Find your “Off-Ramp”
From Corporate America
Through Semi-Passive
Franchise Ownership
“I can’t remember a single person I’ve worked with who said they regret buying a franchise and wish they’d stayed in their corporate job.”
-Bob Bernotas
Take ownership
With Bob, you will learn to take ownership of your career and financial future.
Gain Confidence
Gain confidence in your abilities to successfully take on the challenge of running a franchise.
Make Smart Decisions
Bob’s guidance will help you to make smart decisions and understand the full scope of your franchise opportunities.
Why work with Bob?
Bob will leverage his expertise to connect you with the ideal franchise opportunity, equipping you with crucial questions for your interactions with franchises and providing tips for confident self-presentation. He focuses on helping you discover and acquire semi-passive franchises, facilitating your gradual transition away from the corporate world while empowering you to seize the top financial opportunities in the franchise industry.
What Others Are Saying
Don’t just take our word for it
Step 1
Conversation with Bob
[read more] and his team can help you find the right franchise opportunity for you![/read]
Step 2
Complete Our Confidential Questionnaire
information necessary for Bob to best help you find [read more]the right franchise opportunity.[/read]
Step 3
One-hour Consultation
[read more]questionnaire. Bob will answer your questions and help you determine the characteristics of the type of business along with the characteristics of the role you wish to play in a business.[/read]
Step 4
One-hour Brand Review
Step 5
Ongoing coaching
[read more]choose. Bob can also direct you toward franchise financing sources.[/read]
Step 1
Conversation with Bob
Step 2
Complete Our Confidential Questionnaire
information necessary for Bob to best help you find the right franchise opportunity.
Step 3
One-hour Consultation
Step 4
One-hour Brand Review
Step 5
Ongoing coaching
Request Consultation
Fill Out The Form Below
About Bob
Meet Your Consultant
I’m passionate about helping people achieve the greatest level of satisfaction and success by helping them find, finance and acquire their perfect franchise match… and become good friends in the process.
Owning the right franchise business is transformative. For many people, it means the difference between a mediocre existence and maximizing your earnings, growing your wealth, taking control of your life and being able to live the way you want.
FAQ
Franchising Explained
What is a franchise?
The owners of these smaller entities (franchisees) are contractually allowed to sell products and services under the franchisor’s name, business model, brand and trademark.
With around three-quarters of a million franchise establishments employing 7 million people and contributing approximately $670 billion to the U.S. economy, franchising is an important business sector.
Why do I need a franchise consultant?
There are more than 4,000 franchise brands in the U.S., and it is almost impossible to sift through them without the assistance of an experienced consultant who can provide guidance through both knowledge and industry data.
As one of the top franchise consultants at FranChoice, I have more than 35 years of experience in the field. Through FranChoice’s research and rigorous screening, I have access to a wealth of “insider” information on the industry simply not available to the public.
I work with the top 20 percent of franchise brands, and they include category leaders and strong emerging brands across all major industries.
My job as your franchise consultant is threefold:
1. Get you up to speed quickly on the franchising industry so you can make an informed decision.
2. Help you choose the business opportunity that meets your specific criteria and will give you the greatest potential earnings and return on investment.
3. Leverage my expertise to help you avoid the pitfalls unique to this type of business opportunity.
4. I can connect you with legal and financing resources specializing in franchising.
How much does it cost to use a franchise consultant?
You don’t pay for my services.
I get paid by the franchisor when you are awarded the franchise you want and close the contract.
It is a little like working with an executive recruiter. The hiring company compensates the recruiter for finding the perfect candidate.
There are two important things worth noting:
- The franchise fee is the same whether you go it alone or leverage the expertise of a top franchise consultant like me.
- I’m an independent consultant, so I work for you. I am not a broker or salesperson, nor do I have an allegiance with any franchisors.
How do I know if franchising is right for me?
That isn’t an easy question to answer without getting to know you a little but, rest assured, it is something we’ll go into in-depth when we start working together.
In the meantime, here are a few things to consider:
- Buying a franchise means building your new business on a proven, ready-made concept with a tried and tested formula and an operations manual that tells you exactly what to do. If you are a wild card who enjoys experimentation, franchising may not be for you.
- Franchisors want entrepreneurs with management skills rather than subject matter expertise. You don’t need to be a qualified CPA to buy a franchise offering tax and financial services.
- Whether you want a business or to be involved in every detail, franchise opportunities exist to help you live that dream. Most of the people I work with are corporate executives looking to invest in a wealth-building business opportunity that needs minimal oversight.
What is a semi-absentee franchise?
This type of opportunity is ideal if you want to maintain your corporate job, become semi-retired, or leverage opportunities outside your franchise to build wealth.
What is the franchisee’s role in a franchise?
As the franchisee, you are the owner responsible for operating your business. And there are three franchise models to choose from.
Owner-Operator Franchises
As the name suggests, you would be involved in every aspect of the business and directly supervise everything from employees to quality control. This usually requires 40+ hours of owner involvement per week for the first year or two or until you have competent employees and processes. Then you can begin gradually reducing your time commitment.
Semi-Absentee Franchises
As a semi-absentee owner, you would operate your business on a part-time basis allowing you to maintain a corporate job or enjoy semi-retirement. Daily operations are in the hands of a manager with whom you would communicate regularly.
Most semi-absentee franchise models require five to 20 hours of the owner’s time per week.
Executive/Passive Franchises
Although these owners are involved in their business most days, they focus on performance and planning, leaving the front-line day-to-day operations in the hands of a manager and team.
Executive model franchises tend to be expensive, usually well over $1 million. The ROI is generally not as attractive as other models and there are far fewer of these types of franchises to choose from.
What kind of franchise businesses are available?
As a franchise consultant, I focus on the cream of the crop and show my clients business concepts that meet their criteria and offer them the best earnings and investment potential.
How much does it cost to buy a franchise?
Most of my clients invest half a million dollars and expect a favorable return on that money.
In addition to the franchise fee, you need to consider the start-up costs, operating capital and royalty fees when planning your budget.