Catherine A. Riesterer

What makes your firm stand out as a resource for the franchise industry? When I joined, Domino’s Pizza International, they were already franchising in 20 international markets. By the time I left, they had expanded their reach to 60 international markets. I was on the development team that helped identify and select international development candidates. Once a candidate was selected, we helped them get established in their respective country. I truly understand franchising from the ground up. In addition, Dominos was a very hands-on company and Tom Monaghan’s philosophy was that every team member needed to understand the Domino’s products and services, which meant we were all required to spend time working in Domino’s Pizza stores, and learn all facets of the business. At Cooper & Riesterer, our expertise does not stop at drafting documents. We take a holistic approach to advising our franchise clients and strive to be a complete business resource for our clients, to provide advice and direction wherever, whenever, and however needed.

Identifying the right franchise attorney What is the No. 1 thing a franchisor/franchisee should look for when identifying the right franchise attorney? Identifying someone that has the expertise and experience that you need. A lot of attorneys advertise that they have franchise experience, and while they may have experience drafting franchise documents, they may lack the particular experience to give you the additional business insight you need to make the right decisions with respect to your franchise. For example, I have met with companies that believed they were ready to franchise their concept. After meeting, I convinced them they had more homework to do or needed to open one or two more outlets before taking on the burden of franchising. The right franchise attorney will not just take your money and draft documents for you, they will give you the right advice for your unique situation and tell you what you need to hear.

Seeing clients succeed When it comes to your work, what makes you happiest? Seeing a plan come together, and having my clients succeed. It is always a high point in my practice when I receive a personal invitation or a flyer announcing the grand opening of a new franchise, whether it is from a franchisee client or a franchisor opening its first franchise outlet or a new location. I have been invited to several grand openings and not only is it nice to get out of the office, but it gives me a chance to see what I helped my client achieve. Receiving that invitation also lets me know that my efforts were valued by my client.

Concerns for the franchise industry What are your top concerns for the franchise industry in the next year? While there are always concerns about where the laws and regulations are headed such as the NLRB regulations and changes in tax laws, my top concern is always bad franchisors. Franchising continues to get a lot of press and there are those who think they can make it rich by simply taking a concept, selling it to lots of people, and making a quick fortune. Companies that have bad systems, or systems that are not ready to be franchised and are launched prematurely give franchising a bad name. When a system is launched and a franchisee fails, it not only hurts those franchisees who invested their time and money into the franchises, but is hurts the entire industry. As franchising continues to boom, an influx of people who are not ready to be franchisors, or who lack the right support team to help them succeed, continues to be a concern.

Optimism for the franchise industry What are you most optimistic about in the franchise industry in the next year? What makes me most optimistic is really two things. First, the availability of resources for franchisors and franchisees continues to improve each year. This means franchisees have access to information that can help them avoid bad franchisors and also have tools to help them succeed. Second, franchising has been and continues to be a great model that beats the track record for non-franchise start-up businesses, and when done correctly, provides a great tool for business growth. We are in a good climate for business growth and it is a great time for people to take advantage of all that franchising has to offer, including the wonderful network of support and information that is available for those in the franchise community.