Before you buy a franchise, or commit to payments, it’s important to have done some checks and balances.

Want to get into business but you don’t have the experience? No worries. Buying a franchise could be the best step you take

Why not add buying a franchise to your Christmas list? Here are some tips on how to make the most of this time to get ahead.

It’s been another eventful year for the franchising sector, with the introduction of new laws to protect vulnerable workers, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission issuing the first infringement notices under the Franchising Code of Conduct (Code) and the first proceedings under the Code issued.

How John O’Brien stopped sweating the small stuff and turned the business into a $100m+ operation

The beginning of January is a great time to get thinking about what you want to achieve in the year ahead. Are you looking for a change in lifestyle? Do you want to spend more time with your family without sacrificing financial security?

If you’re buying a franchise, the message from the Franchise Council of Australia and the ACCC is clear. Get the right advice, including from an accountant with franchise experience. But why do they mention ‘franchise experience’?

One of the most hackneyed phrases in franchising is that “franchisees are in business for themselves but not by themselves”. As with so many other hackneyed phrases, it is a victim of its own success.

There is a journey on which I travelled as a franchisee, and which almost every other franchisee I have ever met has also travelled. The places this path leads to are not physical – they are psychological – and include emotions such as hope, joy, disappointment, frustration and renewed confidence.

You want to buy a franchise..well, let’s look into the future…

While some people are more trusting than others, it’s natural, even healthy, to initially be a little careful when we meet someone new. The job of the brain is to keep us alive, so evolution has taught our brains that it’s better to be safe than sorry when going into novel situations or interacting with someone we don’t know.

RFG’s current plight is of relevance to everyone in the franchising sector says Greg Nathan, as the franchisor faces Fairfax Media claims of franchisee mistreatment. Here he outlines his perspective on good faith and fairnesss in franchising.