Fast Casual: How to Avoid Franchising Pitfalls to Ensure Successful Growth

Fast Causal connected with longtime franchise attorney, Brian Schnell, who has been a trusted advisor in the franchising industry since 1987 when he started supporting his first client, Dairy Queen. With 31 years of experience, Schnell has picked up a few tricks to the franchising trade, and he shared them at the recent International Franchise Expo at the Javits Center in New York.

According to Schnell, “One of the early missteps is not creating and protecting a brand's trademark. It (the trademark) is the cornerstone of your franchise so you need to choose wisely as you will need to protect it.”

Another mistake franchisors can make is signing on franchisees that might not be qualified, meaning they might not have the economic status needed to take on a franchisee role or they might not hold the same passion needed to drive the brand forward.

Once franchises are up and running, Schnell recommends a franchisor takes the time to visit each franchisee at least once a quarter to ensure focus and commitment are evident. “You build a brand one customer at a time and your brand is impacted by every customer touch point,” said Schnell, “so you have to instill that in the franchisee and their employees as the brand must deliver on its promise.”