Bond/Kimmel/Lee/Woo,
Source Book Publications. 2006. 384 pp.
As the pre-eminent publisher of nine books on franchising, Source
Book Publications is constantly asked "What are the best franchises?"
Since there are over 2,300 active North American franchise systems, there clearly
is no simple answer. This is especially true given the individual needs, experience
and financial wherewithal of a widely divergent pool of prospective franchisees.
To at least partially answer
the question, however, our staff has broken the franchising industry into three
major categories -- food-service, retail and service-based franchises. Within
each group, a rigorous, in-depth analysis was performed on literally hundreds
of proven franchise systems to arrive at what we feel are the top 100 franchises.
Companies were evaluated on the basis of historical performance, brand
identification, market dynamics, franchisee satisfaction, the level of initial
training and on-going support, financial stability and various other
key factors.
The end result of evaluating
over 500 franchise systems is Bond's Top 100 Franchises. Many of the companies
selected are household names (Blimpie, Century 21, Dunkin' Donuts,
ServiceMaster Clean). Others are rapidly growing, mid-sized
firms (Aaron's, Kumon, Long John Silver's, Merry Maids) that
are also strong national players. Still others are somewhat smaller systems
that demonstrate sound concepts, exceptional management and an aggressive expansion
system (Carvel, Children's Orchard, FISH Window Cleaning, Red Roof Inns,
Wing Zone). Unlike other publications that tout the "Best Franchises,"
there was absolutely no favoritism (usually a function of advertising dollars)
shown to any franchise during the selection process.
The evaluation process is
only the first of several critical and time-consuming steps toward ultimately
owning your own franchise. We encourage you to look over the 100 exceptional
companies listed in this book before making any final decision on a system that
you will be married to for the next 10 or so years. The few hours you spend
here could well mean the difference between a marginal and an exceptional
investment decision. Do your homework!
Table
of Contents
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Table
of Contents
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Sample Write-Ups
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KFC
Choice
Hotels
About
the Author
Robert Bond is the leading
authority on the exceedingly complex franchise selection process. His previous
publications on franchising include Bond’s Franchise Guide (15 Editions),
“How Much Can I Make?” (4 Editions), Bond’s Top 100 Franchises,
Franchise Opportunities Handbook (prepared for the U.S. Department of Commerce),
Franchising: The Bottom Line, the Top 50 Franchise Series, Bond’s Minority
Franchise Guide (2 Editions) and the International Herald Tribune International
Franchise Guide (2 Editions). Several other industry-related publications are
in process. Since receiving his MBA from Stanford University, Bond has over
29 years of diversified business experience and an extraordinary record of achievements.
He has spent much of the past 17 years focusing on the franchising industry.
As an author, lecturer and consultant, he is regarded as one of the industry’s
most knowledgeable and widely-quoted spokespersons.
