When you have made the decision to either purchase or invest into a franchise how do you know if the franchise is a quality one or not? An important measurement of quality is the rate of growth of the franchise. How many new franchisees are added each year?

The franchisors authorize the proven methods and trademarks of their businesses to franchisees for a fee and a percentage of gross monthly sales. Agreements typically last five to twenty years, with premature terminations of most contracts bearing serious consequences.

The information is not disclosed on the individual franchise disclosure document. So, it is necessary to ask the franchiser for these numbers. If a franchise system has been operating for a number of years but has not added many franchisees, there may be problems in their system.

Watch for existing businesses that are for sale and analyze them for additional information. Get all the necessary information from a business opportunity broker that you can. Describe your method for evaluating the business and then describe your financing plan on how you might be able to purchase the business.

Businesses for which franchises work best have the following characteristics: those with a good track record of profitability, built around a unique concept, have broad geographic appeal, relatively easy to operate, inexpensive to operate and are easily to duplicate.

Here the ratio for a growing and adequate franchise should be one support person for every 10-20 new franchisees. This informs you new franchisees are getting the correct preparation to develop their businesses. You do not want to invest with a company who has one leg already in the ground.

You will need to perform research on financial statements, copies of profit and loss and any pending lawsuits against the franchisers. Existing franchisers are normally easy to work with because they know in order to sale their franchise this is part of the procedure. Study the terms and conditions item by item.

Meet the staff of any of the franchises you are thinking of investing in and make a note of the impressions you get during your visit. Evaluate their style, professionalism and their competence that relates to their training. Do they seem happy or rushed, distracted and overwhelmed by their busy schedule?