No one knows your business as well as you do.

Startups

Program Development

If you have ever thought of franchising your own business you need to first talk with experts who have been there – who have started their own franchise companies and have advised hundreds of others whether it’s right for them; and if so, what is the best and most efficient way to proceed.

It all starts with our understanding of what your goals are, an evaluation of your business concept and whether franchising is the right thing for you.  For many it is – and for many more, it is not.  But what we can guarantee is that we will tell it as it is – not what you may want to hear but what you need to hear.

In working with clients to help develop a professional and cost effective franchise development program, our approach and philosophy is different from others that develop “boiler plate” and “packaged” franchise programs. Our goal is to teach you as much about franchising as possible during the development process and work hand in hand with you to combine your knowledge of your business and our expertise in franchising. No one knows your business as well as you do and the time and cost of having someone else learn what you already know is counterproductive. Our goal is to work with you and guide you through the entire process as our highly experienced consultants work hand in hand with you and your staff to develop all the required elements of a well designed and crafted franchise development program. The process is efficient, cost effective and educational and you will be working with professionals who have been doing this for over thirty years.

Existing Networks

Strategic Advisory

Management of mature franchise companies are professionals continuously striving to get better. They realize the value of having outside professionals provide them with objective input and recommendations as to how to improve their operations in order to achieve shareholder objectives. It is often difficult for mature franchise companies to fully understand how they compare with the best, how realistic their goals and business plans are and how effective their management team is in executing their business and expansion plan. Moreover, surprisingly many companies have little understanding of how their franchisees really perceive them, something which is essential to know if one expects to achieve high levels of growth and profitability in franchising.

There are also many franchisors that are underachieving and aren’t quite sure why. We are thoroughly experienced at evaluating and understanding their problems and most important, offering recommendations as to how to deal with them. From the initial planning and forecasting, the marketing and sale of franchises, the services provided to franchisees and the many other elements that determine success in franchising, we know them thoroughly because we have been there ourselves. We have not only performed these evaluations for clients but we have successfully built our own franchise companies. Our methods of comprehensive review, analysis and evaluation of mature franchise companies has proven valuable to some of the most respected names in franchising.

Law Firms

Expert Witness

Edward Kushell has been retained as a franchise expert witness in nearly one-hundred cases and has been actively involved in franchising for over forty years. His unique background as a franchisor, franchisee, Past President of the International Franchise Association, member of the Board of Directors of several franchise companies and consultant to hundreds of companies involved in or contemplating franchising is unequaled and makes him eminently qualified as a franchise expert witness. He has been retained to consult and represent both franchisors and franchisees in a wide variety of cases involving restrictive covenants, encroachment, vicarious liability, non-performance, misrepresentation, compliance with state and federal franchise laws and various other franchise issues.

Private Equity

Growth Partners

With our broad network in the world of franchising we are often exposed to franchise companies and their shareholders seeking global expansion, growth capital or full exits. At the same time, there are investors and strategic partners of franchise companies that also comprise our network. As a result, we work with emerging franchise entrepreneurs to grow their business through financial transactions including debt, equity and territory rights deals. Our services include advising on company pre-money valuation, structuring and raising debt and equity capital and managing data rooms. To entrepreneurs, we offer an ecosystem of support that advances best practices and drives results. Our team brings extensive transaction, operating and strategic expertise to FCG’s unique process for value creation.