Franchising is a larger part of the U.S. economy than most people realize. For example, according to independent research firm FRANdata: 1 in 7 U.S. businesses is a franchise; An estimated 3,383 franchise brands operate in the U.S.; An average of 300 new brands open each year, nearly 1 every day; and 744,437 franchise establishments are expected to be operational …

Judging from the performance of Potbelly Corporation (NASDAQ:PBPB) IPO on Friday, franchise remains a popular investment concept in Wall Street—the company operates and franchises Sandwich Works shops in the US. But as is the case with other investment, not every franchise is successful. And even among successful franchise chains, some fare better than others. McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) and Yum Brands (NYSE:YUM), for instance, have fared much …

When someone invests in a tried and true franchised business that has a track record, they essentially bought themselves a winning lottery ticket. However, have you ever read about lottery winners? Stats show that the overwhelming majority of lottery winners are broke or back to where they started financially within two years of winning the bonanza. When investing in anything, scrutiny and …

I had a chance to discuss franchising with Daymond John, the recognized TV personality and investor on ABC’s award-winning Shark Tank, the founder and CEO of international hip-hop fashion brand FUBU, Inc., and the NYT and WSJ bestselling author of The Power of Broke. John talked about how to succeed as a franchise entrepreneur and said that he’s looking forward to serving as …

Making any business reach its full potential takes talent.  If you’ve selected your franchise well, your franchisor will be able to help you avoid many of the mistakes new, independent start-up businesses make.  Here are some keys for franchise success.   Make Sure You Have Enough Money.  Determine how much you have to invest, how much you’re willing to risk and …