Joel Libava (a/k/a "The Franchise King") has a list of 20 Must-Do Things Before You Buy a Franchise. It’s a great list so I thought I’d share the article with you.
The last item on his list is to "Lawyer Up". Joel explains that the franchisor has a lawyer so franchisees should too.
Those interested in raising investment capital for their business, or those interested in making investments in businesses, may want to take advantage of the monthly due diligence/investor training provided by Plains Angels.
Plains Angels is a group of Midwest angel investors that have now funded various projects here in the Midwest. The group is
I recommend prospective franchisees take a look at Empire Builders which is a series of videos highlighting successful multi-unit franchisees.
Most of the prospective franchisees that come to see me are seeking to purchase a single franchise. Many of them dream of becoming a multi-unit owners but usually lack the capital (at least initially) to
Potential franchisees should read this article from Robert Purvin on Franchising Myth One: Franchises are Safe Investments. In the article, Purvin discusses how franchises and independent businesses fail at roughly the same rate (something discussed at length in several of my blog posts).
It’s critical that prospective franchisees understand that buying a franchise will
If you read article after article on business law you will see "Get it in Writing" near the top of the list in advice that lawyers routinely dispense to business owners. Indeed, a quick search of this blog produced 28 entries dealing with "getting it in writing".
My experience is that many business owners
* This is a guest post from Jessica Susie of the Brick Gentry Law Firm. Jessica is a registered patent attorney.
The America Invents Act, which President Obama signed into law on September 16, 2011, has been gradually overhauling the United States patent system. March 16, 2013 marked the biggest change – the United
I saw an interesting article on the LexBlog Network regarding how to deal with partner disputes. The post written by Texas restaurant lawyer, Matthew Sanderson, dealt specifically with restaurants, but the information contained in the post is applicable to any business. Sanderson recommends the following when a dispute occurs:
The Des Moines Register reported that investor group Plains Angels has invested $750,000 over the last eight months. This is great news for Iowa startup companies. Venture capital in Iowa has lagged and groups like Plains Angels are definitely trying to change that.
There is a $300 application fee to present before the Plains Angels’
In January I wrote about the new Iowa Business Specialty Court Pilot Project. This week the Iowa Supreme Court announced that three judges have been selected to hear cases for the business court. The judges include:
With the recent passage of a new state law in Ohio and a new bill offering greater protection for franchisees in California, it will be interesting to see whether this growing trend of more pro-franchisee laws continues.
Interestingly enough it is Iowa that is often cited as a pro-franchisee state because of its franchise
