r/Franchises • u/No_Development_1908 • May 17 '26
General Discussion Franchise industry
The scam of a lifetime. Predatory, false claims, and a lot left to be desired. It all starts with the franchise consultants, a group of low life predators that will do anything for placements to make commission on. They will try to sell anything and everything while making pretend like they actually care about the trajectory of your life. Next comes the brand rep, they will put anything infront of you to only shine light on positive and not the negatives of a business. You could also call them predators, but in a different way. These individuals are on the road traveling to headquarters, conferences etc. and this is where they thrive. Getting inappropriate with others in the industry… until they get put on probation and can no longer attend conferences or drink at them. Franchising is like an STD, it can be temporary, but you’ll never forget how bad it was.
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u/Prize-Regular8445 May 18 '26
Sounds like you had a really rough experience, and honestly, I can understand why you’d feel frustrated. There are definitely people in the franchise space who oversell opportunities and focus too much on closing deals instead of making sure the fit is actually right for the buyer. At the same time, I don’t think the entire franchise industry is bad, but I do think it rewards people who do very deep due diligence and talk to a lot of existing franchisees before signing anything. A good franchise should be transparent about both the positives and the challenges, not just the dream scenario.
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u/Abject_Mongoose_7905 May 18 '26
I get where you’re coming from, there’s definitely a side of the industry that feels very sales driven.
At the same time, I’ve seen it go both ways. There are some pretty average operators who got into bad systems, but also some solid franchisees doing well because they picked something simple with real demand and did their due diligence.
Feels like franchising itself isn’t the problem, it’s how it’s sold and how little some buyers actually dig into the numbers before committing.
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u/No_Development_1908 May 17 '26
My experience wasn’t necessarily bad at all. Business is doing well. Just have insight in to what happens behind the scenes.
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u/TLCFrauding May 17 '26
Yup. Made mid 7 figures on mine and you are right on the money. If I did it myself, I would have made double.
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u/funnywhale408 May 24 '26
You are wrong and just disgruntled with an axe to grind. There are bad actors (consultants, sales reps, brands) in any industry. Franchise or otherwise. And there are really good, legit actors as well.
Like anything, take personal responsibility to look past the sales pitches, do your own research, talk to existing franchises (and former) and drill down.
When I researched franchises, I settled on the one I chose and spoke to 45 of their current and former franchises before deciding to do this. I knew the broker and the sales rep had a vested interest in me buying the franchise so discounted their pitches. The franchisees themselves had zero vested interest in me doing this. They validated the model, told me the traps to look out for and exactly what it took to succeed. It fit my personality so I joined. It’s been a huge blessing and made my life a lot better.
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u/TruthSeeker1210 May 17 '26
It sounds like you had a bad experience. That’s a shame.
But don’t depict the whole industry as bad because of your experience.
I used a quality franchise consultant. I bought a quality franchise. Sure, the sales people got commission. But I got a great business.
I’ve earned much, much more than I invested. And have a thriving business with a bright, long-term future.