FRANCHISE LAW
Franchise Law Articles
Plain-English analysis of FDD reviews, franchise agreements, exit strategy, and ongoing counsel for franchisees and franchisors.
477 articles
Franchise Field Visit Reports: A Legal Guide
A franchise field visit report documents what a franchisor’s representative observed at a franchised location — and that written record does far more …
Franchise Lease Agreements: A Tenant's Guide
A franchise lease is a commercial lease that has to do two jobs at once: protect you as the tenant and satisfy the obligations your franchise agreement imposes. …
Franchise NDAs: What Franchisors Need to Know
A franchise non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is a contract that legally bars the people you share confidential information with — prospects, vendors, and others — …
Franchise Profit and Loss Statement Explained
A franchise profit and loss statement (P&L) summarizes a unit’s revenue, costs, and net profit over a period — it’s how you tell whether a …
Franchise Registration Renewals: A Multi-State Guide
The federal FDD update is only half of renewal season — about 14 states require a franchisor to renew its FDD registration every year, usually by re-filing the …
Franchise Renewal Form: A Plain-English Guide
A franchise renewal form is the written notice a franchisee uses to start renewing their franchise agreement. It looks routine, but it sets off a process that …
Franchise Renewal: What Franchisees Need to Know
Franchise renewal is not automatic, and “renewal” usually does not mean continuing on your current terms — it means signing the franchisor’s …
Franchise Scams: Red Flags and How to Avoid Them
The most damaging franchise scams are not fake companies with fake logos — they are real franchise sellers breaking real disclosure laws. The five that cost …
Franchise Success Factors That Actually Matter
The factors that determine franchise success are mostly measurable before anyone signs anything — and almost none of them is brand fame. Unit-level economics, …
Franchisee Onboarding: A Step-by-Step Franchisor Guide
Franchisee onboarding is the structured process of taking a signed franchisee from contract to a fully operating, on-brand unit — and it legally begins before …
How to Choose the Right Franchise Location
The right franchise location is the one where your target customers actually are, that you can secure on workable lease terms, and that fits the territory and …
How to Finance a Franchise: A Buyer's Guide
Most franchise buyers fund the purchase with a mix of cash and an SBA-backed loan, but four other routes — conventional bank loans, retirement-account rollovers …
How to Negotiate Your Franchise Agreement
Yes, parts of a franchise agreement are negotiable — but not the way most contracts are. Franchisors keep the core terms uniform across the system for legal and …
How to Read a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD)
Reading a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) means working through 23 standardized sections and confirming that what the franchisor promises in its sales pitch …
How to Renew Your FDD: A Step-by-Step Guide
Renewing your FDD means running a fixed annual sequence: assemble updated financials and data, revise every Item the year changed, finalize the document within …
How to Scale a Franchise System: Franchisor Guide
To scale a franchise system, a franchisor grows unit count without letting brand standards, legal compliance, or franchisee support fall apart in the process. …
How to Scale a Franchise: Adding Units the Right Way
To scale a franchise, you add units through a path your franchisor approves — additional single-unit agreements, a multi-unit development agreement, or an area …
How to Streamline Your Annual FDD Renewal
The fastest way to streamline an FDD renewal is to start early, lock the audited financials first, and run the update on a fixed calendar that works backward …
Is Your FDD Due for Renewal? What Franchisors Miss
Your FDD is due for renewal within 120 days of your fiscal year-end every year — but the things franchisors actually overlook are the obligations between …
Item 19 at FDD Renewal: Updating Earnings Claims
Item 19 is optional — but if you make a financial performance representation, you must update it at every renewal and back it with a reasonable basis and …
