How Long It Really Takes to Buy a Franchise

• According to Paul Pickett, chief development officer at Wild Birds Unlimited, there are three different phases involved with buying a franchise.
• The first phase is how long it takes for a candidate to make the leap and decide on a brand to partner with.
• The second phase is how long it takes to find the right location.
• The third phase is how long it takes to complete the actual store build out.

Paul Pickett says, "Before any type of store build out can happen or movement can be made, aspiring business owners need to know that they're teaming up with the right brand. Being a successful franchisee ultimately comes down to being with the best brand for you, no matter how long it takes to make that decision."

Richard Zimmer, director of franchise development and real estate at Zoup!, warns that finding the right location can be the longest part of the entire franchising process. He says, "The hard part of the purchasing process typically comes down to finding the right site. That's the wild card—some franchisees find their perfect location right away, while others have to wait for a while. Plus, you never know how long it will take to negotiate with landlords and ensure that the paperwork is up to date."

According to Zimmer, the franchising process at Zoup! typically takes around eight to 10 months. He says, "For our system specifically, we know that it'll take 60 days to build a store, 30 days to secure the right permits and that the grand opening process will take place over the course of five or six weeks. But there's no way to guarantee how long it will take to find the site that's going to put you in the best position for long-term success."

Paul Pickett notes that there are several factors that can contribute to the overall time it takes to get a new location up and running. He says, "Outside of the time that it takes to find the right location and build out a store, there are a lot of other factors that have the potential to extend the entire purchasing process. Buying a franchise can take a lot longer if you need to find access to a loan or financial capital—being preapproved, on the other hand, can speed the process up."

Pickett also emphasizes the importance of thoroughly going through a brand's FDD, or Franchise Disclosure Document, which can make the franchise buying process longer. He says, "Those documents are long and a lot to digest, but again, are a necessary piece to the discovery puzzle."

Ultimately, how long it takes to buy a franchise comes down to what brand a candidate is partnering with, and what their specific process takes. Paul Pickett says, "At the end of the day, what will help candidates through the franchising process is having realistic expectations. While brands are there to help guide franchisees through their grand openings from beginning to end, it's better to know from the start that the time that it takes to buy a franchise can vary."