Properly organized, even a small number of franchisees (6 to 12 of 1,000) can defend themselves extremely well.
Every franchisor knows that franchisees using the latest communication devices (see example) and the internet, can make even the most ruthless vulture capitalist turn tail.
An independent franchisee association is NOT:
- a bitch or social group,
- a lapdog franchisor-sponsored advisory board,
- a way to raise money for a “white-knight lawyer” to save you (only a fool falls for a legal-only approach),
- a cynical mechanism for over-entitled franchisee posers to feather their own nest, or
- a temporary or “knee-jerk reaction”.
It is a pragmatic re-investment in, for example, Tim Hortons’ franchisees, protecting their $1.8-billion in equity (3,600 stores times $500,000).
Without specialized training and experience, no franchisee has the time to learn what will and will not work.
It starts at some franchisee’s kitchen table with 2 other franchisees and me.
