20+ years of honest franchise guidance.
I've helped executives, career changers, and investors navigate one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives. I wrote the book so they'd have a guide before we even had our first conversation.
The long version.
I started in franchise consulting over two decades ago, coming from a background in business and high-tech. What I noticed early on was that most people entering the franchise process were intelligent, capable, well-researched — and still making decisions based on incomplete information.
Not because they weren't trying. Because the franchise discovery process isn't designed to give them complete information. It's designed to move them toward a decision. Every step — the development rep, the brand video, the discovery day, the franchisee validation list — is optimized for a signature. That's not a criticism. It's just how the system works.
My job is to sit on the other side of that process with you. To help you figure out what you actually need before you walk into a discovery day. To ask the questions that the franchisor's sales process won't ask for you.
I work with one of the leading national franchise consulting networks. But the most important part of what I do has nothing to do with which brands are in a portfolio — it's the quality of the conversations we have about your situation before we ever look at a specific franchise.
I wrote The Franchise Rules because I kept having the same conversations. The book covers what most people don't know going in: how to read an FDD, what validation calls actually reveal, what Item 19 means, and how to tell the difference between a great franchise and a great franchise for you.
The consultation is free. The book is free. If franchising turns out to be the wrong path for you, I'd rather tell you that early than watch you find out the hard way.
What I actually believe about franchise consulting.
The fit question comes before everything else.
Not every great franchise is great for you. A franchise can have excellent unit economics, a strong brand, and happy franchisees — and still be the wrong choice for your situation. We figure out what you need before we look at what's available.
Fear is a sign you're taking this seriously.
Most people I talk to are scared. That's not a problem — it's actually appropriate for a six-figure decision. We work through the fear by building a clear picture of the numbers, the operations, and the realistic day-to-day — not by selling past it.
The process has a shape. We follow it.
Franchise evaluation isn't mysterious — it has an actual sequence. Profile building, candidate review, FDD analysis, validation calls, discovery day, legal review, financing. My job is to guide you through each step and make sure you actually understand what you're looking at.
"No" is sometimes the right answer.
I've helped clients decide not to buy a franchise. When the numbers don't make sense, when the timing is wrong, when the fit isn't there — the honest call is to say so. Those conversations are harder but they're the ones I'm most proud of.
A note on how franchise consultants get paid.
Franchise consultants, including me, are compensated by franchisors when a client purchases a franchise. This is standard across the industry — the consultation is free to you because the franchisor pays a placement fee when there's a match.
I tell you this upfront because it's the kind of thing that's easy to find out and awkward to discover mid-process. Knowing how I'm paid lets you calibrate accordingly — and it's why I spend so much time upfront making sure the fit is actually right before we ever approach a franchisor.
A bad match doesn't serve anyone. A client who buys the wrong franchise isn't a good outcome for me professionally, personally, or by reputation. The incentive is to get it right.
Want to talk through your situation?
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