I was recently interviewed on the Entrepreneur Iowa Podcast by Dan Tooker. Dan is with the Des Moines Radio Group and is also the owner of Franchising Done Right. Dan’s franchise related business helps displaced executives and budding entrepreneurs find franchise opportunities. Dan and I discussed franchising, what it takes to be successful in business,
Buying & Selling a Business
[Franchise Update 12/18/20 Edition]: 6 Things Franchisors Should Do to Prepare for 2021

I saw a post from Global Franchising that warranted attention from franchisors as we move into 2021. All too often I have seen franchisors this year bury their heads in the sand and not communicate with franchisors. This article discusses six…
7 Steps to Franchise Your Business
Are you interested in starting a new franchise? This blog post will discuss 7 initial steps to franchising your business.
Step 1: Decide if franchising is right for you. Franchising is not something to take lightly. It is a significant commitment, not only in terms of time but also the financial investment required to start…
[Franchise Update 12/11/2020 Edition]: Steak-N-Shake in West Des Moines and More
[Announcing]: A long awaited Steak-N-Shake is anticipated to open in West Des Moines this coming January 2021. A couple of years ago in a Des Moines Register poll, Steak-N-Shake was one of the most desired businesses for the Des Moines area.
Delayed for more than a year, West Des Moines Steak-N-Shake to Open…
5 Traits of Successful Franchisees
Whether your are a prospective franchisee yourself, or a franchisor searching for the right franchisees, it is important to know what makes a franchisee successful. Because in actuality there are always top, average and poor performers in EVERY franchise. Franchisors will see a wide-spectrum of results. This blog post examines 5 traits I have noticed…
[Small Business Update 12-5-2020 Edition]: Iowa and National Small Business Economy Struggles
Recently I had a conversation with a very successful small business owner I have known for a long time that really shook me. I learned his sales are now down 80% during the latest surge of the pandemic . He said,
The virus is killing us. People are scared.
Meanwhile, Amazon’s sales increased 40 percent…
[Franchise Update 12/4/2020 Edition]: The Complete Introduction to Franchising and More
READ: 5 RECENT posts to check out ON franchising.
The Complete Introduction to Franchising and Franchise Ownership [With Updates] – Joel Libava, The Franchise King
Because if you’re going to invest in a franchise, it’s crucial for you to get a complete understanding of the business of franchising. You need to understand how
…
Multiple Unit Franchising Offers Rewards
Multiple unit franchising has the most risk but offers the most reward. In my experience, owning multiple franchise units allows you to harness the true power of franchising. The franchisees I see who are the most successful are all multi-unit owners. Substantial investment is required in order to purchase multiple units and should not be…
Franchising in a Pandemic
This past week I had the opportunity to participate in the 43rd Annual Franchise Forum. As only one of two Iowa lawyers participating in this year’s Forum, it was an all virtual event for the first time in its history. The Forum is essentially the franchise lawyer bar association meeting. Every time I participate I…
Look for Franchises that Deliver Consistent Success
Recently I reviewed a franchise offering for a prospective franchisee. This particular franchise made financial performance representations in Item 19 of the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD). The financial performance representations revealed some impressive numbers at first glance. After all, the highest performing franchisee was earning in excess of million dollars per year. And the “average”…