Franchise Consultants Chicago IL

Closely analyzing the financial numbers before investing in a franchise can help you choose the franchise which presents the best opportunity for success. An accountant or qualified financial advisor can be helpful in looking at metrics such as cash flow projections and the franchisor's financial statements. See the following article from Blue MauMau for more on this.

1. In-depth review of the franchisor's financial statements available in the Franchise Disclosure Document.  You want to be sure that the franchisor has sufficient capital to operate the franchise.  The franchisor shouldn't be relying upon initial franchise fees for their main source of funding or earnings.
2. Fully understand Item 7 of the FDD. It describes the estimated investment in a specific franchise.
3. Scrutiny of the franchise financial formula. This process involves identifying and evaluating the components of the product or service sale leading to the gross margin. Sample sale price, product, labor costs, royalty and ad fees,etc. are in the formula. This is one of the most important elements of the financial analysis and may require some "digging" to get all of the necessary information.
4. A 3-5 year Pro-forma income statement that projects sales, gross margin, expenses and earnings. One should be conservative and not aggressive when projecting. Feedback from current franchisees can provide valuable input when constructing a pro-forma.
5. A cash flow projection for the first 3-5 years of the franchise operation. This is needed  to determine if projected sales and income will be sufficient relative to available working capital.
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