FBR Issue 2 - 2018

FBR SPECIAL REPORT
Making the Leap
Whenever anyone faces a career decision in life, the fear of the unknown can be paralyzing. No
doubt, trading a “safe job” for a potentially “risky” future as a business owner can give anyone
pause. I experienced this first-hand when I quit my job to launch Franchise Business Review.
Like many people exploring franchise opportunities, I am now “middle-aged.” I can’t tell you
how many of my friends with “safe jobs” are painfully unprepared for retirement—with little
money in a 401k or IRA.
Yes… starting a new business comes with risks. But I would argue that NOT owning a business
is a much greater risk for many people. Business ownership has given me more financial
security than any job in corporate America ever could have. I’ve been fortunate, but I truly
believe that making the leap into franchise ownership (with a good franchise system) is a lot less
risky—and more rewarding—than riding out the rest of your career as someone else’s employee.
I was reminded of this when we interviewed Blake Edwards this month. Blake is a successful
multi-unit Bin There Dump That franchise owner in Ontario. Like many franchise owners,
Blake put it this way: “My only regret is not having started sooner!” Amen to that!
In this issue, we cover the Top 50 Multi-Unit Franchises for 2018, as well as a look back at
the most successful emerging franchise brands of the past decade. We also included our annual
list of #Rockstar Franchisees and feature a number of amazing stories of people setting the
franchise world on fire!
My parting advice… use our research, do your homework, and find a franchise concept that
sets your world on fire! Stop thinking about owning your own business, and take the leap to
make it happen. You won’t regret your decision. I know I don’t.
I’ve been fortunate, but
I truly believe that making
the leap into franchise
ownership (with a good
franchise system) is a
lot less risky—and more
rewarding—than riding
out the rest of your
career as someone
else’s employee.
Happy Franchising!
Eric Stites, CEO and Managing Director
Franchise Business Review is the leading franchise market research firm that performs
independent surveys of franchisee satisfaction and franchise buyer experiences.
Before you invest in any franchise opportunity, read our reports to get the facts
from those who know best — franchisees. We publish quarterly research reports,
examining segments of franchising including the Top 200 Franchise Opportunities,
Top Low-Cost Franchises, Top Multi-Unit Franchises, Top Food & Beverage Franchises,
and Top Franchises for Veterans. All publications are available digitally at
FranchiseBusinessReview.com.
Eric Stites, CEO & Managing Director
Michelle Rowan, President & COO
C.J. Fleck, Senior Web Developer
Michael Kupfer, Online Marketing Manager
Ali Forman, B2B Marketing Manager
Nicole Kenney, Client Operations Manager
Linda Lorrey, Client Consultant
Wes Graves, Client Consultant
Amy LaLime, Client Services Manager
Margot Doering, Accounting
The Secret Agency, Design and Production
Call us at 866-397-6680
HOW WE IDENTIFY THE TOP FRANCHISES
Participation in Franchise Business Review’s franchisee satisfaction
research is free for all North American franchise systems with
a minimum of 10 franchisees. For this report we looked at franchisee
satisfaction from over 27,000 franchisees representing over 300 brands
that we collected between August 2016 and February 2018. We asked
each franchisee to answer 33 benchmark questions ranking their
franchise in the areas of financial opportunity, training and support,
leadership, operations and product development, core values (e.g., honesty
and integrity of franchisor), general satisfaction, and the franchisee
community. We also asked them to answer an additional 16 questions
about their market area, demographics, business lifestyle, overall
enjoyment running their franchise, and role in the franchisee community.
From this data, we identified our list of top multi-unit and emerging
franchises with the highest franchisee satisfaction. Franchise brands that
participated in our research were invited to submit nominations to help
us identify franchisee rockstars. More detailed information about our
research methodology is available at FranchiseBusinessReview.com.
Surveys to determine the Top Franchises for 2019 are underway.
If you are a franchisor and would like to participate, please call 866-397-
6680 or contact info@FranchiseBusinessReview.com.
For more information on this report, visit: www.FranchiseBusinessReview.com | 5