HOW IT WORKS
No surprises. Here's the whole thing.
01 —
A first call
15 to 20 minutes to introduce you to the process and work out whether exploring business ownership is right for you. I then send you a confidential questionnaire to complete.
The initial conversation is a quick orientation. I want to understand where you are, what's prompting the interest, what your general situation looks like, and whether this is a good time to have a deeper conversation.
If it makes sense to keep going, I'll send you a confidential questionnaire before our next conversation. It covers your professional background, what you've liked and disliked about past work, your financial picture, how you prefer to spend your time, and what you're trying to accomplish. It typically takes about 20 minutes to complete and it's more useful than you might expect, because it forces you to put some things in writing that most people haven't thought through carefully. That clarity makes our next conversation a lot more productive.
02 —
A conversation
60 to 90 minutes, and mostly me asking questions. We go through your questionnaire, your past experience, what you liked and what you didn't, your short and long term goals, and most important of all, why. This is the conversation everything else is built on.
I've been doing this long enough to know that what people say they want in a business and what will actually make them happy aren't always the same thing. So I spend a lot of time here. We'll talk about the kind of work that gives you energy and the kind that drains it. We'll talk about how you manage people, whether you like selling, how much ambiguity you're comfortable with, and what your household actually needs financially, not just what would be nice.
We'll also talk about money, not in the abstract but specifically. How much are you prepared to invest that would allow you to sleep at night? Where would it come from? What does your spouse or partner think? What does "success" look like financially in year one, year three, and year five? These aren't trick questions. They're the questions I'd want answered before I put my own money into anything.
03 —
I narrow the field
There are hundreds of franchise brands out there, and most of them are not a good fit for one reason or another. My job is to do that filtering rather than hand you a catalog. After our conversation, I come back with a small number worth a real look, and I tell you why each one is on the list.
I have access to hundreds of vetted franchise concepts across virtually every industry category: food and beverage, home services, health and wellness, B2B, senior care, education, fitness, and more. Most people are surprised to discover that the majority of franchise businesses have nothing to do with fast food.
When I'm narrowing the field, I'm thinking about several things at once: your investment capacity and risk tolerance, the ownership model that fits your lifestyle (owner-operator, semi-absentee, or executive model), whether the business plays to your strengths, the size and quality of the available territory, and whether the brand has a track record that holds up under scrutiny. I also think about what the day-to-day reality of running that business actually looks like, not the glossy version.
I'll typically present three to five concepts. Each one will come with context: why it made the list, what I know about the brand, and what questions you should be asking. This isn't a recommendation to buy. It's a starting point for your own investigation. I'll help you ask the right questions, but the research that follows is yours to do.
04 —
You investigate
This is where you take over and I move to your corner. You'll talk directly with the brands. You'll talk to people who already own one, the good conversations and the hard ones. You'll read the Franchise Disclosure Document, which is the legally required document laying out the economics, the obligations, and the history in detail. Anything specific about a particular business comes from that brand, not from me. That's not me dodging; it's how this is supposed to work, and it protects you.
The franchisee validation calls are the part most people underestimate. The franchisor will give you a list of owners to talk to. Call all of them, not just a few. And don't just ask whether they're happy. Ask what they'd do differently. Ask what the first year actually looked like financially. Ask whether the support from corporate matched what was promised. Ask if they'd do it again. The honest answers usually live in those follow-up questions.
The FDD is a dense document, 23 items covering everything from the franchisor's litigation history to audited financials to a complete list of every franchisee in the system. Item 19 is the one most people focus on, and for good reason: it's where the franchisor discloses financial performance data. Not every franchisor includes detailed Item 19 information, and the ones who don't will have a reason for that. It's worth understanding what that reason is.
Most brands will also invite you to a Discovery Day, a visit to their headquarters to meet the leadership team and see the operation up close. These are useful. They're also designed to build enthusiasm. Go in curious, not sold, and pay attention to how the people there answer your harder questions.
I'll help you prepare for all of it. I've been through this process as an owner myself, more than once, so I can tell you what to look for and what questions actually matter.
05 —
You bring in your own people
A franchise attorney. Your accountant. Your spouse. Whoever tells you the truth. I'll never ask you to move faster than the people advising you are comfortable with.
On the legal side, I'd strongly encourage you to work with an attorney who has specific franchise experience. Franchise agreements are long, one-sided documents written to protect the franchisor, and while very little is negotiable, it's important you understand what's in it, what's standard, and what's actually worth flagging. If you don't have one, I can point you toward resources that will help you find one.
On the financial side, your CPA should look at the investment alongside your overall financial picture: your liquidity, your tax situation, and how this affects your household if the business takes longer to become profitable than projected. Franchises are not guaranteed to succeed. Some people go in knowing that and plan accordingly. Others don't think through what the downside looks like. Your accountant's job is to make sure you have.
And your spouse or partner, if you have one, needs to be genuinely on board, not just tolerating the idea. Starting a business puts real pressure on a household, financially and otherwise. That conversation is worth having early and honestly, not at the signing table.
06 —
You decide
Yes, no, or not now. All three are real answers. If it's no, I'll tell you honestly if I think you're right.
If you move forward, you'll sign a franchise agreement and begin working through the franchisor's onboarding and training process. That timeline varies by brand, but you can generally expect several weeks of training before you open, some of it at headquarters and some of it in the field. The franchisor's job from that point forward is to support your success, because their growth depends on yours.
Whatever you decide, I'll tell you what I actually think. My job isn't to close a deal. It's to help you make a decision you won't regret.
How long does it take?
It varies depending on how aggressively you want to pursue business ownership and on your own comfort level. Once I introduce the brands to you, some people work through investigating them in a couple of weeks. Others take considerably longer, or step away and come back when their situation changes.