What are the best ways to do some research on a Franchise without talking to a sales person?

First look at the industry check out this post. Once you understand what industry you want to be in check out the Entrepreneur site for detail and growth rates of the company. If the Franchise is a public company check out the SEC site for public filings. Next google for the particular Franchise and dig deep. Finally call some of the franchises directly.

Great advice SBA!

The best document you can look at is the UFOC it contains all the fees, litigations, earnings claims, operations, closings, openings etc.

How do you get a copy of the UFOC?

You can simply go online to a particular franchise's site and fill out the request for info. Many will automatically send you the UFOC. If not, just ask. Any reputable franchisor will freely offer their UFOC at any point in the process. You needn't be committing to anything by requesting and viewing the UFOC. And it is a valuable source of incredibly detailed information.

I offer a very comprehensive manual on franchises (I am a franchise owner) in my kit below.

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Sylvia
http://smallbusinessstartup.BIZ
Small Biz Startup & Business Plan Help

Many franchisors will not reasily just send out a UFOC because of the cost (some of them can be over 400 pages) but this is the most important document for you to look at especially the number of business openings and closings to see if a franchise is growing or declining

Take a look at these resources:


Visit the FTC's Web site. The FTC maintains a useful Web site where you can read general guidelines about buying a franchise and catch up on FTC enforcement activity.

Check the Franchise Registry. This innovative program can smooth the way for borrowing money under the SBA loan guarantee program when you come to purchase franchise rights. You can find out if a particular franchisor has registered with this program by logging on to the Web site. Find out if there are veterans' benefits. Many franchisors offer special financial incentives for veterans. Read about the VetFran program here. Get franchisee evaluations. Prospective franchisees can get survey results from an online service that asks existing franchisees for their opinions about their franchise programs.

Get help from franchisee associations. There are three national trade associations of franchisees: 1) the International Franchise Association in Washington, DC, which is a trade group of franchisors and franchisees; 2) the San Diego-based American Association of Franchisees & Dealers, which publishes the Fair Franchising Standards; and 3) the Franchisee Association in Chicago.