We are a small accounting firm based in Geelong on the Bellarine Peninsula who also have an office in Queens Road, Melbourne to service our growing Melbourne base of clients.
We primarily service business owners but also have a significant number of investors and clients with self managed superannuation funds and negatively geared properties. Over time we have developed expertise in some specific industries including builders and related trades, retailers, online businesses, medical professionals, hospitality and franchises.
Our clients span the entire country and while we certainly offer all the usual accounting, tax and compliance services you would expect from a suburban accounting firm, we believe business owners want more than just tax and compliance from their accountant. We aim to deliver strategic business advice and business coaching services designed to help you grow your revenue, profits and business value. Our client brief includes helping business owners reduce the cost of compliance and it all starts with training you to use the right accounting software that matches your bookkeeping skills with your business needs. Here at McHenry Partners we love cloud solutions and our software of choice is Xero where we are recognised as a Certified Advisor.
While a franchise generally offers product development, production processes, branding and marketing collateral off the shelf, more stringent lending criteria and reduced risk tolerance from the banks can make finance difficult to obtain. You need to identify your establishment costs and the banks will demand budgets and cash flow projections plus possibly a business plan before they will consider your finance application. Franchise fees ca range from as little as $35000 for a mowing business to as much as $1 million or more for a McDonald’s restaurant and it is important to establish what the franchise fee includes. Normally it covers licensing costs (use of franchise name), rights to use systems, training costs, support, software requirements and site selection.
There may be additional costs for the shop fit-out (including furniture, signage, fittings etc) plus inventory (stock) and other supplies (office supplies and disposable supplies such as napkins, possibly utensils and cups for food services). When preparing your budget and forecasts don’t forget to factor in legal and accounting advice, recruitment costs, insurances, WorkCover and finance repayments if applicable. Franchisees can also be required to pay ongoing support fees which may be a fixed monthly amount or calculated as a percentage of gross turnover. There may also be a franchise renewal fee.
The benefits of the franchise model include:
Some of the franchise ‘cons’ to consider would be:
Most franchisors charge a significant start-up cost with the median retail start-up fee around $275,000
A franchise is an agreement or license between two parties where the franchisee (which can be a person or group) is given the rights to market a product or service using the trademark of the franchisor.
The franchisee is obliged to pay the franchisor certain fees and royalties for the rights to market the product (or service) in Australia.
In return, the franchisor has the obligation to provide these rights and generally support the franchisee. Therefore, the franchisor and franchisee have a strong vested interest in the success of the brand.
Typically there are two types of franchises, namely ‘business format franchising’ and ‘product and trade name franchising’. Business format franchising is very common in Australia and applies to industries like child care, fast food restaurants, automotive services, real estate, cafes, education, convenience stores, hairdressers etc.
This format provides the franchisee with the use of trademarks and logos plus provides a turn key system for operating the business. The franchisors assist the franchisee with site selection, interior layout and design, hiring and training, advertising and marketing, product supply and more. In return, the franchisee pays an upfront fee and agrees to pay continuing royalties that help the franchisor provide research, development and support for the entire franchise system
Prices vary dramatically because some franchises including a large shop fit out together with equipment while others just include the basics.
It is possible to find franchises under $30000 but it is important to do your due diligence and research. We recommend that you should spend one hour of research for each $1000 you plan to invest in a franchise. A $100000 franchise opportunity demands 100 hours of research and education prior to purchase. To put this in perspective, it’s only two and a half weeks of full time work and there is a lot at stake. Proper due diligence could take months and you might consider meeting with current or past franchisees and get their feedback. If it is consistently negative, you obviously need to be very cautious about investing in that franchise.
When valuing a business or franchise there are some basic valuation guidelines. Business values are generally based on an EBIT (Earnings before Interest and Tax) of 25% after providing the business owner with a fair salary. For example, let’s assume your business earnings (before interest and tax) is $100000 before paying you a salary. If a fair salary for the business operator is $60000 per annum then the business has an EBIT (after your salary) of $40000. If you are looking for a 25% return on your investment then a fair price for the business is $160000 (because a 25% return on a $160000 outlay is $40000 per annum).
This is obviously just a guideline because we see businesses bought and sold with much lower EBIT’s (particularly for lower cost businesses) and sold with EBIT’s above 30%. Factors that will influence the potential return and the price of the franchise include:
Most importantly, your calculation of the business’ EBIT and therefore the value should be based on profit and loss projections you prepare. If you are buying an existing business you should have access to historical financial statements and other figures prepared by the vendor. If you are buying a new franchise, you are probably relying on some forecasts and projections prepared by the franchisor. In either case, whatever figures you receive should be taken as a guide only. It is vital that you prepare your own detailed projections (month by month for at least the first twelve months) to work out what profit and EBIT you will make.
The figures provided by the vendor or franchisor may exclude costs such as interest on borrowings, depreciation, motor vehicle expenses, the owner’s wage and income tax. It will obviously be historical data and does not tell you how the business will perform in the future or factor in the opening of a major competitor just around the corner last month. Generally speaking, your projections and forecasts should form the basis of your decision to buy a business or franchise.
Franchisors must abide by the Franchise Code of Conduct which includes key areas of disclosure, dispute resolution and franchisee rights. Franchisors have been known to provide projections of your earnings, however, these are sometimes misleading. Below are some basic questions that should be asked when reviewing earning projections:
We demand that franchise agreements be perused by a professional, preferably a solicitor and an accountant who has franchise industry expertise. Unfortunately, many franchisees don’t really understand what they are buying into and get upset when they realise they are obliged to pay ongoing monthly advertising and marketing fees. These costs are clearly spelt out in the agreement but often new franchisees are so eager to buy that they don’t seek professional advice and ignore the fine print in the contract.
This misunderstanding can also drive a wedge between the franchisee and franchisor from the outset. The ACCC received 645 franchising complaints in 2011, almost half of those on contractual issues. Franchisees need to understand that the franchise agreement will terminate at some point in time. The contract will probably provide options to renew but we always recommend you start your business with the end in mind.
In other words, your tax structure needs to factor in the potential discount capital gains tax concessions and the possible admission of new partners. You also need to understand your rights regarding on-selling your franchise or business to a third party and be clear about your choices at the end of each option. Franchisees who don’t do their homework and receive sound legal advice can be left in a vulnerable position when a franchise agreement ends.
Despite potentially investing several hundred thousand dollars to buy into the business, some franchisees ignore the other end of the transaction, the sale. Buyer beware is the message and we still hear horror stories from franchisees who say, “We were simply unaware that this could happen” when it was clearly spelt out in the contract. You also need to be clear about your rights as a franchisee to sales generated online so the right legal advice is just so important.
If you are thinking of buying a franchise, you should also familiarise yourself with the legislative requirements. A franchisor must give a potential franchisee a disclosure document at least 14 days before the new franchisee enters into the franchise agreement. The contents of the disclosure document are set out in the legislation but in terms of the financial aspects it will cover the following:
While some franchisors market their franchise as a simple ‘turn key’ operation, running a business requires energy, passion, persistence and commitment. There is no substitute for hard work and if the business was just a profit making machine surely the owner would set up more sites and just employ the staff?
The number one question that prospective franchisees want to know is, “How much will I earn?” It’s a fundamental part of the buying equation and some franchisors now offer income guarantees, particularly in the service franchises. Given these types of franchises generally attract first-time business owners moving from a salaried employment position with a regular income to the uncertain world of self employment, the income guarantee can be very appealing. These income guarantees are often stated as ‘$1000 a week for the first ten weeks’ to reassure the franchisee and reduce the perceived risk of investing.
Other franchisors are offering prospective franchisees a guaranteed income of say $50000 per annum. This provides the franchisee with a degree of income stability for the first year of trading and can help the franchisee secure finance. While income guarantees might provide short term peace of mind for new franchisees, they expire and buyers need to look beyond income guarantees when assessing a franchise. What if the operator is not suited to the type of work or has no marketing skills? Generally speaking, most people looking to buy a franchise will look at least two different franchises before making a decision. You need to look at the total package including the price, training, equipment, marketing materials, ongoing fees and income guarantees. Don’t make the decision based on one part of the offering because in some instances the income guarantee is really just a recruitment incentive.
Prospective franchisees should be able to obtain enough information from the franchisor about the franchise system prior to purchase. Some areas to examine to help you make an informed decision may include:
In summary, there are numerous issues to consider when buying into a franchise. There is no substitute for professional advice and over the years we have helped many franchisees running child care, fast food restaurants, automotive services, real estate, cafes, education, convenience stores, hairdressers and several franchisors work through the process. Contact us today about your franchise idea or purchase and we’ll show you why we are recognised as accounting experts in the field of franchising.
To take the next step we invite you to book a FREE, no obligation, one hour introductory consultation to discuss your business needs. You’ll get practical business, tax, marketing and financial advice that could have a significant impact on your bottom line. To book a time, call us today on 1300 789 844 or complete your details in the box at the top of this page.