This article is a repost from March 15, 2009
It is unfortunate the franchise industry continues to be (and always will be) subjected to bad press because of franchisee failures resulting in lost family savings including the children’s college fund. It’s unfortunate because bad press sells and society has evolved into accident watchers. Need I say “rubber necking on the highway?”
Not to mention that society has become full of gossipers. When was the last time you heard someone in the neighborhood say “Did you know Joe and Mary have been married for thirty happy years?” Such a positive comment is usually left unspoken, at best. Instead, you would be more likely to hear, “Did you know that Joe cheated on Mary.” Well, I think you see the point.
Would it be better for the press to report franchisee failure due to the franchisee not following the system, being undercapitalized or because of serious substance abuse problems? I seriously doubt it. But wouldn’t that at least educate the public? The same public that is looking at franchising as a career alternative or their first step into entrepreneurship. I know, that’s never going to happen either but it would shed a light on the truth.
I haven’t even touched upon less than reputable franchisors, undercapitalized franchise concepts and poor lending practices. Regardless, of how much government tries to protect potential franchise candidates, the government and the industry itself cannot effectively police every franchise professional, every franchise company and every aspect of commercial lending. It’s just not feasible and possible.
What’s the Solution?
So, the ultimate answer lies in dedicating more time and resources in positively publicizing franchise concepts and the industry itself. As well, promoting efforts and results in working with community and non-profit groups would go a long way towards positive public sentiment.
Basically, we (reputable franchisors, franchise professionals and the industry as a whole), need to create a publicity bank that can be withdrawn from as a precaution and hedge against the potential and reality of negative publicity. And just like the cash reserves insurance companies are required to have on hand for future claims, multiple sources and instances of positive publicity must be accumulated to counter the few negative counts of publicity that the media so enthusiastically reports.
The world would not be a better place without franchising. We just need to inform and remind people of the industry’s efforts and accomplishments so the world knows how franchising has actually made the world a better place and will continue to do so for years to come.
The challenge is that in today’s uncertain economic environment, where franchisors continue to cut budgets, the possibility of dedicating more resources towards positive publicity is slim to none. Certainly, it won’t be done in the traditional sense.
But it can be achieved, as it can also be achieved for marketing, development and operations, by exploring non-traditional strategies, methods and processes which are essential to future franchise growth and success.. at all levels.
Here’s another fine example of how the franchise community continues to provide assistance to veterans, including transitioning military service personnel. The following is a reprint of a blog post by Cyndee Perkins, 
Every once in a while, we come across something that makes such an impact on us that we find ourselves motivated to let other people know about our find. Well, I found one of those things. Except, it is not something that I’ve enjoyed, laughed at, or wanted to share for pleasure’s sake. However, it is something that everyone, I mean EVERYONE must be aware of. It’s something that everyone must share and spread the word about. That is, if you care about saving human lives and protecting families from absolute devastation.
Is LinkedIn missing the boat in keeping up with Facebook? Is it due to inability to utilize various applications, tools, etc. in making the social networking experience more enjoyable and less regimented. Hey, one can’t even make text “bold” in a discussion! 
Recently, the question, “What’s your biggest business frustration?” was posted on Linkedin. The question was posted in the small business / franchising Q & A section. Below please find several of the responses from a cross-section of small business professionals . As I have done in the past, the names of the responding individuals will be kept confidential. Instead, they will only identified by their Linkedin statement or profile.
The other day, Donald Cranford, Editor at 
New York state has become the first state to pass a law that requires franchisors to provide detailed information on their franchisees and their franchisees’ operations to the state, so that the state can compare the submitted information to the tax returns that the franchisees file with the state. Complying with this new law can be quite burdensome and many franchisors do not even collect some of the information that must be submitted to the state of New York.
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