Franchise Expert Predicts Dramatic Rise in Franchise Sales Following Pandemic Shutdowns

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Jun 18, 2020, 08:31 ET

HOMEWOOD, Ill., June 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- While many parts of the small business community are in limbo, or worse, due to the devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, iFranchise Group CEO Mark Siebert is bullish about the opportunity for companies looking to sell franchises in the coming months. In fact, Siebert predicts the next year may be one of the strongest years ever for franchising.

Mark Siebert is the CEO of iFranchise Group and author of Franchise Your Business (Entrepreneur Press, 2016) and The Franchisee Handbook (Entrepreneur Press, 2019).

The iFranchise Group is a franchise development and consulting firm that provides a variety of services to start-up franchisors, established franchisors, dealer/licensor organizations converting to franchisors, and companies exploring the feasibility of franchising or other channels of expansion.

"Franchise companies better be prepared for the coming boom in franchise sales, or they are likely going to miss out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Siebert said. "We are already seeing an increase in interest from those looking to buy their own franchises and are expecting that this will materialize as tidal wave of franchise sales by 2021."

The iFranchise Group relies on its decades of experience analyzing franchise trends. When certain factors are in place, franchise sales tend to climb. And, according to Siebert, we are about to see a "triple witching" effect that will combine the three primary drivers: high levels of unemployment at the top end of the salary market; ready access to debt capital at historically low interest rates; and after more than a decade of growth since the last recession, many Americans have access to substantial savings in the form of home equity, retirement accounts, and personal savings.

And there are other factors that will contribute to the success of these small businesses as well. For brick and mortar businesses, commercial real estate is more readily available in prime locations and perhaps at lower rents. With many other displaced workers, staffing a franchise business may become easier than ever given the now larger labor pool. Add to that the fact that politicians will be fighting amongst themselves in an election year to come up with the best stimulus package for putting small businesses back to work, and you have the perfect storm.

The media coverage of the pandemic has also helped shine a light on the vital role franchised businesses play in the economy. Given the current health concerns, consumers feel a level of confidence in walking into a business that is part of a larger network in terms of quality control standards, training of staff and consistency of product. "This, too, will make franchise ownership attractive for the qualified candidate," Siebert said, "because these networks provide a degree of certainty after emerging from a time of unprecedented uncertainty."

For companies that have not yet developed their franchise programs, it typically takes at least four months just to get the needed documentation in place, starting with an analysis of whether the business is franchisable. "Of course, not all businesses should be getting ready to franchise. If the business model does not work in the new economy, the focus needs to be on making the business work before even thinking about expansion," notes Siebert, "but if the business model is ripe for growth, there will never be a better time to franchise a business."

About iFranchise Group: iFranchise Group offers the skills of the nation's top franchise experts in strategic planning, operations training and documentation, franchise marketing and sales, and best practices for emerging and established franchise companies worldwide.

Contact:
Judy Janusz
iFranchise Group, Inc.
(708) 957-2300
[email protected]

SOURCE iFranchise Group