A black female franchise owner, holding her Item 19 report, thinking about the future of her business

How Franchisors Can Build a Strong Item 19

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How Much Money Can I Make?

As franchisors work to sell franchises, one question they will always be asked is, “how much money can I make?”. The answer to this question can be found within one section of the Franchise Disclosure Document: Item 19.

In order to create a compelling Item 19, franchisors need financial data on the performance of each franchise location. Typically, it is up to the franchisees to keep their books up to date and share that data with the franchisor. But, like many small business owners, they juggle countless responsibilities, may not understand the complexities of accounting, and bookkeeping understandably falls by the wayside. 

An Expert Team

Without the right tools, building a strong Item 19 can feel like a massive undertaking. But, with the support of a franchise bookkeeping team, franchisors can receive timely, accurate information that will help them build a compelling Item 19!

What is Item 19? 

Item 19 is a section in the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), a document that must be presented to individuals who want to purchase a franchise. The purpose of Item 19 is for franchisors to lay out the financial performance representations (FPR) of the franchise. It paints a picture of how potential franchisees can expect to perform and estimates how much money they could make should they join the franchise.

Why is Item 19 Important?

Item 19 is more than just a rundown of financial performance. It is a powerful tool that aids in decision making, builds trust between the franchisor and potential franchisee, and sets realistic expectations.

  • Decision Making. A strong Item 19 helps franchisors attract and select the ideal franchisee candidates. It also ensures that a franchise brand is a solid investment, and helps the franchisee compare their options to determine if they are joining a successful business. 
  • Trust and Transparency. Item 19 signifies financial transparency and creates trust between the franchisor and potential franchisee. It shows that a franchisor knows their numbers, and has no issue disclosing them. The more information that can be provided on financial performance, the better. This transparency creates strong relationships between franchisors and their franchisees. 
  • Realistic Expectations. Item 19 allows the franchisor to set realistic expectations for financial performance. While a franchise may be profitable as a whole, individual success can vary. An Item 19 that contains data-backed projections of how much potential franchisees could realistically make provides the clarity they need to make an informed decision. 

How to Build a Strong Item 19

What do franchisors need to build a strong Item 19? Put simply, clear, accurate financials. The key elements that create a powerful Item 19 are: 

  • Average Gross Profit
  • Average Gross Sales
  • Cost breakdowns of goods and services
  • Operating cost insights
  • EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization)
  • Industry-specific data points (number of customers served, number of services provided or products sold, etc.)

These metrics provide financial insight into the franchise, clearly lay out the costs and obligations of a franchise purchase, and set realistic expectations for financial performance. 

The amount of information franchisors are able to share in Item 19 largely depends on the information their franchisees deliver. How can franchisees provide reliable, accurate information to their franchisors? It comes down to consistent monthly bookkeeping. 

The Necessary Resources 

Franchises have unique needs when it comes to bookkeeping and accounting, such as tracking royalties and advertising fees, and sometimes, multi-currency support. All of it needs to be properly recorded in accounting software so monthly reports can be produced. Franchisors need a team of trusted experts with knowledge of the franchise space, so they can receive accurate data from their franchisees.

  • Consistent Monthly Bookkeeping. In order for franchisors to build a strong Item 19, they need up-to-date financial records for each franchise location. A bookkeeper can provide visibility into financial performance on the franchisee’s behalf, so franchisors have access to the information they need across all locations. 

An online bookkeeping service is particularly helpful in this situation. Instead of hiring multiple bookkeepers, the franchisor can rely on a single provider who delivers uniform services for each location – no matter where they are located.  

  • Accurate, Up-to-Date Reports. Accurate monthly reports are crucial to creating a solid Item 19, as all information is legally required to be accurate, truthful, and backed by numbers. A well-documented financial history showcases franchise growth and profitability and helps franchisors create a compelling Item 19. 

Expert Bookkeeping for Franchise Businesses

Xendoo Online Bookkeeping is a leading provider of online bookkeeping and accounting services for franchise businesses. Our franchise-focused team provides franchisors with timely report delivery and visibility into financial performance for each location.

Are we a fit for your franchise? Let’s talk! Schedule your free consultation today.

Male Asian franchise owner, leaning on the counter in his cafe and smiling

The Franchise Landscape by Jon Ostenson

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On the heels of Covid lockdowns and quarantine, we are seeing unprecedented levels of interest in business ownership with much of this interest coming through the avenue of franchising. Year-to-date, our client placements have increased well over 50% vs. 2020, which despite Covid, saw similar levels of expansion over 2019. The vast majority of these placements have come in industries outside of food and lodging, which we will touch on later.

So who are these new franchise owners? More than ever before they represent a substantial cross-section of Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials. As outlined throughout media headlines, Covid has caused many across the spectrum to reflect on their current path. For many, this reflection has led to the decision point that now is the time to scratch their entrepreneurial itch.

In some cases, these newly minted business owners are jumping in with both feet, leaving their corporate roles and taking on the reins of owner-operator of a new enterprise. In other instances, they are taking a step into entrepreneurship via a ‘semi absentee’ model with the plan to put in 10-15 hours a week. The latter group is seeing business ownership as an ‘asset class. Business ownership provides tax advantages that many other investments do not. With the stock market at an all-time high, low interest rate, and only so many good real estate deals available, investors are looking at alternative options for parking their record levels of sidelined cash. 

Why are so many opting for franchising over a traditional ‘start-up’? They recognize that franchising provides them with:

• A proven playbook from which to operate.

• In some cases, a recognizable brand.

• A ‘coach’ with aligned interests on the sideline in the franchisor.

• Support and learnings of owners in other markets.

• The ability to go in with ‘eyes wide open’ via the ability to review the Franchise Disclosure Document and validate with current owners before making a purchase.

• The potential for a more attractive exit based on an apples-to-apples comparison vs. traditional startups. 

So, what industries are resonating the most with would-be business owners? I have shared in many interviews that over the past year that we have seen a leaning toward ‘Covid, Amazon, Recession resistant businesses’. 95% of our placements have been in industries outside of food and lodging. These include home and property services, automotive, health and wellness, businesses that support the senior population, children/education, and pets. There are so many unique niches within these spaces that people have never considered. In fact, through my matchmaking process, I have found that over 80% of my clients end up in a sector that they never had on their radar prior to our ‘peeling back the onion’ and building a framework from which to evaluate opportunities.

Certainly, franchising is not right for everyone. For instance, I have to explain to a handful of my clients that they are ‘too entrepreneurial’. They are not willing to live within the franchise system, desiring to put their fingerprints all over a new business. However, for many would-be business owners, the support and resulting success rate that is found in franchising prove to be a perfect fit. Based on what we are seeing both at a macro level, as well as on the ground, franchising is poised for even more strong growth in the years ahead!

 

Jon Ostenson is a consultant, investor, author, and international speaker specializing in the area of non-food franchising. He draws on his experience as both the President of an Inc. 500 franchise system and as a multi-brand franchisee in serving clients across these capacities.

Connect with FranBridge here jon@franbridgeconsulting.com   Recent podcast interview

 

This post is intended to be used for informational purposes only and does not constitute as legal, business, or tax advice. Please consult your attorney, business advisor, or tax advisor with respect to matters referenced in our content. Xendoo assumes no liability for any actions taken in reliance upon the information contained herein.

 

two people sitting at a gym

Five Customer Loyalty Tricks for Fitness Franchisees

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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in October 2017 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

As a fitness franchise owner, you know very well the challenges of getting new members through the door, even in the best of times. It’s never been easy, but the fitness industry has been one of the hardest hit by COVID-19, with value brands representing the largest share of losses in the industry. Major gym franchises like Gold’s Gym have filed for bankruptcy protection, and others may soon follow. Polling has shown that as many as 60% of Americans either have canceled or are planning to cancel their gym membership due to financial hardship or concerns about safety. Simultaneously, the growth of digital and at-home fitness products has added to the pressure on gyms, with Peloton doubling its sales in 2020. 

So, in that environment, how do you get new customers through the door and convince your existing customers to remain loyal? We can start by taking a cue from one outlier in the value gym segment that has shown more resiliency than its competitors through the pandemic. The Anytime Fitness franchise rolled out a comprehensive COVID-19 policy to protect their members’ and staff’s safety and begun offering advance reservations to secure a spot when capacity is limited. When customers have confidence that you are genuinely looking out for their best interests, they are more likely to remain loyal.

But beyond just building trust among your members, there are some other things you can do to encourage customer loyalty in this most challenging of times.

Loyalty Rewards Program

Have you ever noticed that it seems like every store you go into wants you to join their rewards program? Well, there’s a reason for that – it works. Create a rewards program for your loyal customers with some nice little freebies to help keep them engaged. This might take the form of a free t-shirt after ten visits, or maybe a free post-workout smoothie with every 10 purchased. You can get very creative with this, so don’t be afraid to experiment. Never underestimate the power of free swag for customer loyalty. Everyone wants to feel special.

Frequent Customer Discounts

Many gym members, particularly in the value segment, care just as much about the size of their wallets as the size of their jeans, so giving them a discount on a product or service is a great way to boost customer engagement. This might be a discount on a personal training session within the next month, or possibly a coupon for deals on gym apparel. Gym apparel is a particularly desirable thing to encourage because, in addition to the revenue from the sale, you get the added benefit of free advertising for your fitness franchise every time the customer wears it.

Three women stand besides each other at a gym

Referral Rewards

Let’s face it – we all have that one annoying friend who can’t stop going on about how great his or her fitness studio or workout program is. Well, that’s exactly who you want to be your customer, so you need to create a compelling reason for that person to be your customer. Create a referral rewards program and offer a membership discount for each new customer brought in on a referral. You’ll soon find your membership roster – and your bottom line – growing steadily.

Premium Memberships

Take a cue from companies with the most loyal followings and offer VIP or premium membership packages. Do a little up-selling. The key here is to create a value proposition that’s compelling enough to entice your customers to pay a little more without eating into your bottom line. If a member is already paying $30 per month for a basic membership, he or she would probably be willing to pay $35 or $40 to add free tanning or a free monthly workout with a personal trainer. It can be tricky to find the right balance for your package, but this is a great way to reward your most loyal customers if done right.

A man holding onto rings tries to beat a record for a gym contest

Run Contests

Contests can be a great way to keep your members engaged with the club and create valuable rewards for members who participate. You might run a contest with a free gym t-shirt or duffel bag to the member with the most visits during the month, or possibly a “Biggest Loser” type contest with a free month of membership as the prize. You can also incorporate social media into your content strategy by encouraging people to share, like, and comment on your content. Give members who complete one workout and check in on Facebook during the next month a raffle ticket to a drawing for a free duffel bag or another prize.

Focus on Your Core Business

Business owners are notoriously bad at time management, spending too much time on things that others can do and not enough on what an owner should be doing – growing the business. Offload time-consuming administrative tasks to employees or an outside firm. Consider outsourcing your bookkeeping and accounting, which is one of the biggest time vampires in an owner’s day. By getting those off your plate, you can have time to spend on thinking up creative ways to engage with your members and drive loyalty at a time when you need it most. 

 

So what’s the best way to boost customer loyalty at your gym franchise? Start by taking your own gym’s advice and just do it. Set a goal and commit to seeing it through. Start with these tips, but don’t just stop there. Be creative and come up with other ideas, and then let us show you how Xendoo can help your fitness franchises become more profitable with a free trial. Let’s start building that customer loyalty muscle together!

This post is intended to be used for informational purposes only and does not constitute as legal, business, or tax advice. Please consult your attorney, business advisor, or tax advisor with respect to matters referenced in our content. Xendoo assumes no liability for any actions taken in reliance upon the information contained herein.

 

9 Ways for Franchisees to Outrun the Competition

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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in October 2017 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

As we’ve seen, there are a ton of fantastic, low-cost franchise opportunities out there that will give you a lot of advantages in starting up your new business. As a franchisee, you’ll still have the independence of owning your own business and being your own boss, but you’ll gain the name recognition, volume pricing agreements, and support services of an established brand. It’s the best of both worlds, and over 795,000 business owners in the United States have chosen this path. But as much as a good franchise can boost your chances of success, there is one threat to your new franchise which will always be present—your business competition.

 No matter the type or location of your business, whether restaurant, child care center, gym, or staffing agency, you will always have to know how to overcome competitors. Even if you start out in a niche that you have all to yourself in the beginning, you will soon get some competitors because success always breeds imitators. For every McDonald’s franchise out there, there is almost always a Burger King franchise across the street. If there isn’t, there soon will be.  

So how do you stay ahead of your peers in this horse race? Here are a few things you can do to outperform your business’s competition.

Know your business competition

If you don’t know all about your competitors, you can’t know how to overcome your competitors in business. The reality is that a lot of business owners don’t know as much about their competitors as they should. Make a list and call it “My Local Competitors Are….” Write down who you think your strongest competitors are, and then mystery shop them. If you sell widgets, buy a widget from your competitor and compare it to yours. Were the prices comparable? Is the quality as good as yours? Maybe even a little better? Does it have any features that yours doesn’t?

If your business is a restaurant, go and eat at the restaurant across the street. Pay attention to the cleanliness, the service, the food quality, etc. If your competitor is a hotel, spend the night and take a walk through their parking lot at night to look for fleet vehicles that can tell you which companies to make sales calls on. Now you know where you stand in comparison and what you need to do to win customers away from the competition.

Perform a SWOT analysis

If you’ve never heard of a SWOT analysis, it stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. In it, you draw a map with four quadrants using those labels and compile a list in each quadrant. First, define clearly and honestly what you believe the biggest strengths and weaknesses of your business are in relation to your competitors. What do they have that you don’t? What gives you an edge over them? Knowing that, you next identify the top opportunities you have to steal business away from your competitors, and which of your competitor’s strengths pose the biggest threat to your business. A SWOT analysis is essentially a high-level business plan because now you know which holes to patch in your ship and which to exploit in your competitors.

A customer interacts with a cashier at a small business

Solicit feedback from your customers

The most successful companies ask their customers to give them feedback about their experience. Have you ever eaten at a restaurant and received a code printed on your receipt for a free drink if you take a survey? Stayed in a hotel and received a survey? Visited a business and seen a sign that says “Tell Us What you Think!” with a QR code that you can scan? The ways to solicit feedback are endless, and you’re only limited by your creativity. You need to know what your customers like and don’t like about your business, and the only way to know is to ask.

Listen to your customers

Soliciting feedback is only half the job. The other half is what you do with it. When receiving negative feedback, many business owners instinctively become defensive and dismiss it as untrue, unreasonable, or uninformed. Sure, there are professional complainers out there and we’ve all run into them at one point or another, but they’re few in number and easy to spot. The vast majority of your customers are being sincere. If you don’t already, be sure to take the time to review and respond to your social media accounts for your business. These may be the first channels that your customers use to voice a complaint or offer a compliment. 

A complaint is a gift and should be treated as such because the customer is giving you an opportunity to fix a problem before going to a competitor. The worst complaint is the one you never hear because that customer just starts going to your competition and you’ll never know why.

Create a service culture around your customers

Do you know who your customers are? Be a “lobby lizard” and spend some time in the front meeting and shaking hands with your customers and getting to know them. It’s important to create a service culture around your customers because they are generally not as loyal to brands or products, as they are intensely loyal to people and relationships where they feel valued. Even in the face of fierce competition, customers are attracted to and will be loyal to companies that put them first.

Customers line up at a small business coffee stand

Sell the product, not the price

Try to avoid price wars with your business competition whenever possible, because that’s just a race to the bottom. Somebody else will always be able to absorb more loss than you until one of you is forced out of business. Instead, focus on creating value for your customer by providing a good product at a fair price combined with great customer service. Cheap isn’t always a bargain, and customers are often willing to pay a slightly higher price if they see a strong value proposition for their money. You don’t necessarily need to be the cheapest, you just need to create the most value.

Know your numbers

We’ve already established the benefits of outsourcing your bookkeeping and accounting to a professional accounting firm, and one of the most important is that you will receive professionally prepared financial statements that will give you an accurate and complete picture of what’s going on with your business. 

Do you know exactly what your margin is? Do you know your year-over-year performance in each category? If you don’t have that information at your fingertips, you’re flying blind. This is where Xendoo can help because we offer a complete suite of affordable bookkeeping and consulting services that can keep you on top of your business competition and help you make the right choices.

Prioritize your time

There are dozens of ways time gets away from us because it seems like there’s always a fire that needs to be put out. Being a business owner means everyone wants a piece of you, and you have to figure out how to balance everything and keep the wheels on the wagon. Start each day by taking five minutes to write down all the tasks that need to be done that day, and then prioritize them. In fact, studies have shown that just writing a to-do list can help reduce your anxiety.

Go down your list by priority and scratch them off as they get done. Additionally, by using technology, cloud software, and business automation, you can eliminate some time-consuming tasks, allowing you to focus on the big picture and beat the competition. 

Only do what only you can do

In addition to prioritizing your time so that the most important things get done first, you need to spend it as efficiently as possible so that you can complete the maximum number of tasks on your list. If you feel like you have to do everything in your business yourself, that means you’re a great employee but a terrible manager. Effective management is about delegation. There are some things that only the owner can tend to, but a lot of things – like accounting – can be either outsourced or delegated to someone else to allow the owner to focus on staying ahead of the competition instead of cleaning windows.

Business competition is a guarantee, but it doesn’t have to be a problem. Did you notice how many of these tips revolve around customers? That’s because, without them, you’re out of business. You may be the business owner, but you work for them because they can fire you at a moment’s notice and go to your competitor. Just remember that as a franchise business owner, you can choose your own destiny by focusing on your customers, creating value for them, and building relationships with them. 

 

Do that, and you will always stay one step ahead of the competition.

 

This post is intended to be used for informational purposes only and does not constitute as legal, business, or tax advice. Please consult your attorney, business advisor, or tax advisor with respect to matters referenced in our content. Xendoo assumes no liability for any actions taken in reliance upon the information contained herein.

 

a coffee shop

Franchise Accounting: 7 Benefits to Outsourcing

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As a franchise owner, you have more than enough to do just taking care of the core operations. Outsourcing support functions which are not your area of expertise — such as accounting — will definitely save you a ton of time and effort. But that’s just the beginning of what it can do for your business.

Professional accounting for your franchise brings peace of mind.

When a real CPA maintains your books, you can rest assured that it’s getting done right. Nothing is forgotten or entered incorrectly. Even if you plan to use your accounting system yourself, an independent advisor can help you set it up, teach you how it works, and make sure it has all the functionalities you need.

Accounting expertise is well proven.

Imagine working with an accountant who has been through an extensive vetting and hiring process by people in his/her own field. You’d feel more confident in that person than in someone you hired yourself, right?

Rookie mistakes don’t happen.

Are you sure you’re tax-coding transactions or categorizing your business expenses the right way? An accounting specialist can help you avoid that tax time nightmare. They can also advise on when to make capital investments for best tax savings, whether to take out another loan and how to improve cash flow, among other things.

Data entry and math errors are eliminated.

An up-to-date accounting service will use advanced technology that syncs with your bank, POS system, and management software to make bookkeeping automatic. With no human input, there’s no possibility of human mistakes.

Accounting Laws and regulations are met.

With tax and business laws changing at the speed of the internet, it’s almost a full-time job in itself to keep up with them. Better let someone who really does it as a full-time job handle this stuff for you.

Processes are always state-of-the-art.

When you or a staff member does the accounting in-house, you probably won’t be watching industry news and constantly upgrading to the latest technology, as an accounting company does. You benefit from their investment for a fraction of what it would cost to do it yourself.

Outsourcing costs less than a staff franchise accountant.

Many franchisees don’t really need a full-time accounting employee — they just need a few hours of work a week, plus the ability to call or email someone with questions. For that, you’re better off with a flat monthly fee to an outsourced accounting company rather than paying an employee’s salary or a traditional accountant’s retainer.

This affordable option is exactly what Xendoo offers to small business owners such as franchisees. Our flat monthly fee is less than half what you’d typically pay an hourly accountant, while providing you with at least double the speed and access to financial expertise. It’s easy to get started — just give us a call!

 

This post is intended to be used for informational purposes only and does not constitute as legal, business, or tax advice. Please consult your attorney, business advisor, or tax advisor with respect to matters referenced in our content. Xendoo assumes no liability for any actions taken in reliance upon the information contained herein.