Five Great Sources of Franchising Information for the Prospective Franchisor

1. International Franchise Association. Arguably the premier membership organization of franchisors, franchisees, and suppliers to the franchise industry, this organization and its web site offer a wealth of information about all aspects of franchising.

2. Blue MauMau. The self-proclaimed #1 Franchise News Journal on the Web, this site provides a wealth of franchise industry news, blogs, litigation updates, reviews, educational resources, and other keen insights into franchising not easily found elsewhere.

3. American Association of Franchisees and Dealers. The AAFD is a national trade association of franchisees and dealers formed in 1992 for the purpose of “bringing fairness to franchising.” Its web site includes a variety of articles and resources, including a compilation of “Fair Franchising Standards” promoting more balanced and reasonable franchise agreement terms and condition. The AAFD also administers a “Fair Franchising Seal” program to recognize those franchise systems that have agreed to adopt the AAFD-approved principles of “Total Quality Franchising.”

4. Entrepreneur. This publication and web site offers a great collection of educational resources and industry news on franchising and business topics. One of its claims to fame is the Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500®, billed as the world’s first, best and most comprehensive franchise ranking based on objective, quantifiable measures of franchise success.

5. FRANdata. FRANdata is a leading source of franchising information, analytic reports, and benchmarking resources that can be critical to the success of a franchise system. They provide a variety of consulting and information services (market surveys, statistics, credit reports, databases, etc.) and its web site contains a great collection of franchising information and resources.