Blogs

The Great Franchise Fraud

As a bit of an aside from my regular blogs about many of the issues I see with the Franchising Sector in the U.K., I thought it worth sharing an audacious fraud that came about during my legal battle with Dream Doors, part of the Neighbourly (Neighborly) group of franchises, that might blow your mind,… Continue reading The Great Franchise Fraud

The Playbook of an ‘Unscrupulous and Dishonest Franchise’

I have just received yet another tearful call from a Franchisee that is about to lose everything and who shared their story how they ended up in the position they did. It is a story I have heard from countless other Franchisees whose lives have been ruined by ‘Unscrupulous and dishonest franchises’ (Sir Geoffrey Cox).… Continue reading The Playbook of an ‘Unscrupulous and Dishonest Franchise’

Franchisee failure rates – fact or fiction?

Ever since the publication of the results of the 2024 Franchise survey, commissioned by The BFA, there have been many posts on social media making exorbitant claims regarding how successful franchising is and also how few failures there are in franchising Vs independent small businesses. “Did you know that franchising has a less than 5%… Continue reading Franchisee failure rates – fact or fiction?

Due Diligence…. Ignore it at your Peril

If you are thinking of investing in a franchise, please make sure you read this blog BEFORE signing a Franchise Agreement as it contains some incredibly useful information to help ensure you reduce the risk of your investment. Due Diligence is the most critical phase in any franchisee’s journey because if you chose badly it could be disastrous for both your wallet and… Continue reading Due Diligence…. Ignore it at your Peril

Franchisees’ Customers lose everything*

This trustpilot review by a customer of Dream Doors, part of the Neighbourly group, got me thinking about what other Franchisors would do in the same situation. The deposit customers pay upfront for the goods or services they are buying in many franchises is 50% – 100% of the total order value and in the case of high value… Continue reading Franchisees’ Customers lose everything*

Why are Franchisors (and their lawyers) so desperate to gag their Franchisees?

After reading this blog you will understand the extent many Franchisors are willing to go to gag their Franchisees and why I believe they are so desperate to do so. At every step of the Franchisee’s journey the Franchisor will gag the Franchisee to prevent any information about the franchise from being shared publicly. Franchisors go to huge effort to protect… Continue reading Why are Franchisors (and their lawyers) so desperate to gag their Franchisees?

The importance of Culture and Values in any franchise

Growing up in Ireland during the 70’s and 80’s, values were important…in fact very important, both in terms of parental upbringing and education. It wasn’t until I got my first job that I realised how important values and culture were in a company setting and how uncomfortable you feel when you experience behaviours that challenge your own values.… Continue reading The importance of Culture and Values in any franchise

Could the Post Office scandal happen again?

Absolutely YES…..in fact, issues like happened with the Post Office Scandal are happening on a regular basis in the U.K. today. Individual’s livelihoods and in some cases lives continue to be ruined by ‘unscrupulous and dishonest franchises’. These are not my words but those of Sir Geoffrey Cox, MP and former Attorney General, who after… Continue reading Could the Post Office scandal happen again?

Should I care how my Franchisor makes it’s money?

How a Franchisor makes its money is really not as obvious as you may think and with the vast majority of Franchisors it is also not very transparent, even those affiliated to one of the Franchise associations. The best example I have heard quoted is McDonalds where it is claimed that they make more money out of their property than… Continue reading Should I care how my Franchisor makes it’s money?