Expert Advice
We know that timely, professional advice is crucial to
making smart business decisions.
Our Expert Advice Articles are written by industry leaders with proven experience in the franchising sector. Our experts cover financial, accounting and legal issues in addition to sound business strategies to help you succeed.
Why Home Service Franchises Stand Out in 2026
The home services sector entered 2026 against a backdrop of continued financial pressure for many consumers, from higher everyday expenses like gas and groceries to broader economic uncertainty. While discretionary and trend-driven spending has softened in some...
Fight Less, Fix More: Mediation in Franchise Disputes
By Mark Nichols A franchisee is afraid to tell their field support representative that they are struggling to pay the bills. The franchisor is afraid to tell the franchisee they’re in breach of their franchise agreement. Mediation serves as a safe place for both...
Financing the Modern Franchise Business: Strategies, Structures, and What Lenders Really Look For
The franchise sector has evolved into one of the most dynamic segments of the small business economy. Once viewed as a traditional route into food service or retail ownership, franchising has expanded into healthcare, home services, fitness, education, logistics, and...
Six Things First-Time Franchise Owners Wish They’d Known About Funding
By Ali Kraus, Chief Marketing Officer, Benetrends Financial A lot of thought goes into buying a franchise, especially when you are a first-time owner. You are choosing the right brand, the right territory, and the right moment to make the leap. The funding side of...
Sellers: Getting Ready for the Introductory Call
By Bianca Evans Business owners are busy people, so one of the first things they want to know about the selling process is the amount of time they’ll have to put into it. That’s one of the primary reasons to work with an experienced broker: they take on most of the...
The Power of Ownership: What the Lottery Ticket Experiment Teaches Us About Ingagement
By Evan Hackel On April 26, 2012, the Harvard Business Review published an article entitled “Increase Your Team’s Motivation Five-Fold.” In the years since, the article, which was written by a McKinsey consultant named Scott Keller, has become a classic, widely read...
Transfer What You Know or Growth Stalls
When I started ImageFIRST - Cincinnati, I had one delivery truck, a stack of business cards and brochures, a 10’ x 10’ storage unit, and a computer in the basement office. That was the entire operation. For the first two years, I did everything; sales, deliveries,...
The Climb Most Franchisees Never Make
Level 3 is not a destination. It is the job you bought twice — unless you do the work that turns an owner-operator into an owner-executive. BY GEORGE KNAUF | EXPERT COLUMN Last month I introduced Knauf’s Hierarchy of Franchising — six levels from Employee to Legacy...
Longer Homeownership Is Driving Growth in Home Service Franchises
Homeowners are staying put longer than they once did — and that shift is creating new opportunities across the home services franchise sector. According to Redfin, the average U.S. homeowner now stays in their home for roughly 12 years, nearly double the average...
From Owner’s Effort to Predictability
One of the biggest challenges for a fire chief leading a volunteer department is not knowing who is available when the call comes in. You can have capable people, committed people, even motivated people, and still face uncertainty in the moment that matters most. The...