Choosing A Franchise Is One Of The Biggest Decisions Of Your Life –AAFD Associate Membership Can Help You Choose The Right One

By Published On: October 14th, 2013

Buying a franchise is not a small decision. It will cost you a substantial amount of effort and money just to open your doors, and then you will need to add in some blood, sweat, and tears to build up sales and start making a profit. Although the franchise industry likes to characterize franchise ownership as a much safer and more secure bet than independent ownership (a claim that is frequently invalid), the truth is that buying a franchise entails significant risk in the best of circumstances.

The franchise you choose will determine the amount of money that you will need to invest (from your personal savings, in the form of a loan, or both) and, basically, what you will be doing with your life for the foreseeable future. Below the surface, your franchise contract will also determine the amount of freedom you have to run your business, whether or not you can choose your own vendors, and  your potential profitability.

Every franchise opportunity is different, and some of the most important decision factors you should take into consideration may not be obvious.

The AAFD is a non-profit organization that assists franchise owners and potential franchise owners. Our Associate Membership is a low-cost membership geared specifically towards educating and supporting future franchise buyers who are  in the decision-making process. For only $79, our Associate Members gain access to an incredible trove on resources and benefits, including: 

The AAFD Roadmap to Selecting a Franchise

The AAFD Roadmap takes you step by step through the franchise decision process. The Roadmap will teach you how to research and select a franchise, walk you through the process of buying a franchise, and provide you with the best and most useful information available about the entire franchising process.

No one should consider buying a franchise without first reading this Roadmap.

The AAFD’s Franchise Evaluation Tool

This interactive tool will allow you to assess your top franchise picks. The AAFD Franchise Evaluation Tool asks you a broad series of questions about a specific franchise opportunity and grades each of your answers. Add up the franchise’s score at the end to see how it fares. Your answers to the evaluation tool may raise some valuable red flags about a particular opportunity and allow you a greater degree of clarity when you are ready to make your franchise decision.

Free Legal Consultation

Associate Members of the AAFD can receive FREE legal consultations  through the  Franchisee LegaLineSM , the AAFD’s exclusive network of experienced franchisee attorneys. Our Franchisee LegaLine network operates in more than 40 states, and several of our members have been listed as top attorneys in the field of franchise law in the 2013 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business.

Free Ad in The AAFD Marketplace

The AAFD Marketplace allows our members to post classified ads. If you are looking to buy or sell a piece of equipment, hire new employees or find construction contractors in your area, post your free ad on our marketplace, which has a high amount of visibility among franchise owners and franchise suppliers.

There are many additional benefits to being a member of the AAFD. For over 20 years, the AAFD has striven to help franchise owners speak with one voice and to hold franchisors accountable for their treatment of their franchisees. We accredit franchisors who meet our high standards of Fair Franchising, so our list of accredited franchisors is a great place to start your franchise search.

If you want to make the best franchise decision possible and give yourself the greatest chance for future career success and satisfaction, start with an AAFD Associate Membership.

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