If you are going to buy a franchise, start with the file.
Buying a franchise is a six-figure decision dressed up as a brochure. I start with three things: what you can write a check for, how you want the week to feel, and whether the model still works after a normal month of labor and rent.
I built 30 franchise locations across four brands and sold to private equity. I live in Mt Pleasant, South Carolina. When we sit down, you get an operator's read, not a tour of logos. If the concept is wrong for you, I will say so before you spend a month on it.
The work is the same whether the pin is Shem Creek, Daniel Island, or a city in another state. We match the model, then we read the FDD.
If you want the order I use on a first pass, read how I read an FDD in 20 minutes and FDD red flags. The cash you should still have after opening is its own question: liquidity after opening.
What I want in hand before you fall in love with a brand
- Liquid capital, and the cash you will still have the morning after opening
- Owner-operator, semi-absentee, or multi-unit, picked on purpose
- The town or neighborhood you actually mean
- Item 19, if they publish one, read for a median and a sample, not a highlight
- Item 7 priced against a real space, not the low end of the range
- Item 20: who opened, who transferred, who left
- Validation calls with owners the salesperson did not hand you
- A yes you can explain, or a no you can walk away with
FAQ
- What is the first step if I want to buy a franchise?
- A conversation about capital, calendar, and the kind of week you want. Then a short list. Then the FDD. Book a consult and bring a number you can actually write.
- Do I have to live in Charleston to work with you?
- No. I live in Mt Pleasant and I know this market cold. I also work with buyers in other states. The file is the file. Local rent and local wages are what change.
- Which part of the FDD do you read first?
- Item 20, then Item 19, then the working-capital line in Item 7. If those three do not hold, the rest of the brochure can wait.
Keep going
- Buyer questions
- Semi-absentee franchise consultant
- Franchise Consultant Charleston SC
- Franchise consultant in Mount Pleasant
Charles Stovall Your Franchise Friend
1531 N Lakeshore Dr
Mt Pleasant, SC 29466