You have not heard of them

You pay money upfront

Either strong smell of a scam or spam.

Take your pick

As others have stated, there is an element of doubt. If the franchise is so good why are they marketing it through cold calls? Usually word of mouth from satisfied franchisees is enough to generate enquiries. My experience of friends involved in franchises is positive, but they picked top draw ones with an established track record. ( usual high street/retail park outlets) The only downside to top draw franchises is the hefty fee to buy in. But if you do a real business study, based on factual evidence and not projections of potential, the truth will be revealed. The results of good franchises are relatively easy to uncover, less so with the doubtful ones. try to find an existing franchise holder and quiz them. If you are determined to have a franchise you need to do your homework. You could always start your own business based on your skills. If you are confident enough to make a franchise work you can make a business work. You have some thinking to do, good luck.

Cheers Concrete

“Targeted”? Or just cold called from a list a mile long? I regularly receive requests to connect etc from people on LinkedIn and just as regularly turn them down. For a franchise to operate there needs to be some form of intellectual property or at least uniqueness associated with it. Otherwise to be offered a geographical exclusivity could be seen as an anti-competitive practice.

What do they offer for their fee? A brand, system or process could count, or access/licence to use a piece of equipment etc. What do they offer in terms of business support and lead generation? Maybe back office services and advertising and promotion for example.

if you are interested then check them out at Companies House, check how long they have been going, scrutinise their terms, conditions and business offer and I would certainly want to speak to established franchisees before even considering this further. In other words, due diligence.

as you will know consultancy is a tough business and it is all about prospecting for and then keeping/up selling the clients. The day rate can be an important consideration especially if it is a competitive tender. If in your first year you can sell 40% of your time, the rest being prospecting, then that would not be a ridiculous figure for a new consultancy, I really wonder what is that makes them so good that they can make a business out of it, sell it to you and then take ongoing fees.

Thanks all - have to admit I was lukewarm at best on this, and given I've run my own consultancy for the last 20 years, and I have never heard of this model working in the types of work I've been involved with, suspicious at worst.

Shan't be bothering, but interested to hear other's views.

Cheers all,

Paul