We are looking at buying a franchise but we were concerned because we did not get a good feel or connection with the franchisor and our feeling is that other franchisees do not have a good relationship either though we have yet to approach them. Should we still proceed or walk away?

Particularly early on you are going to need a lot of guidance from the franchisor if you feel that you could not have a good working relationship with them I would move on and find a franchisor with a better fit.

I think it is how comfortable you are in the business industry that the franchise is in if you are new to the business you may want to find another franchisor. However if you are just using the brand and process you may not have much interaction with the franchisor after the initial training.

I would not invest in any business where an important partner (franchisor) you could not get a long with. If you know enough about the business that you do not need them than I would do the business on your own.