Please: Slow Down and Consider

Franchise brokers earn a commission when you sign. Franchisors earn a fee when you sign. The consultants, the lenders, the lawyers who review the agreement — all of them get paid at the same moment, and none of them get paid if you walk away.

We're not in that chain. We take nothing from franchisors, sell no leads, and run no sponsored listings. What we do is read the disclosure documents — 1,180 of them so far — and write down what they actually say about fees, build-out costs, closure rates and the questions that make a franchisor go quiet.

Sometimes the answer is that the deal is good. Often it's that the disclosed investment range is missing your own salary, and the ten-year lease matters more than the brand.

If you're early, start with what a franchise actually costs. If you have an FDD in front of you already, start with how to read one.