Congratulations on your new effort. WikidFranchise.org that will help many to avoid or manage the "Beast of Franchising." The articles written about franchising are often written by those who look at franchising entirely from the outside, and are written by those, sometimes, who have no real knowledge of the business model of the franchisor-franchisee relationship, wherein the franchisor CAN profit, even as the franchisee earns no profits and actually fails and loses everything.
I know you are trying to reach the audience of "prospective" franchisees as well as current franchisees who so often suffer in silence under the terms of the contracts they have signed in good faith, believing that their franchisor is also dealing with them in good faith. The franchise agreements, themselves, once signed, do work to keep the franchisees divided from each other, as intended, of course, and to permit the franchisors to deal with franchisees one-on-one in arbitrations or mediations. When franchisors legally encroach and poach on their franchisees, franchisees within the same systems become competetors but the franchisor continues to increase the gross sales upon which he profits.
Because of the status quo of franchising and pre-sale disclosure rule and law, the franchisors are able to wheel and deal and obscure the actual risk factor of "unit performance statistics" of the system from prospective franchisees, from current franchisees, and from investors in the Franchisor's system.
You, who will manage Wikidpedia will have to be careful of lawsuits because the special interests will want to silence your voice. I know, Les Stewart, that the "powers that be" in Canada are not happy with your message and would silence you through legal means, if possible. You can be proud that Ontario, Canada, has a private right of action for those franchisors who actually violate disclosure law, even if the average franchisee can't afford to address the courts.
Good Luck to You!
Scott Hunsberger (guest) 11 Mar 2009 00:21
