Franchise Research Institute Dissects What Works, Makes It Work Even Better

Watch for additional articles over the next month on our new series about franchising.

It’s said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If that’s true, then Jeff Johnson and the rest of the Franchise Research Institution help facilitate the metaphorical fan clubs for dozens of successful businesses. If you’re looking to jump into the business world wants the security of treading a tried and proven trail instead of blazing your own, Johnson is your man.

“If you’re a great innovator, franchising may not be for you — we need great duplicators, folks that want to get into business and duplicate what works,” Johnson said. “You need to be a duplicator of the brand, you answer to the parent company. If you get a McDonald’s franchise, for example, you don’t get to start serving hotdogs and popcorn.”

Founded by Johnson in 2002, the Franchise Research Institute studies the concept of franchising from all angles, assessing weaknesses and making note of strengths. Johnson is uniquely suited to the task. After working as a multi-unit franchisee and area developer for more than 17 years, the franchise Johnson helped grow from 200 to 750 units combusted after going public. Fortunately, some good came from the loss. Johnson discovered he’d acquired a sort of reverse engineering acumen that only comes from seeing a franchise’s structural foundation laid bare – a knowledge of what it takes to keep a franchise anchored and solid.

Jeff Johnson, founder Franchise Research Institute

The FRI’s top priority today is promoting strong franchise relationships by maintaining a line of communication between franchisee and franchisor. Its primary means of doing this is its FranSurvey service, a field-tested Internet survey infrastructure that allows franchisors to hear their franchisees’ concerns and provide the best possible guidance to see them through.

Given his extensive background on the topic, Johnson had plenty to say to those hoping to become part of a franchise. Individuals looking to get into the franchise game should be aware, Johnson noted, of the trend toward smaller franchises cropping up in greater numbers during the current economic duress.

“The most popular (franchise opportunities) right now are the smaller investments, the ones people can run from their homes instead of investing in buying land or finding long-term space,” Johnson said. “That doesn’t mean the more expensive franchises aren’t good deals; that doesn’t mean they’re not being done. It’s just harder overall for people find ways to finance them.”

Regardless of start-up costs, however, Johnson said potential franchisees should first narrow their search by gauging two key factors of each franchise: franchisee satisfaction and franchisee success.

“What to look for in a franchise, that’s a simple question with a complicated answer, (and) part of the reason the institute was founded,” Johnson said. “But look for satisfaction and success. If you see that the existing franchises work well for the people that run them – and that they’re happy running them — there’s a greater chance they’ll work for you.”