15 Signs the Franchise You are Buying is Good

In the U.S. alone there are hundreds of franchises eager to find small business owners as franchisee. The new ones come up every month. However, you should keep in mind that for every McDonald’s franchise out there a number of other ones have been started and disappeared over the years.
In an earlier post we mentioned that you should make sure the franchise you are looking to get into is good and will make you successful as well. After all, selecting the wrong franchise can hurt you and may even wipe out your hard earned savings.
Below we have listed signs you can look for to determine if the franchise is successful.

1. Franchise is opening stores at a steady pace and growing same store sales.
2. The customers give rave reviews about the franchise’s products / services.
3. There are number of franchisees that have been there for a long time.
4. Franchisor regularly introduces new products and services.
5. Franchisor has regular meetings to get feedback from franchisees.
6. Franchisor does not delve into every minute detail of operations.
7. Franchisor gives flexibility to franchisees for local marketing and advertising.
8. Turnover among existing franchisees – either through business sale or shutdown is low.
9. Franchisees have easy access via email, phone, etc. to management at the franchise office.
10. The area supervisor from the franchise spends time with you during store visit and listens to your concerns.
11. Franchisor does not change store procedures and rules for franchisees frequently.
12. Franchisor visits the franchisee stores on a regular basis and provides improvement suggestions.
13. Franchisor is not opening stores in the close proximity of existing ones.
14. The prices charged for mandatory items from commissary are in line with market.
15. The franchise provides reports on a regular basis with the details on how they are performing at individual, regional and national levels.

Any other signs you would add to this list?