The Franchise King Blog

Social Media Marketing By Franchise Companies Can't Be A Part-Time Gig

             


If you are an executive, or even the owner of a franchise concept, don't worry about all the buzz around social media. Don't pressure yourself into doing social media, just because a growing number of other franchisors have started getting their feet wet. Just keep doing what you're doing. I'm sure that you are totally euphoric about your current franchise marketing successes...

Being the Community Promotions Director for a powerful and influential website like Small Business Trends has some perks. One of them includes spending a great deal of time actually reading what some of the columnists on the site are writing about. In this case, what Lisa Barone of Outspoken Media just wrote about social media marketing...

Canadian Franchise Attorney Calls Franchise Ownership "Renting A Business"

Canada has a thriving franchise industry, and a Canadian franchise attorney Tony Wilson points out 3 advantages of franchise ownership;

• Training in the business model. "They're training you to use their system; training is a huge component in franchising," Wilson says.

•  Access to a trademark and brand advertising. "That's what franchisees should expect -- to get the benefit of the brand."

•  Joint purchasing power. "If you're in a buying group with 16 other restaurants, you're going to get your food cheaper than if you're one restaurant buying your product by yourself," Wilson explains.

Wilson recently wrote, "Buying a Franchise in Canada: Understanding And Negotiating Your Franchise Agreement." Some of the franchise laws in the book only apply to Canadian franchisors.

Wilson also said that "You never own the business, really. You're just renting it from somebody else." Article

If you have been reading my articles for awhile, you know that I am not a card-carrying member of the International Franchise Association, and that I show both the positive and the negative sides of franchising.

I must say that I totally disagree with Mr. Wilson's statement. You are not "renting a business," when you buy a franchise. You are buying a system, and if you are a good fit for that particular franchise concept, you go in with enough working capital, and you follow the plan, (Which you found out was a good one, because you did superb research) then you have a reasonably good chance of small business ownership success.

Renting a business? Great statement to increase readership of that article, but not true, Tony...

What do you think? Are you "renting a business" when you purchase a franchise?

Green Auto News; Is This Electric Automaker The Next Green Franchise?

A Reva

Reva has more all-electric vehicles on the road than any other company, but it still has a long haul before it can make the vehicles marketable for the masses.

However, last month, the company won a huge and important stamp of approval when GM said it would use Reva’s technology in the electric version of its Chevrolet Spark, a small car whose conventional petrol version GM sells here already. The electric version of the Spark is expected to go on sale in India by the end of next year, according to GM officials.

Reva’s technology is “second to none”, said Karl Slym, president and managing director of GM India, adding that Reva’s appeal came from its drive train, the collection of components that move the car, which is easily installed in different vehicles and works with various batteries.

Read more at LiveMint.com

Could this become a US green auto franchise?

CIT Bankruptcy Could Affect Franchise And Small Business Lending

Small business loans have been fairly difficult to come by, to say the least. CIT, a huge small business lender, although not the only game in town, is in trouble, but has done a nice volume of loans for the franchise and small business start-up community in years past. So now what?

Now, it's time to start seriously thinking of creative financing arrangements. Although controversial, maybe tapping into your 401K's for some of your start-up funds, isn't a bad idea.

I have noticed that most of the negative comments concerning the 401K rollover plan ideas come from CPA's. it's very predictable;

A prospective franchise owner goes to his or her CPA's office armed with information on a 401K Rollover plan, and the CPA says...

The Franchise Of The Month; November 2009

Today, I'll be introducing to an honest to goodness automobile repair franchise that also happens to include my favorite color; Green.

The folks over at Honest-1^® know a little something about timing;

They go beyond basic standards and expectations of auto care facilities and take additional measures to protect our environment now and into the future. While offering exceptional service programs for their customers to choose from, they also offer specialized, ECO-Friendly Auto Care^™ services for those that want to play a greater part in helping the environment.

My Franchise Business Advice For The Week Of November 2nd, 2009

This week's suggestion is for franchisees, and other small business owners;

Spend $100 on personalized plates that are all about your brand. It's my version of Mobile Marketing.

Franchise Direct Launches A Portal In Ireland

Franchising has grown exponentially in Ireland over the past two decades and Franchise Direct is looking forward to helping Irish entrepreneurs discover perfect franchise opportunities.

Franchise Direct is one of the biggest players in international franchising. With offices in Atlanta, Georgia and Dublin, Ireland, Franchise Direct has a truly global grasp of the industry. Its Irish website will be its seventh national portal, sitting alongside websites focused on the American, Canadian, British, French, German and Spanish franchise markets.

Congratulations to my friends across the Atlantic!

Would you like to electronically transport yourself to Ireland?

Ready-Set-Click

Franchise Executives; This Is One Bandwagon You Should Jump On...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/visualthinker/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

                           

                            80%

80% of mobile phone users are now using text messaging, according to Mobile Marketer.

80%! Does that sound like a large enough number of customers/clients for you to possibly target with your own unique message?

Look at this new story from Reuters 

(It tells us that consumers are ready for this type of marketing, now)

Some Banks Are NOT Open For Business; Why Won't They Start Loaning Money To Small Businesses?

        What's The Deal?

Maybe it's because of the debacle at Bank Of America.

Maybe it's because of the mortgage crisis last year.

Maybe some of the banks that are too big to fail are in bigger trouble than we think. Maybe Robert Reich is right. His article.

I received a call today from a commercial loan representative at a major local bank here in Cleveland.

The Economy In Iceland Is Too Icy For McDonald's

http://www.flickr.com/photos/racoles/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

The three McDonald's restaurants in Iceland are leaving because of the economic hardships that are plaguing that country. 

From FT.com/Europe;

"The loss of the Golden Arches highlights the extent of Iceland’s economic demise since the pre-crisis boom years when its “Viking Raider” entrepreneurs turned Reykjavik into an international finance centre and launched a buying spree of high-profile European assets."

McDonald’s blamed the closures on a very challenging economic climate and the unique operational complexity of doing business in this island nation of just 300,000 people on the edge of the Arctic Circle.

I wonder of the real reason is the low profit margins on their milk shakes :)

Using Alltop.com For Trending Topics

We use Guy Kawasaki's Alltop.com for our Franchise Today Show. Our radio program airs live every Thursday at 2:00 PM ET over at BlogTalk radio. Paul Segreto and I discuss franchise related topics that can benefit;

• Future franchise owners
• Current franchise owners
• Franchise execs
• Franchise marketing personnel
  
• The International Franchise Association (Listen and learn) 

Alltop.com is an online magazine rack that features every topic under the sun, and it grabs the RSS feeds of blogs that have been approved to be on it, hourly. The trending topics. All day. All night.

Using Community Banks For Small Business Loans

Sometimes, bigger is not better....

As the credit crunch continues to hamper small business growth, a few alternatives are appearing. The big boys have some competition, and unless they start stepping up to the plate and loaning money out, they will lose their footing-especially on the local level.

The smart folks over at the Wharton Small Business Development Center in Philadelphia said this on a recent article at OPEN Forum By American Express;

"Small-business lending, including Small Business Administration loan programs, are an important business to community banks -- defined generally as those with less than $10 billion in assets. These lenders make one in five small-business loans, according to the Independent Community Bankers of America. More than half of small-business loans under $100,000 come from community banks, says the group, which also points out that nearly half of small businesses get their financing from smaller banks."

Read more about going to a community bank for your small business loans, here.

Starting Costs Calculator

My Franchise Business Advice For The Week Of October 26th, 2009

This week, I am suggesting that you focus on this quote;

“Anybody can be a halfway man, but the one who rises above this class is the one who keeps everlastingly pushing.” J. Ogden Armour

Remember these 3 letters;

ABP

Always Be Pushing

Dinner And A Movie Franchise?

From the rather energetic women over at Sanderson PR:

Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas made its long-awaited debut yesterday in Winchester, Va. This is the first Alamo location outside the state of Texas and offers a unique twist on "dinner and a movie," combining first-run films and specialty programming on eight big screens with a full-service restaurant.

Read

Franchise Opportunities; What's The Real Story Behind Those "Business Coaching" Franchises?

When you've been out of a job for awhile, franchise investments of only $60k-$75k can be pretty darn enticing. Have you ever seen wonderful wording like this on job search sites?

"If you are interested in building significant income, wealth and equity and having a lifestyle where you control your destiny then you may want to consider becoming a business coach with ____ ___."

Little problem. I don't think that it's a job post. I think it's a franchise opportunity offering. And I found it on a job search website. Ok. You don't have to believe me. Here's the company that paid for the advertising;  AdviCoach

I feel that advertising a franchise opportunity on a website that specializes in job listings is wrong, especially if it lists $100k-$400k as the salary range....

Thinking About Starting A Business?

                                                                                                    

According to Caron Beesley, a fellow writer over at Business.Gov, Starting your own business may be one of the biggest risks you will take in your life - and the statistics confirm it. According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), two-thirds of new businesses survive for a minimum of two years, with only 44 percent surviving at least four years. Still interested in starting one? :)

Caron also says that being a successful business owner requires at least four fundamental qualities:

• Diligence - Aside from being one of the seven holy virtues, diligence in business drives methodical work methods and an active rather than a passive approach.
• Determination - A determination to succeed, no matter what conflicting advice you receive or doubts that you may have, must be there.
• Hard work - This is the DNA of the successful business owner. You get from your business what you put into it.
• Adaptability - As a business owner you must be able to shift with the market, learn from your mistakes, and change your business plans accordingly.

Caron is right on the money. Here's the entire article over at Business.Gov

You know, Business.Gov is a totally revamped US Government website. Here is a post about what is new there. Bookmark it!

One of the most important part of owning a small business is how market your products or services. There are always new ways to do so.

Sometimes as powerful as this.

Franchise Opportunities; Do You Have Totally Unrealistic Expectations?

I started to read this post during the Franchise Today Show, and due to circumstances beyond my control, couldn't finish it. So, as promised, here it is....

A lot of folks go into a franchise business of their own with unrealistic expectations. Here is what some of them are:

1. If I ever have a problem, all I have to do is pick up the phone


Continue on to #2, here

Work At Home Opportunities; Which Ones Are Genuine Franchise Opportunities?

Make Money Online. Riiiight.

Let's stuff some envelopes, transcribe some medical information, become Google specialists, make money online, or assemble cheap jewelry. These can all be our own businesses. Awesome!

But exactly what types of businesses are they? Do any of these "opportunities" sound like they could be franchises?

I always tell people that one way to tell if an "opportunity' is a franchise or not, is to look at the start-up costs involved. Please allow me to be blunt, here;

If the total up-front investment is $185, it's not a franchise offering. 

It's usually one of two things. It's Multi Level Marketing, or as some like to call it, Network Marketing, or it's a Business Opportunity. (It may even be what's called, a distributorship)

I need to share some very important information with you. Some Network Marketing companies are calling their little opportunities "franchises." Don't get scammed. They're not franchises. (If you know of any, call them out in the comment section, please)

Here's the definition of a scam, by the way;

A scam is a scheme for making money by deceptive, dishonest, or fraudulent means.

So, how can you tell the differences? How can you prevent getting burned? Which is which?

Go to this article over at Small Business Trends, that's how!

Healthcare Franchise Opportunity;The LabXpress Franchise

This one's different...

From their website;

"LabXpress™ is a franchise opportunity in the high-margin, high growth medical laboratory testing industry."

It continues;

"The healthcare industry is changing, and in today’s market conditions consumers as well as medical professionals want more information than ever, along with faster results. LabXpress™ provides a safe, clean, customer friendly and a low cost environment where efficiency and convenience serve the needs of all parties involved."

According to the great folks over at Dane Carlson's website;

"Initial response for LabXpress™ Franchises has far exceeded expectations with potential franchisees contacting the company from all over the country within weeks of the posting of the franchise website."

Read more

A Franchise Lemonade Stand?

Photo From Flickr

Before I ruin your vision of a hot summer day, with some neighborhood kids hawking 50-cent lukewarm lemonade....via the franchise business model, let me say this;

I'm kidding. But Diane Helbig, sales coach, mom, author, and a friend of mine, just released her 1st book;

"Lemonade Stand Simple: Accelerate Your Small Business Growth"

It's a cool one.

Franchise Giveaway Contest Update; 6 Fantastic Franchise Finalists Face-Off

On July 4th, we helped announce a great franchise giveaway contest for military veterans, and now there are six fantastic finalists...

Maid Brigade has named six finalists in the First Maid Brigade Veterans Franchise Giveaway, a Veterans Day contest awarding businesses to those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Finalists reside in five states, are former officers and enlisted soldiers, and range in age from 31 to 44. Three earned their MBAs, and each passed several levels of approval to reach this stage, including a behavioral profile evaluation. To enter, each submitted an essay on how his military job experience prepared him for successful business ownership.

My Franchise Business Advice For The Week Of October 19th, 2009

For franchisees;

"Just for a week, stop wasting your energy on the stuff that you don't think the franchisor is doing right. This week, only focus on what you can do to get your own business to the next level."

Buying A Franchise? Here Are 4 Don'ts

http://www.flickr.com/photos/helloturkeytoe/ / CC BY 2.0

The franchise marketplace is full of starry-eyed future small business owners, who can't wait to escape their current career (or lack of) situations. Some of these folks will be very successful, some won't. Here are four things that the not-so successful ones will do that you can learn from;

• They'll choose the franchise opportunity that seems to be getting the most press. In other words, it's a hot franchise.
• They will buy a franchise that is aligned with their hobby, or passion.
• They buy what they feel is the perfect franchise, because they can't find a job. 
• They will forget asking really, really, important questions.

Now, I am not saying that other factors couldn't come into play. And yes, sometimes it is the franchisors fault. For sure. It's just that sometimes the moves you make at the beginning of the process, are the most important ones.

Best of luck. Do you have any more things that prospective franchisees shouldn't do?  

New United States Government Office Formed; The Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

This new government office is part of the Department Of Commerce. Can it help spur the growth we need as a country? Here is what this office will do;

• Encouraging entrepreneurs through education, training, and mentoring

• Improving access to capital;

• Accelerating technology commercialization of federal research and development;

• Strengthening interagency collaboration and coordination;

• Providing data, research and technical resources for entrepreneurs;

• Exploring policy incentives to support entrepreneurs and investors.

                                     Could this help?

Rieva Lesonsky shared this information over at Small Business Trends.

Cleveland Franchises; The First Ever Chocolate Bar To Open Downtown

Courtesy of FreeFoto.com

You asked to be informed of new franchises when I asked you to vote on topics you would like to see covered more, so here you go!

For those that don't like to go to a bar, bar, this new franchise concept could be sweet...

Scheduled to open in Cleveland in November, the Chocolate Bar’s first franchise will fill 5,000 square feet in the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Cleveland’s bustling Gateway District at Euclid and Fourth streets. Four more locations are in the works for Florida, Indiana, Pittsburgh and Toronto, but have hit financing snags as banks clamp down on lending.

Well, someone had to be the first franchise owner. What do you think? Does a bar that serves decadent chocolate desserts sound like a concept that could work? Comment below!

My Franchise Business Advice For The Week Of October 12th, 2009

“Young franchisors that are choosy about who they award franchises to at the beginning, will be wildy successful in the future.”

Donuts Continue To Roll At Dunkin' Donuts Corporate Headquarters. (So Do Heads)

More heads are rolling over at the Canton, Massachusetts offices of Dunkin Donuts, after some widely publicized alleged spying stories.

Chief Legal Counsel Stephen Horn resigned after informing his bosses that he wanted to pursue his book-writing career. (Horn is a part-time novelist.)

This doughnut chain has reportedly filed more than 350 lawsuits against its franchisees. About 100 of them met last month at a Dunkin' Donuts Independent Franchise Owners meeting in Worcester, Massachusetts—not far from the company's headquarters.

Robert Zarco, a Miami attorney representing some disgruntled franchisees, said that "the company profits from terminating franchisees and then collecting transfer fees and increased royalties."

I think I know what Mr. Horn is going to write about...

Do you think you could teach others about something you know a lot about? Online? What if you could get paid for what you know? Nothing is really free, but you could-

Get Paid For Your Knowledge

Wingstop Hits It's 25th Consecutive Quarter Of Positive Comparable Same Store Sales Numbers

Wingstop ended the most recent quarter with a 1.6 percent increase and is up 3.8 percent for the year. The company predicts the positive trend to continue into the fourth quarter, when sales are typically the strongest due to the popularity of wings during the football and holiday seasons.

"In this economy, guests are looking for greater value when dining out," said James A. Flynn, president and CEO of Wingstop. "As a fast casual chain, Wingstop offers convenient carryout service, and family packs and platters to serve a large crowd, but still engages guests in strong customer service and quality. That translates into a solid business and positive sales."

According to the Restaurant Performance Index, 68 percent of operators reported a same-store sales decline in August, but even in these recessionary times, Wingstop continues to perform and experience positive sales systemwide.

During a time in which many chains are struggling with declining sales, Wingstop's continued growth has not gone unnoticed by industry leaders.

"This news is strong evidence that limited-service chains continue to deliver value during a difficult economic climate," said Darren Tristano, executive vice president of Technomic, Inc., an industry research firm. "In addition, fast casual restaurant chains that provide high levels of customer experience and products with high demand will continue to exploit pockets of opportunity in a down market."

SHINEALIGHT; Please Support Small Businesses!

From Anita Campbell at www.smallbiztrends.com

"Small Businesses are the driving force behind growth and innovation in the American Economy, and their inspiring stories reverberate across all industry sectors. American Express and NBC Universal are proud to support the small business community, so they’ve partnered to create the Shine A Light program in order to honor standout small businesses everywhere."

Go here to learn more. I did! (I voted too) 

I love the company out of New Mexico, Sacred Wind Communications...

Solar Franchise Update

(Solar Panels being installed to produce solar energy)

When I present seminars on franchise ownership, 

1:19 Joel Libava, WTAM 1100 AM Seminar Interview

the topic of green franchise offerings always comes up. Always. During every seminar.

I always mention solar franchises, and when I do, I ask the attendees if they really think it's possible to "franchise" the sun. They laugh, and I explain that there are a couple of companies that are actually doing it. Well, there's one. There were two. The one that is doing so successfully is Solar Universe, out of California. You can learn specifics about them in this article.

Solar Universe is now up to 10 franchises. They seem to be doing things right. It probably helps that a member of their franchise development team is from 1-800-Got-Junk, a very successful, and at the time of their offering, cutting edge franchise concept.

The other solar franchise has decided to switch to a non-franchise model. Solar Universe is probably happy about that.

Here comes the sun.

Request more info, here.

(Full Disclosure; I work with Solar Universe in a marketing capacity, helping them find terrific franchise owners.)

Franchise Services Inc. Presents Franchisee Awards At It's Annual Convention

Franchise Services Inc. is a franchise management company that owns the Sir Speedy, PIP and Signal Graphics brands. (TeamLogic IT, also)

George Coriaty of Whittier, California received the Sir Speedy Top Volume award and Ganga Prasad of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia received the Sir Speedy International Top Volume Award. The Fulner Family of Indianapolis, Indiana and Nashville, Tennessee received the PIP Top Volume award. Awards were also given to franchisees and salespeople in the following categories: Top 10, Top 25, Volume Increase Percentage, Century Club, Million Dollar Club, Sales Achievement Awards, and Application Innovation Awards.

Here's more about Franchise Services Inc.

Stay tuned. I'm about to announce the Grand Opening of a new franchise owned by a gentleman that was just sick of the corporate shuffle. He bought a Franchise Services Inc. franchise.

The 6 W's For A Franchise Social Media Strategy. (OK-5W's And An H)

                         The 6 W's + an H

My Franchise Today Show co-host just put together a nice post about what he sees as the most important things to be considering when starting to think about a real strategy to enter the social media space as a franchisor;

"Before venturing into social media for your franchise organization, it is highly recommended you do a little homework beforehand. Your assignment is to answer the key questions of Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How? to make certain you’re heading in the right direction."

Paul Segreto is just so damn good at this strategy stuff....Read the W's

Check out the site we have for those interested in Franchise Social Media Marketing

Buying A Franchise? Stash Some Money In Your Favorite Sock Drawer!

You are going to need it. But not because investing in a franchise of your own is a bad thing. it's just that lots of people that invest in franchises forget one really important thing....

Report: Women Business Owners Impact Our Economy In A Big Way

There are a lot of women in business.

According to the folks at The Washington Post, women-owned businesses account for $3 trillion in annual revenue, and employ about 16% of the nations work force.

I knew that. That's just one more reason for more women to become fully engaged in the world of franchise business ownership possibilities. Which I just wrote about over at the official link to the US Government-www.Business.Gov 

Ladies, if you would like some no-spin franchise-related advice and guidance, I'm happy to assist.

Go Here For Assistance.

The study was led by the nonprofit Center for Women's Business Research with sponsorship from Women Impacting Public Policy, a nonpartisan group, and Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer.

Read The Washington Post story. 

Here are some great resources for the ladies.

The British Franchise Association's Franchisee Of The Year Is....

 

Sandra Redmond, married mother of one. She's from south west London,  and was just named the Gold Winner of the 2009 British Franchise Association’s (bfa) Franchisee of the Year Awards.She received a check for £5,000, courtesy of HSBC bank, for her cleaning franchise Molly Maids, in Wimbledon.

Redmond has driven her business to impressive heights, continuing to increase sales and profits over the past two years in spite of the economic downturn. Combining her own expertise with her franchisor’s 25 years of business experience, she has succeeded in strengthening her performance with a focused plan of action and a new office line up to enhance sales, customer service and training skills.

Read more, at The Franchise Sales Blog/UK

Can You Manage Your Franchise Business With iPhone or Blackberry Apps?

Allow me to share my million dollar fantasy with you for a moment...

That's it. That's the one. I would like to be able to (someday) run my wildly successful business from the comforts of my own home. (My large, beachfront home)

I'd like to be able to use my laptop and my mobile phone to do everything.

Ok. My beachfront palace may have to wait a bit. But what about the fantasy of running my entire business from my Blackberry. (Or iPhone) How long will I have to wait for that?

The franchise business environment, which is really an environment of tight, proven systems, seems like an ideal one for mobile business management.

From OPEN Forum By American Express;

"All franchise systems revolve around sales. Your customers or clients are either coming into your place of business to purchase your products or services, or you are out and about locating customers or clients that will purchase your products or services."

In an article I just wrote over at Open Forum By American Express, I discuss, and even list some great mobile apps that could allow you to do some interesting things-including business management.

Read it here

Australian Franchise Seekers Can Use Franchise Brokers, Too

(From Flickr)

In Australia, franchise opportunities abound. There are hundreds of choices. Who do those business- savvy Aussies turn to for help in finding their perfect franchises to buy???

From The Aus Business Review;

According to Cory Barber, They should use a franchise broker;

"Most franchise seekers have absolutely no idea of what is involved in carrying out a thorough franchise investigation on their own. Aside from the financial investment, there is a substantial time commitment to consider. Try conducting this search alone and you’ll see what I mean.

An experienced franchise consultant can effectively and efficiently streamline the entire search process for you, sparing you all the aggravation and headaches mentioned above."

Here are 10 Questions (+ 3) To Ask A Franchise Broker-Consultant

Direct Mail Franchise President Retiring After 31 Years

Valpak president Joe Bourdow is retiring, after a long stint with the high-visibility franchise company. 

Bourdow first joined Valpak as a salesman in Virginia in the late 1970s, and later bought a large Valpak franchise. He joined the corporate office in 1991 where he would later rise to head the company. Pretty amazing...

Good luck, Joe. Here's the rest of the story.

The Franchise Of The Month; October 2009

Your local real estate agent needs your help. Big time. If you become a franchise owner of this concept, you may have an entire cadre of new friends. From the real estate industry....

Home staging has become a popular buzzword in the real estate industry, and for good reason. There are tons of vacant homes. Trying to sell a vacant home is much more difficult than selling one that is fully furnished...

{Full Disclosure; My company recently contracted with Showhomes, to help them find franchise owners}

Dunkin' Donut's Legal Team Seems To Be Working Some Serious Overtime

The franchise industry seems to be abuzz about a new saga over at Dunkin' Donuts. Dunkin' Donuts, known for their flavorful donuts, and fresh brewed coffee is being accused of hammering on their franchisees-for things like cracked floor tiles, and the like.

In other words, Dunkin' Donuts corporate is suing franchisees.

From Boston.com;

“Dunkin’ Brands has never pursued litigation against a franchisee without clear cause, nor will we,’’ Dunkin’ Brands chief executive Nigel Travis wrote in a letter to franchisees. Dunkin’ spokesman Andrew Mastrangelo said in a statement: “It is also irresponsible and incorrect to imply that litigation is in any way part of Dunkin’ Donuts’ strategy for profitability. In 2008, despite the economic down cycle, Dunkin’ Donuts global system-wide sales were up 5 percent and we opened more than 1,300 new stores worldwide.’’

Jim Coen, a franchise friend of mine, and president of the Dunkin’ Donuts Independent Franchise Owners, said yesterday that he does not understand the company’s legal strategy and that it is difficult to find another franchisor targeting shop owners to this extent.

My friend Sean Kelly over at Franchise Pick asks;

Is Dunkin' Donuts aggressively litigating it's own franchisees for profit?" 

Interesting question. Is that possible? What do you think?

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to find a donut hole or two... 

Update- (October 2nd)- Dunkin' Donuts President Is Leaving