FRANCHISE LAW
Franchise Law Articles
Plain-English analysis of FDD reviews, franchise agreements, exit strategy, and ongoing counsel for franchisees and franchisors.
477 articles
FDD Renewal: A Franchisor's Annual Update Guide
A franchisor must update its Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) within 120 days after the close of each fiscal year — and amend it again whenever a material …
FDD Renewal: A Step-by-Step Guide for Franchisors
Renewing your FDD means rebuilding it into a current document — refreshing all 23 disclosure items with this year’s audited financials and material …
FDD Renewal: Protecting Your Right to Sell
Annual FDD renewal is what keeps a franchisor legally able to sell — let it lapse and you lose the right to offer franchises until you bring the document …
FDD Renewal: The Annual Update Process for Franchisors
A franchisor must update its Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) every year, within 120 days after the close of its fiscal year. That federal deadline comes …
FDD Renewal: What It Is and Why It Matters
FDD renewal is the franchisor’s yearly obligation to update and reissue its Franchise Disclosure Document so the document a prospect receives reflects …
FDD Renewal: What You Must Update Each Year
An FDD renewal updates whichever of the 23 disclosure items changed during the year — most reliably the audited financials, the litigation history, the outlet …
FDD Renewals: What the Law Requires of Franchisors
An FDD renewal is the franchisor’s duty to update its Franchise Disclosure Document every year — and to keep its state registrations current — so that …
FDD Template: What Franchisors Must Disclose
If you’re looking for a fill-in-the-blanks FDD template, the honest answer is that one doesn’t really exist — and using a generic one is a serious …
Franchise Accounting: A Guide for Franchisors
Franchise accounting is the set of rules and practices a franchisor uses to record the money flowing through a franchise system — chiefly initial franchise …
Franchise Agreement Mistakes to Avoid Before You Sign
The most common franchise agreement mistake is signing before you fully understand the document — treating the franchisor’s contract as a fixed form to …
Franchise Agreement Red Flags: One-Sided Clauses
The biggest risks in a franchise agreement are not hidden “loopholes” — they are one-sided clauses sitting in plain sight: unilateral-change rights, …
Franchise Agreement Template: What It Should Cover
A franchise agreement should cover, at minimum, the grant and term, fees, territory, brand and operating standards, support and training, transfer and renewal, …
Franchise Audits: A Guide for Franchisees
A franchise audit is the franchisor’s contractual right to inspect your sales records, books, and operations to confirm you’re reporting revenue …
Franchise Audits: What Every Franchisee Should Know
A franchise audit is the franchisor’s contractual right to examine your books, records, and point-of-sale data to verify that the sales you reported — and …
Franchise Compliance Checklist for Franchisors
Franchise compliance for a franchisor means keeping your federal disclosure, state registrations, sales process, and brand standards continuously current — not …
Franchise Daily Operations Checklist
A franchise daily operations checklist should track the routines your operations manual requires — opening and closing, brand and safety standards, cash and …
Franchise Disclosure Document: The 23 Items Explained
A Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) is the standardized, 23-item disclosure a franchisor must give you at least 14 calendar days before you sign anything or …
Franchise Exit Strategy: Planning Your Sale or Exit
A franchise exit strategy is a plan, made well before you need it, for how you will eventually sell, transfer, close, or hand off your franchise — built around …
Franchise Fees Explained: What Franchisees Pay
Franchise fees are the payments you make to a franchisor for the right to use its brand and operating system, and for most franchisees they fall into three …
Franchise Fees Explained: What You'll Really Pay
Franchise fees are the payments you make to the franchisor for the right to use its brand and system, and they split into two buckets: one-time fees to get in, …
