This book would not have been possible without the experiences of the many hundreds of clients around the world with whom we have worked, and from whom we have learned, over a combined period of nearly 50 years. Franchisors tend to be very open about their businesses and will share both the good and bad times that they go through, mostly in the hope of sparing others some of the pain that inevitably goes with creating and managing a franchised network. We haven’t singled any of them out, but they know who they are and we thank them.

Thanks too to our colleagues in Howarth Franchising who these days continue the work we started and who similarly share with us the experiences of all their clients. We are particularly grateful to Farrah Rose for her contribution to the international chapters, Iain Martin for his work on buying and selling franchised networks, and Stafford Cant for his almost unique interest in, and talent for, producing operations manuals.

Finally, nobody who has built themselves a career in franchising can fail to acknowledge the guidance and wisdom of Martin Mendelsohn, an eminent franchising lawyer for over 40 years, and himself a prolific author of books on the theory and legalities of franchising. Martin has been a true friend and mentor to Howarth Franchising and we hope this book will be seen as a practical complement to his contributions to franchising literature.

Franchising, in the context of this book, started in the USA in the early 20th century, largely because people saw successful businesses being developed and wanted to be a part of their growth by opening their own businesses using a proven formula and established name.

The most recent estimates available from the World Franchise Council and the International Franchise Association indicate that there are now some 16,000 franchised systems operating in 140 countries around the world, with a wide range of products and services being delivered by more than 1.6 million franchised outlets, with total sales of US$1 trillion.

The 2007 NatWest/British Franchise Association annual survey of franchising shows that there are 781 franchised systems operating here, with 31,600 franchised outlets employing 371,600 people with total sales of £10.8 billion.

Different countries collect their statistics in different ways but, however you look at it, franchising is big business, domestically and internationally.

Franchising cuts across all sectors whose businesses operate through branch networks – hotels and restaurants; car hire and servicing; real estate and letting agents; sandwich and coffee shops; domestic and commercial cleaning and maintenance; mobile product distribution of all sorts; care services for the elderly; and business-to-business services such as printing and sign-making.

Some franchisors are big global brands, some are simply regional networks, most are somewhere on the journey between the two. What they have in common is a proven business system which others can easily be taught to operate profitably. If that sounds like your business then the world is your oyster – limited only by your vision, your desire and your willingness to learn.

Whichever country you are operating in, the best place to find a list of franchisors operating there, and a list of experienced advisers who can help you, is the website of the relevant National Franchise Association. A list will be found in Appendix H on page 273.