--- title: "Five Things to Consider Before Investing in a A Franchise" url: https://burnaze.com/article/73897425-dc46-4bb6-bddf-1b034e0fe7d7 source: "1851 Franchise" original_url: https://1851franchise.com/five-things-to-consider-before-investing-in-a-a-franchise-2371 category: "Suppliers" industry: "Franchise Industry" segment: "Suppliers" topics: ["Finance & M&A"] published: 2015-08-31T17:12:32.000Z modified: 2026-11-01T13:27:31.242Z image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/8d777f385d3dfec8815d20f7496026dc6539.jpeg --- # Five Things to Consider Before Investing in a A Franchise **TL;DR:** Rick Robinson, founder of Services4Franchising, advises potential franchise investors to consider several factors before making a decision, including determining their seriousness, identifying their ideal lifestyle, and analyzing validation. Robinson's company helps clients find the right franchise opportunity through a thorough due diligence process. *originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2015-08-31. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/five-things-to-consider-before-investing-in-a-a-franchise-2371).* ## Story There are thousands of franchises out there for people to invest in; for someone who has made the decision to leave the corporate world and pursue small business ownership through franchising, having to research all of the options and pick what’s best for them could be enough to make some people change their minds. There lies one of the more obvious benefits to working with a franchise consultant in that much of the research is done for you, making the process less overwhelming. But for Rick Robinson, founder and CEO of Services4Franchising in his more than 31 years in the franchising industry, it’s about more than just finding someone to help with some of the work that goes into choosing the right franchise opportunity. Here are the top five tips Robinson would offer to those who believe they are ready to take the leap and start their first franchise business. **Determine if you are really serious or not.** “Anyone can day dream about changing their life and surf the internet to see what other opportunities could be out there,” said Robinson. “But are they truly ready to take the risk in investing their life’s savings to take control of their financial future?” Robinson reiterated his commitment to only moving forward with clients in the process once they’ve reached that level of readiness. Someone who has buy-in from their spouse and family; someone who has identified both the amount of money they can invest as well as their financial wherewithal to cover living expenses in the process of getting a business started; someone who is able to function under a specified structure—all of these elements are indications someone is serious and ready to invest in franchise ownership. **Identify your ideal lifestyle, not your ideal business.** “One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is jump into the process looking for a business they are truly passionate about rather than looking at businesses that will support the lifestyle they want,” Robinson said. “Just because you love dogs does not mean a dog boarding business is right for you; you may find that a restaurant opportunity for example is better suited for providing you with the lifestyle and financial security you’re seeking.” Robinson says one of his first focus areas with new clients is working to identify the life they want to live and then presenting them with opportunities that match. Lifestyle factors to consider include things like the owners role in the business. Do you want to hire a full staff to handle day-to-day operations, or do you prefer to be hands on and put in some of the hours each week yourself? What kind of environment are you looking for? Do you want to work out of your home? Or from an office? These are all things Robinson works with clients to identify. **Get honest about your transferrable skills.** Going straight to the most successful franchisees in any system and asking them why they love the business may give you the giddy feeling you want as a franchise prospect, but you may be asking the wrong questions. “A lot of people focus on asking questions about sales increases and franchisor support, when really a franchisee is truly in control of his or her own success,” said Robinson. Robinson works closely with clients to focus not on the dollar signs first, but on the skills a particular franchisee has that made him or her successful and then following up that exploration by identifying whether or not the prospect has those same skills. Skills that come from previous managerial experience or sales ability can often dictate the direction Robinson suggests for a client. “If someone has never managed people before, that can be a huge wakeup call and I will definitely be presenting them with opportunities that have minimal staff requirements for example,” he added. **Be prepared to analyze validation, not necessarily take everything at face-value.** Validation; talking with other franchisees already open and operating under a franchisor you’re considering is always a major part of the due diligence process. Robinson says he spends a considerable amount of time helping his clients analyze feedback and information they are able to glean from current franchisees. “I have to help set people's frame-of-mind,” said Robinson. “Just because not everything you hear will be rainbows and butterflies doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t have a good opportunity in front of you.” Franchising is hard work, and if a prospect catches a franchisee on what has been a stressful day or happens to talk with a franchisee who has recently experienced a hiccup with his or her business—an inevitability in business ownership—they may not get the feedback or impression they were hoping for. Robinson says that regardless of the conversation you’ve had with current franchisees during validation, one question you should always ask yourself is, “If you could go back and do it all over again, would you?” If the answer is ‘yes,’ then that’s truly the type of validation you should be looking for. **Working with a franchise consultant can be vital to successfully finding the right business for you.** “What I find many clients didn’t initially realize is that my services are free to them,” said Robinson. “I work already with a network of franchisors from literally every category and they are happy to provide me with a commission when someone does decide to invest in their brand, because they know I am providing truly qualified leads.” Robinson with his wealth of knowledge and experience in the industry is able to identify roadblocks and help clients avoid mistakes during the due diligence process that could prevent them from ending up with the right business opportunity for them. Robinson refers to this quote often: “If you don’t build your dream, someone else will hire you to help them build theirs.” ## Entities - 1851 Franchise (publication) - Franchise Industry (sector) - franchise investment (topic) - franchise consulting (topic) - due diligence (topic) - validation (topic) - lifestyle consideration (topic) --- Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/five-things-to-consider-before-investing-in-a-a-franchise-2371). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/73897425-dc46-4bb6-bddf-1b034e0fe7d7).