For over a decade I ran a Franchising Company, as its founder. Your basic rags to riches story, although the amount of hard work was a lot tougher than any one would believe. During this time I encountered many detractors to the franchising model and competitors who wanted to knock me off in a Mafia Style hit, I am sure. One gentleman, turned out to be a franchise attorney, decided he wanted to challenge me on my industry knowledge and the franchising sector. He started by stating;

?Franchisors are nothing more than gold plated used car salesman?

Well I believe that if you are constantly referring to franchisors as used car salesmen then you are not really serious about debating issues, but rather solely interested in trying to show all franchisors as bad. In fact it has been my experience and I would say that more times it is a franchisee that does not clearly represent himself. Not the franchisor and that has been my experience.

If a franchisor has a salesman the does the paper napkin trick (writing unsubstantiated earnings claims on a cocktail napkin), then that franchise salesman should be fired. My choice not to discuss franchisors in the same light as car salesmen was more than appropriate. Your choice to force the issue is obviously proof of you inability to believe that franchisors are good.

Therefore your basic premise that all franchisors are bad simply because they are franchisors proves that you are close-minded. It has been my experience that close minded people should not be debating issues or talking about concepts, but rather standing at a podium, pulpit or soap box and giving a speech, sermon or lecture on their personal beliefs in order to convince someone of something. I can never be convinced that a franchisor or any other person is in fact evil or bad simply by a title or position, even an attorney. Consider this in 2006.