60 months. This helps you keep the payment amount in line with your cash flow.

6. If you're expanding your business by opening a second unit, you may be able to use the first business to guarantee the lease and not have to sign a personal guarantee.

7. Securing a lease may be faster than securing a loan.

Especially, if you're leasing an equipment package or a vehicle that's recommended by a franchisor. Leasing companies like franchise deals.

8. Closing costs are minimal.

Almost always less than $500.

There are few disadvantages to a lease.

Of course, you still need to provide personal financial information and provide a variety of documents to the lender, but this is all the easier when you're buying a franchise. Savvy franchisors develop relationships with leasing companies to expedite franchise sales and development.

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You'll find more information about franchise financing in my Amazon best-seller: 12 Amazing Franchise Opportunities for 2015. Chapter 2 is titled Funding Your Franchise Acquisition.

Recently I wrote about What To Do Before Buying A Franchise and I suggested a couple of questions that you could ask yourself before deciding if franchising, as well as business ownership, made sense for you.

I pointed out that it takes skills to operate a business or a franchise and I also said that franchisors will teach franchisees the skills needed to succeed in business -- of course, that's relative to the franchisor and the situation. Remember that not all franchisors are created equal; some do a better job than others when it comes to training and other operational issues.

The Must-Have Skill

But then I said there's one skill that can't be taught. In fact, this skill will make or break your success in franchising. Without this skill you do not have much chance of succeeding in franchising and, in fact, without this skill you should not invest in any franchise.

What's the skill?

The ability to follow direction!

Sounds simple, doesn't it? But not everyone possesses that skill.

Is THAT A Skill?

In fact, some people would argue that that's not a skill. Call it what you want (it's a skill!) if you don't have it, you're not cut out for franchising.

If you're a regular reader of this blog, or you've read my books, or you've heard me speak about franchising at a public forum or over the airwaves, you know that I've described franchising as a series of systems.

It's All About Systems

Systems lead to success in business and especially in franchising. There's a system for marketing. A system for sales. A system for operations. If a franchisor doesn't have these systems, do not invest in that franchise!

Even if the franchisor has the systems, no matter how good they are, if you don't have the skill of following direction, do not invest in that franchise, or any franchise!

Franchisor May Say "No"

If you do lack the skill, hopefully a franchisor will discover it and not accept you as a franchisee -- but, once again, not all franchisors are created equal. Some need the money that comes from selling franchises, so they may let you slip by and hope for the best.

If you cannot follow direction (or you just don't want to), how do you expect to succeed in a franchise? If you're the type of person who wants to reinvent the wheel, or you need to ask Why? when you're told to do something, franchising isn't for you. Franchisors know that -- now you do, too.

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Your passion for your business is most critical because it will drive your eventual success."

So said an "expert".

Who comes up with this stuff? It reminds me of the "expert" who said that most businesses fail for lack of cash flow. Huh? Most businesses fail because the business operators had no clue (no system) about how to operate the business successfully. They had plenty of money, but they ran out because they didn't know how to invest it.

But I bet they had loads of passion?

And what did that get them? A huge financial loss and the despair that follows.

First thing prospective franchisees and others who plan to start a business should know is to avoid and ignore the "experts". At least some of them. Instead, seek the advice of people who actually worked in the trenches, who built businesses, who failed a time or two, who made a payroll over and over again, and who understand the basics of how to succeed in a business.

And understand that passion can lead to success . . . or failure. 

Early in my entrepreneurial career, I rented a small office from a guy who owned an insurance agency. Every so often as he was leaving the office at about 6 p.m. he would stop by and say, "If you continue working this hard for another year or two, you're going to be a great success."

I know he meant well; I know he was merely encouraging me, but he was clueless.

You may have loads of passion for what you want to do in your business, and you may work 7 days a week at it, but here's the most important point: If you don't know what you are doing, and why, and how to do it over and over again, you are not going to succeed.

Work your tail off, tell everyone how passionately you love your business, your products, your service, but don't for a moment think any of that bull translates to financial success.

You want to succeed? Buy a system for success. Or develop a system for success. Of course, there too, you must be careful because all systems are not created equal.

By the way, I've identified 12 successful systems in my forthcoming ebook: 12 Amazing Franchise Opportunities for 2015. You can still get a free copy just for asking.

When you start your own independent (non-franchised) business, your mistakes will be more costly than you imagined. In fact, your mistakes will probably put you out of business.

I'm not writing this to scare you away from starting a business without a franchisor; I'm writing it because it's factual . . . and scary.

Do indie businesses survive?

Have you looked at the statistics? How many independent start-up businesses survive in the USA? Rather than take my word for it do some research, or better yet, just ask a local business banker!

Of course, the more entrepreneurial you are, the more likely you are to say that you can avoid the mistakes, and maybe you can. However, the statistics say otherwise. Most independent startups fail.

Why mistakes occur

Many people think certain businesses are easy to start and operate. Let's take pizza for example. Many people can make a "good" pizza? My Italian grandmother made the greatest pizza in the world, so it's no surprise that many of my cousins can make great pizzas, too.

In fact, when people tasted my cousin Mary's pizza, they told her that she needed to go into business. And she did! Mary and her entrepreneurial husband (also an Italian) opened a couple of pizza shops, and in a matter of years were dead broke.

How could that be? They made a "great" pizza.

Can you sell what you make?

I'll tell you how. They knew how to make pizza; they didn't know how to market and sell pizza. Franchising's saving grace is that it knows how to distribute (sell) products and services.

It is simple to open a pizza shop. You get a good location, buy the equipment, bring in the supplies, get a recipe, put up a sign, do some marketing and . . . voila! . . . you've got a thriving business.

No, you don't. You've got a money-sucking business, unless you avoid the mistakes.

What do customers want?

1. Mary's first mistake was believing that consumers want a "great" or even "good" pizza. They don't. Just look at what they buy everyday!

2. Mary thought she could build her business by advertising in the newspaper. Wrong. The pizza franchises would have saved her from that mistake.

3. Mary also thought she could build her business without delivery. Wrong. The pizza franchises would have saved her from that mistake, too.

Too many mistakes

There were numerous other mistakes . . . Mary didn't know how many slices of pepperoni to place on a large pizza and still keep it profitable . . . and the pizza franchises would have saved her from that mistake as well.

After so many mistakes, Mary and her husband lost their business and much more.

It's easy to make these mistakes . . . Mary and her husband had no idea they were making them. They would have done anything to avoid them . . . except buy a franchise. Because a franchise would not have allowed Mary to sell her "great" pizza.

Should you buy a franchise?

Look, you need to make some tough decisions before you start a business. What's important to you? Your way? Or a franchisor's way? Keep in mind that the franchisor may not sell what you consider to be a "great" or even "good" product - if that's important, find another franchisor, or avoid franchising.

Of this you can be sure: If you buy a reputable franchise (and they're not all reputable) the franchisor's training will save you from making too many costly mistakes. You're still going to make mistakes, but in a franchise, the mistakes probably won't put you out of business. Ask your banker how many of his or her franchisee clients fail? It's one of the reasons why bankers love franchising.

In fact, even though they won't tell you, the bankers know you are going to make mistakes when you start an independent business, and even though you've accounted for mistakes in your business plan and cash flow estimates, the bankers know better. Your mistakes are going to cost more than you think.

Training isn't the only thing a franchisor does, but it is one of the most important things!

A franchisor that fails to transfer knowledge to franchisees is a franchisor to avoid.

Unfortunately, there are more of these franchisors than the public knows.

Rarely will you discover a franchisor that doesn't have a huge ego. I never fault them for that -- I like big egos -- but sometimes, as they say in Texas, these franchisors are "all hat and no cattle."

Beware of the franchisor with no (or too few) cattle.

Clever Isn't Enough

Just because a franchisor is clever enough to develop a new or competing concept, doesn't mean he or she is a trainer! And that's where the cattle hit the road.

Why would a franchisee pay a franchisor $15,000 to $75,000 upfront?

There are numerous reasons, but one of the most important is this: To learn how to operate the business successfully. And by successfully I mean in a manner that the franchisee finds to be both personally satisfying and profitable.

Franchisors Rarely Admit Weaknesses

And not all franchisors can fulfill that expectation . . . but the bigger the ego, the more difficult it is to admit that they're not as good as they need to be at training.

It doesn't help that trainers aren't considered to be all that special. Many people assume that training doesn't require extra special skills.

Anyone who can read the Operations Manual can lead a training program!

That's the same as saying that anyone who can read a textbook and the publisher's slides can be a college professor. In that case, we should turn the classrooms over to the students.

But franchisees aren't going to buy that. (Students shouldn't either, but they often have no choice).

Before you buy a franchise, test the franchisor's ability to train effectively. How do you do that? Easy! Ask 10 existing franchisees to rate the franchisor's training skills.

The post Ask This: How Good Are The Franchisor's Training Skills? appeared first on How To Buy a Franchise.

Buying a franchise may be your most expensive investment ever, after buying a house. And like buying a house, you've got to spend a lot of time looking, comparing, evaluating and thinking about which franchise to buy, and most of us aren't comfortable doing all that work on our own.

When it comes to buying a house, we call a real estate broker or agent to guide us through the journey and to help us ultimately make the right purchase. In franchising, many buyers rely on franchise brokers, and here are reasons why a broker might be right for you.

1. Franchise brokers are educators. Well, truly, they are sales people, but good sales people know to be educators first. Brokers can teach you about franchising, including legal considerations, trends, financing, and the realities of franchise ownership. Good franchise brokers can answer your questions about franchising and guide you through the selection process, ultimately helping you to discover an opportunity that makes sense for you.
2. Franchise brokers are good listeners. By listening to their clients' needs and expectations, brokers can keep their clients' interests in mind at all times. Listening allows the broker to do a thorough job of educating clients about the pros and cons of franchising, and about the potential of a particular franchise opportunity. If you say you don't like working in an office, or you want to work from home, or you'd rather not work with other people, the broker should lead you to opportunities that satisfy your desires.
3. Franchise brokers can reduce your risks. There are always risks in any business, but brokers can help you avoid many of the risks. Brokers, for example, will shy away from representing bad franchisors, thus saving you from that experience. Brokers can help you assess franchise opportunities to find those that meet your needs and expectations.
4. Franchise brokers prepare you for a meeting with the franchisor. Almost every franchise company sponsors a Discovery Day, which is actually a sales event disguised as an information event. Remember, franchisors are sales people, too! A broker will help you prepare for the Discovery Day by thinking about the questions you need to ask and knowing whom to meet when you visit the franchisor.
5. Franchise brokers help you prepare to meet and question franchisees. As a franchise prospect, you'll want to meet people who are already operating the business you're thinking about buying. The broker may know existing franchisees whose backgrounds are similar to yours, so you'll feel comfortable talking to them. Just be sure the broker doesn't keep you from talking to any franchisee of your choice. There are likely some "bad" franchisees and franchisors and brokers would prefer you avoid them, but they may have information that you need to hear. Good brokers aren't going to get in your way of investigating the franchise opportunity.
6. Franchise brokers understand the franchise documents. Do you know how to read a Franchise Disclosure Document or a Franchise Agreement? Probably not. Good brokers do. Before representing a franchise brand, brokers study the franchisor's documents and can explain them to prospects. This will save you considerable time and confusion.
7. Franchise brokers "sell" you to the franchisor. This is especially helpful when the franchise you want to buy is "hot" or in demand. Why would a franchisor consider you when there are so many other applicants for the same franchise? Similarly, let's say your application doesn't look so great on paper, but the broker knows you're a good fit for the franchise. Franchisors listen to their brokers because they trust them. Brokers can quickly identify appropriate prospects for the franchisor's business.
8. Franchise broker fees are (usually) free. The franchisor pays the broker a generous (and well deserved) commission upon the sale of a franchise, so brokers do not take fees from buyers. However, some brokers may charge an education fee, or an assessment fee for a personality tool. However, most good brokers will not charge a fee.

Working with a franchise broker, like working with a Realtor®, can save you time and money, and will usually lead you to buy a franchise that meets your expectations. You should check out the broker in advance - work only with experienced brokers who can provide you with a variety of client testimonials - and you may do so through the International Franchise Association.

If you haven't heard about The Franchise Registry it's important that you do, especially if you're thinking about applying for an SBA-approved loan to acquire a franchise opportunity. Approximately 1,000 franchise brands (which is maybe a third of the franchise companies in North America) appear on the registry. For brands that do not appear, you probably will not get your SBA loan approved.

Even if you don't plan on securing an SBA loan to buy a franchise, The Franchise Registry is a good way to check out a franchise opportunity.

Checking Out The Franchisor's Operations

Prior to guaranteeing a loan for a franchisee, the SBA wants to be familiar with the franchisor's operating procedures. With nearly 3,000 franchisors operating in the USA, and changes occurring randomly to their operating procedures, it's a chore for the SBA to review all of those companies.

Some years ago, the SBA contracted with FRANdata, a company that provides objective information about franchising, to maintain the registry, conduct the ongoing reviews, and negotiate, as needed, with franchisors to help them comply with SBA's regulations. To be considered for the registry, franchisors pay $2,500. Some companies may balk at that, or simply not have the funds. However, it's a small price to pay to gain access to prospective buyers who need SBA funding.

Benefits Of The Franchise Registry

According to Darrell Johnson, president of FRANdata, the registry provides several benefits:

• It "comforts" lenders. The registry provides a risk-reducing factor to lenders and saves them time. If a franchisor appears on the list, the lender knows that the franchisor's documents have met the SBA's standards.
• It's a marketing tool for franchisors. The franchisors that appear on the registry can tell their prospective franchisees that their documents comply with SBA's lending criteria.
• It "comforts" prospective franchisees. When a franchisor appears on the list, it tells the prospective franchisee that the franchisor's franchise agreement isn't onerous. The SBA has reviewed the document and it's acceptable.

Is Your Franchisor Registered?

Take a moment to review the registry to find out which franchisors are listed. If you're considering a franchise that's not listed on the registry, and you know that you'll need an SBA loan to become a franchisee, your first step should be to tell the franchisor to get on the list. If you're not seeking an SBA loan, but your franchise opportunity of choice is not on the list, ask why!