Top Franchise Broker: Leslie Kuban, FranNet

People interested in buying a franchise don’t always have a clear vision of what a franchise owner actually does, said Atlanta-based franchise consultant Leslie Kuban.

“A lot of people have a fantasy about owning a business,” she said. That’s why she tells clients they need to think like an owner before purchasing.

A consultant with FranNet for the past 22 years, Kuban believes a large part of her role is to help potential owners get educated on the role of an owner before they invest.

“My first piece of advice is to really look at a franchise through the lens of the owner,” she said. ”What does that actually mean for the talents I need to have? What will my Monday look like? What will my Tuesday look like?”

That’s because a client may love a franchise concept. They may love the income potential it has. They may love the product or service a company provides. But as an owner, that’s not necessarily what they need to focus on.

Kuban should know. Not only is she a FranNet franchisee, but she also used to co-own a Mail Boxes, Etc. franchise with her father. In other words, she’s spent most of her life getting to know what the daily grind of franchise ownership is all about.

That means Kuban believes she is successful not only when she finds a match between a franchisor and a franchisee, but also when she helps people determine that maybe they’re really not cut out for franchise ownership.

“In fact, I think a core responsibility of our role is to help people figure out what is not right,” she said. “Buying a business is not buying a microwave. It's a serious thing, and it’s scary. “

To help determine whether someone is a fit, she does a deep dive into who they are by asking a lot of probing and sometimes personal questions. “Even some things that were educated in our culture not to talk about, like income and money,” she said.

But Kuban says that she cannot gauge a potential franchisees’ strengths and weaknesses without getting down to the nitty-gritty.

“People are looking to write their own success story,” she said. “My job is to coach them about what will be integral to their success.”