What Is A Franchise Consultant? The Ultimate Guide For 2025

In this post, I’m going to answer a question I’m often asked:

“Joel, what is a franchise consultant?”

And who better to answer that question than someone who WAS a franchise consultant for years…me.  

Stick with me, because there’s a lot to learn about the lucrative world of franchise consulting in 2025. Including a few secrets that nobody will share with you but me.

I’m talking about secrets that franchise consultants don’t want you to know about that will save you loads of time, lots of potential headaches, and maybe even your life’s savings. (Really)

Understanding Franchise Consulting And What A Franchise Consultant Does 

A franchise consultant, sometimes referred to as franchise brokers or franchise coaches, serve as matchmakers.

They work with people who aspire to become franchise owners.

Their primary role is to help potential franchisees identify franchise opportunities that align with their budget, goals, skills, and financial resources.

How Much Does It Cost To Work With A Franchise Consultant?

One of the most attractive aspects of working with a franchise consultant is that their services are free to aspiring franchise owners. Wait. What?

That’s right. 

If you choose to work with a consultant, they won’t charge you a dime.

That’s because franchise consultants get paid by the franchise companies they have sales contracts with.

So, when they successfully match someone like you to a franchise opportunity they’re contracted with, they receive a sales commission. 

How Much Do Franchise Consultants Make?

Todays top franchising consultants make $250,000 a year or more. 

As a matter of fact, I know a couple franchise consultants who have approached $1 million a year in earnings. How?   

Because they’re paid a percentage of the upfront Franchise Fee you write a check for when you sign the Franchise Agreement. 

And by a “portion,” I mean around 50% of the Franchise Fee.

So if you buy a franchise your consultant matched you to that has a $50,000 Franchise Fee, she gets a check overnighted to her for $25,000. Not a bad payday. Especially if she does only 10 deals a year. It gets even better (for them).

Franchise Consultants And Master Franchises

Before I tell you exactly what a Master Franchise is, you need to know this:

Owning and operating a Master Franchise is a big deal. 

It requires a large upfront investment and a CEO mentality. 

That said, a Master Franchise is a strategic business arrangement where a franchisor grants exclusive rights to an individual (known as the Master Franchisee) to expand and develop their brand within a designated territory – typically an entire country or large geographic region.

Furthermore, the Master Franchisee functions as a sub-franchisor within their territory.

Under this agreement, the Master Franchise holder gains extensive rights and responsibilities including:

• Territory Development: The authority to establish and operate their own franchise locations within the designated area.
• Sub-Franchising Rights: The power to recruit, screen, and sell franchise opportunities to other entrepreneurs (sub-franchisees) within their territory.
• Operational Support: The responsibility to deliver comprehensive training programs and ongoing support services to all sub-franchisees.
• Revenue Collection: The right to collect and manage royalty payments and other fees from sub-franchisees.
• Brand Management: The obligation to oversee and protect brand standards, marketing initiatives, and overall brand development throughout their assigned territory.

In a nutshell, this structure effectively positions the Master Franchisee as an extension of the original franchisor, tasked with replicating the brand’s success across their designated market while maintaining consistent quality and service standards. And it’s a lot of work. 

Why Franchising Consultants Love Master Franchise Opportunities

Now that you know how big of a deal it is to be a Master Franchise owner, I need to tell you what a HUGE deal it is for a franchise consultant to successfully match one of their candidates to a Master Franchise opportunity. Heck, I did it myself, once, years ago when I was a franchise consultant.  

If a franchise consultant gets lucky-real lucky, and matches someone to a Master Franchise-in which their candidate purchases an entire region, it’s almost like winning the freaking lottery.

Because the Franchise Fee could be $150,000 or more, earning the consultant a $75,000 commission. That’s a lot of money for one successful match. 

FYI: just because a franchise consultant has made a lot of franchise matches, which equals a lot of money made for her own pocket, it doesn’t mean that the candidates they placed are successful franchise owners. Heck, the candidates they placed into franchises may actually be out of business already and in a bad place, financially. It’s almost impossible to know. It’s not generally tracked very well.

The Franchise Consulting Process In 2025

The franchise consulting process follows a pretty structured approach designed to maximize success for you (and the consultant). And it starts with an email or a phone call from the consultant who probably found you.  

The Initial Call/Email

In order to get contacted by a franchise consultant, you probably:

• Filled out a form on a franchise or business-related website
• Attended a seminar or a franchise show
• Were referred to one

In any event, here’s what happens next.

Nine times out of ten, you’ll receive a welcome email from the franchise consultant. (Maybe even a phone call-followed by an email.)

When you get the welcome email, expect a “Thank you for contacting me” sentence, followed by:

• A brief biography* of the consultant
• An explanation of what he or she does
• Next steps
• A questionnaire

*About their biography: Today’s franchise consultants don’t necessarily have a background in franchising. On the contrary, their professional backgrounds vary-a lot.

For example, a franchise consultant may have been a downsized corporate manager or executive who responded to a “Make Money Helping Entrepreneurs” type of advertisement.

Which leads us to this next part. 

Should A Franchise Consultant Have A Franchise Background?

I don’t know about you, but if I was potentially investing $150,000 or more into a franchise business, and decided to use the services of a franchise consultant, I would certainly expect said consultant to be someone from the franchise industry.

Be that as it may, you need to know that if you end up working with a franchise consultant, there’s a good chance that they don’t have a background in franchising. 

That said, if you work with a franchising consultant who comes from a different industry than franchising, as long as they’re knowledgeable and ethical, you should be fine. 

Next, you’ll receive a questionnaire. 

The Questionnaire

The questionnaire you receive (via email) from your franchise consultant, is an important tool. For both of you. 

That’s because the very personal things you’ll be asked to share with her are the very same things she’ll use to match you to franchise opportunities she gets paid on.

For the most part, the questionnaires in use today are good. They can  get you thinking about yourself and the types of businesses you may want to look into.

In short, the questionnaire you’ll be asked to fill out will include questions about your employment history, your strengths and weaknesses, likes/dislikes, and most importantly, there will be a detailed section that asks you to fill in information about your finances. Very specific things about your finances. 

For instance, you’ll be asked what your net worth is, along with how much money you’d be willing to invest in a franchise upfront and in total-if you find the right one.

Tip: If you haven’t calculated your net worth, I have a free net worth calculator you can use. Calculator

A Note About Sharing Your Financial Information With A Franchising Consultant

You may feel uncomfortable about revealing your finances to someone you may never meet in person. I would be too. 

If that’s the case, here’s what you can do to feel a little more comfortable about sharing your financial information with someone who is a total stranger.

Use Google, Bing or DuckDuckGo, and type in the name of your franchise consultant. See what comes up.

Then…and this suggestion is sure to piss off every franchise consultant in the United States, perform another internet search using the consultant’s name-but add the word “fraud” after it.  (You can use the word “scam,” too.)

Again, see what comes up.

Bonus: Don’t be afraid to use the name of the franchise consultant’s organization* in your search, too.

*Most franchise consultants belong to some type of organization-and some of them are franchises themselves. Here are the names of some of the larger franchise consultant groups.

• Franchoice
• Frannet
• The Entrepreneurs Source
• The Franchise Brokers Association
• IFPG

But why? Why should you do this?

Because you need to make sure the person you may be about to reveal specific financial information to is legit.

To summarize, do a background check of the broker before you start working with him. Just use your favorite search engine and use my ideas. You can even use some of the ideas contained in this Digital Trends article on how to run a totally-free background check.

Recommended Read: This Entrepreneur.com article about good/bad franchise consultants.

Next, I’m going to tell you about the franchise matching process. 

It’s Franchise Matching Time!

This is when the fun begins.

It’s when you’re going to be “matched” to franchise opportunities that your consultant feels are right for you.

But, how does she figure out which franchises to present to you for possible matches?

Answer: By examining the answers you gave on the questionnaire she asked you to fill out. In particular, she’ll be looking at the following two things.

1. Your financial information. She needs to make sure you have enough money to buy a franchise.

In my world, people need to have a minimum net worth of $300,000. (I’m changing that amount to $500,000, because $300,000 doesn’t really cut it anymore.)

In addition, my experience tells me that at least $75,000 of your net worth must be liquid.

2. Your personal traits/strengths

The questionnaire you fill out almost always includes a place for you to write down your:

• Business strengths
• Personal abilities
• Personal traits

Examples Of Personal Traits

For instance, you may be asked to look at a list of personal traits, and circle the ones you feel best describe you.

Like these:

• Outgoing
• Empathetic
• Principled
• Shrewd
• Intense
• Methodical
• Outspoken
• Agreeable
• Easy-going
• Level-headed
• Punctual
• Ambitious

The reason you’re asked to reveal these things is so your franchise consultant can start formulating ideas on the types of franchises you may be a fit with.

The same is true for what you reveal your business strengths to be.

Examples of Business Strengths

The things you’re good at, business-wise, can help determine the types of franchise opportunities you should be investigating. That’s why there’s going to be a spot on the questionnaire for you to share what you’re good at in business.

Look at this list:

• Operations
• Employee management
• Sales
• Marketing
• Strategy

Are you highly-skilled at any of those things?

In addition, you may be asked what your best personal abilities are.

(For example, are you good at building things, writing, acting etc.)

Other Items

Aside from your consultant looking at your financial qualifications, personal traits and business skills, there are a few more items she’ll be looking at.

For example, one of the things included in the questionnaire is an area to fill out your job history. (Kind of like when you apply for a new job.)

It’s there because she wants to see what your roles and responsibilities have been, so she can present the right franchises to you. Let me show you what I mean.

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The Scenario

Let’s say you’re an accountant who was was recently let go fired from an Inc 5000 company.

You’re role had to do with auditing and taxes. You had your own office, and were pretty much on your own with no employees under you.

A good franchise consultant would not present you with a franchise opportunity that needed 35 full-time employees. (Because you don’t have supervisory experience.) But, an average or below-average franchise consultant might.

Is Your Spouse/Partner On Board?

Another thing your consultant will want to know has to do with your immediate family. Specifically, “Is your spouse/significant other supportive of your idea?”

Tip: if your significant other/spouse/partner is not fully on-board with your idea of becoming your own boss through franchising, you’re going to have to seriously up your sales game.

Your Time-Frame

Another thing your franchise consultant will look at is your time-frame for getting into business.

I guarantee there will be a question on the questionnaire that asks when you’d like to buy a franchise. It will look like this.

How Soon Would You Like To Be In Business?

(Check One)

Within 3 months

Within 6 months

Within 12 months

(Obviously, you couldn’t literally “check one” above.  But, on the questionnaire you can.)

Hot. Warm. Not.

From a franchise consultants’ point of view, if you checked “within 3 months,” you’re considered a “hot” candidate. She’ll focus most of her energy on you, since in her mind you’re ready to buy a franchise.

If you checked “within 6 months,” you’re a “warm” candidate. Your consultant will put a good amount of energy towards you-but only if you’re showing enough interest in the franchise opportunities she’s presented you.

If you’re looking to buy a franchise “within 12 months,” she may try to talk you out of not working with her.

That’s because in the world of franchise matchmaking, you’re not considered a good candidate.

What you are considered is a “tire-kicker.” That means you’re “curious” enough about franchising to “look at a few franchises,” but you’re probably not at the stage where you are serious (yet) about investing money in a business.

To put it bluntly, when someone works on a 100% commission basis, they’re only going to spend time with people who they feel can make them money. 

So, in this case, if your time-frame for getting into business is too far in the future, you should just search for franchise opportunities on your own.

To summarize, your franchise consultant will be taking a deep-dive into the answers you gave on the questionnaire. It really is a powerful tool for them, because in their eyes-it helps them qualify you or disqualify you. It helps them decide if it’s worth their time to work with you or not.

Because time is money.

***Speaking of questionnaires, you should take my franchise quiz. Why?

Because it will help you determine if owning a franchise is right for you. Plus, it’s free!  

The Franchise Matchmakers: The 1st Phone Call

As long as your franchise consultant feels you’re qualified-financially, along with some or most of the other things I shared with you, he’ll schedule the next phone call.

During this call, he’ll discuss the answers you gave on the questionnaire, and explain how his process works.

Then he’ll present a few* franchise opportunities he feels are a good fit for you.

*I’m not sure why this is, but 9 times out of 10, you’ll be presented with exactly 3 franchise opportunities.

Franchise Consultant Secret #1: 

The franchise opportunities he presents to you were probably picked out well before this call. He already knows how much money you have, what you’re good at, along with other assorted things you shared. It’s all part of his plan. Which is:

To match you to a franchise he can get paid a commission on.

But know this: he can always come up with other franchises spur of the moment, especially if you’ve said no to the 3 franchises he presented. And good franchise brokers know how to adapt to what you say you want in a business-as they should. 

Franchise Consultant Secret #2: 

One way franchise consultants entice you into working with them is by throwing big numbers at you.

In this case, I’m referring to the number of franchises they work with.

300 Different Franchise Opportunities

“Maureen, not only are my services free, but when you work with me you have a lot of choices. That’s because I work with over 300 different franchises!”

Important: There are 3,500+ different franchise opportunities offered today. A franchise consultant normally works with less than 10% of them!

On the surface, this sounds great to Maureen-the candidate. But in reality, 9 times out of 10, the consultant has her own stable of consistent winners. Franchise opportunities she knows well-and can close deals with. 

“But why would a franchise consultant only focus on a small number of franchises, Joel? It makes no sense.”

Sure it does. That’s because today’s franchise consultants are trained to have a list of “go-to” franchise opportunities at the ready.

Basically, they’re instructed to memorize the details of 20-30 franchise opportunities they like and are comfortable presenting. 

Because once they have those 20 or so franchises down pat, they can present them in the best light…and make them sound very attractive.

Attractive enough for you to agree to get contacted by the franchise sales team at franchise headquarters.

The Franchising Sectors In 2025

In addition, they’re taught to choose a few franchise businesses from each franchise sector.

For example, 3 retail franchise opportunities, 3 home services franchises, 2 fitness franchises, 3 senior care franchises, and so on (which is not how I worked when I was a franchising consultant). 

In addition, they’re trained to have franchises available that have low, medium, and higher investments-if possible. That way no matter what their candidate’s financial situation is, they’ll have franchise opportunities to offer them.

Are You Interested In Any Of The Franchises Presented?

After your consultant has presented 3 franchises, he’ll ask you if you’re interested in any of them. If so, he’ll suggest that you agree to getting contacted by someone from franchise headquarters to “learn more.”

Your possible answers:

“Yes, I’m interested in learning more about 1-800-Buried-Treasure-Finders, but the other two aren’t doing it for me.”

To

“I definitely want to know more about the used clothing franchise, and  the cleaning franchise you mentioned. Please tell them to call me“

To

“No, I’m not interested in any of the franchises you recommended. What other ones can you show me?”

The Next Step

If you’re interested in one or more of the franchises he presented, your consultant will send your information over to the franchisor, and he’ll give you the name of the person from franchise headquarters who’ll be calling you.* In most cases, this person’s title will be Franchise Development Representative, or Director of Franchise Development.

Tip: you need to know that whatever the title of the person you’ll be working with at franchise headquarters is, he or she is a salesperson. And guess what? This person is also getting paid a commission if you buy the franchise.

*Important: When you work with a franchise consultant, you’re not allowed to contact the franchisors directly. Instead, the franchisors must contact you. Why?

Because in order for the franchise consultant to get paid for referring you to a particular franchise, he needs to officially “register” you with them. In other words, there must be proof that he referred you to them. (A paper trail.)

Franchise Consultants Are VERY Paranoid

I’m not kidding. They all are. Here’s why. 

If you tell your franchise consultant something like this: “Steve, I want to think about your ideas for a few days, and then I’ll just call the franchisors myself if I’m interested,” expect to get serious resistance from Steve (your franchise consultant).

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That’s because Steve is a very paranoid guy.

He’s been taught to always be fearful of candidates who attempt to go around him and contact his franchisor themself. He knows if that happens, and a candidate buys a franchise the consultant represents that Steve didn’t directly refer the candidate to, he won’t get a commission check. And that would make Steve extremely angry.

Franchise Consultant Secret #3: 

Sometimes, franchise consultants register their candidates with every franchise they presented to them, regardless of whether their candidate showed interest or not. Consultants do this to protect themselves. However, doing so can lead to problems.

One Example Of What I’m Talking About

What if you (his candidate) ended up getting an email or a phone call from a franchisor you’re not interested in hearing from.

Now, in most cases, this doesn’t happen on purpose. It’s simply a breakdown in communications.

What sometimes happens is franchise headquarters receives your contact information from the consultant, and the franchise development department gets a ping. So they contact you.

If that ever happens to you, just tell them it was a mistake, and if you decide you’d like to learn more about their franchise opportunity in the future, you’ll let them know. 

Now, let’s get back to the topic at hand; your non-interest in the franchises you’ve been presented with.

When Your Franchise Consultant Presents Franchises You Don’t Like

Just because a franchise consultant presents franchise opportunities he feels are good ones for you, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are.

Remember: this is your money we’re talking about. It’s your life. Your future. This isn’t the time to say “Yes I’m interested” in a franchise opportunity he recommends if you’re actually not. Please tell him you’re not interested in his idea-or ideas. Your consultant will get over it. Really.

In other words, if you decide to work with a franchise consultant, go in with an open mind…but don’t agree to get contacted by representatives of franchise opportunities you’re not in the least bit interested in. Let’s continue…

If you’re not interested in any of the franchises he presented, one of these things usually happens:

1. Your franchise consultant will suggest another franchise or two.
2. You’ll mutually decide to take a breather and have another conversation in a few days.
3. You’ll end things with him-because of your disappointment, and try to find the right franchise opportunity on your own.

Let’s talk about #3.

Don’t Mess With Franchise Consultant Comi$$ions

Generally speaking, today’s franchise consultants are fairly reasonable…and pretty professional.

That is until you mess with their generous paydays.

As an example, let’s say the franchise consultant in question just spent an hour and a half with you. (For free.)

In your case, she presented 3-4 different franchise opportunities to you. But you liked exactly none of them.

As a result, you decided (in your own mind) to start looking at franchise opportunities on your own, since your consultant couldn’t come up with any good ideas for you. (You figure you had nothing to lose since her services were free, anyway.)

So, after you share your dissatisfaction with her, you’ll probably hear something like this:

“I’m sorry you weren’t interested in any of the franchises I showed you. Maybe your expectations are unrealistic. I’ve found that some of my candidates think they’ll hear about some kind of perfect franchise opportunity from me-and they’ll be super-excited to get more information from the franchise rep. But, it usually doesn’t happen that way” 

Or

“Maybe we need to go back to the drawing board, and begin the process again.”

Or

“Maybe a franchise isn’t a good idea for you after all.”

That last one is called a “takeaway.”

A takeaway is a sales technique in which the salesperson “takes away” the product or service that was presented in order to get a reaction from the potential buyer. In this case the buyer-you, may say something like:

“No, no…I’m still interested in finding a franchise to buy. I just can’t get excited about the ones you showed me.”

If you say that, your consultant will definitely start coming up with more franchise opportunities for you to consider. Because of a potential  commission.

See how that works?

Finally, just because you’ve decided to work with a franchise consultant, it doesn’t mean that you can’t look at other franchise opportunities on your own. After all, it’s your money you’re thinking of investing. 

Tip: always look at competitors of any franchise opportunity you’re interested in. It’s one of the things I go over in detail in my Franchise Research Guide. 

The Next Calls With Your Franchise Business Consultant

In contrast to what I just shared, let’s say you liked two of the franchise opportunities you were presented with, and you’ve agreed to get contacted by their franchise reps.

Next, let’s say that the conversation (or conversations) you’ve had with those two franchise development reps went well, and they’ve laid out  what the next steps in the process are going to be. These steps may include:

• A webinar to attend
• Receiving the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD)
• Participation in a conference call with franchisees
• Weekly Q & A calls (with your franchise rep)
• Financing options
• Franchisee calls (you’ll be making those)
• Discovery Day invite
• Franchise contract
• Decision Day

It’s a lot, I know.

But, if you do these things one step at a time, and you’ve been gaining knowledge along the way, you’ll be in an excellent position to make a yes or no decision on the franchise opportunity you ultimately want to invest in. 

Getting You To Sign

At this point in the process, you’re getting close to making a yes or no decision on the franchise you’ve been investigating. That’s why the next few calls you have with your franchise consultant will be one’s of persuasion.

To put it differently, your consultant will be attempting to persuade you to buy the franchise you’ve chosen. To sign the Franchise Agreement and write a check for the initial Franchise Fee. 

Now, some franchise consultants do this gently, and some will put you on the spot.

I’ve found that the way they do it it depends on a couple of things:

A. The franchise consultants’ personality.

If your consultant is laid-back, and has given you a lot of latitude during the process, he’ll be gentle in his persuasion techniques.

On the other hand, if he has an aggressive personality, and has been putting a lot of expectations on you during the process, i.e. really trying to control it, he’s going to go in for the close, hard. He’s going to press you to make a decision, and he’s not going to let things stay in limbo for very long.

B. Your geographical area.

How is business transacted in your area?

As an example, let’s say you live in New Jersey, and your franchise consultant was born and raised there.

If that’s the case, you know that business transactions are done in a very intense, aggressive way.

Based on that fact, your franchise consultant is going to try to get you to buy the franchise you’re interested in a way that’s not even a cousin of “subtle.” And she’s going to follow-up a lot when you’re in decision-mode. In other words, you won’t be left dangling-if you get my drift.

In contrast, if you live in Montana or Idaho, the opposite may be true.

Your franchise consultant will (generally) give you a lot of rope. She won’t push real hard, and the process will be allowed to take its natural course.

In other words, she’s not going to try to close you on the franchise opportunity she wants to get paid on too hard. Probably.

Finally, if say “yes” to a franchise opportunity your franchise consultant matched you to, sign your Franchise Agreement and send in your check, the consultant will get paid their commission. Quickly.

And in most cases, that will end your relationship with your consultant. 

Did You Learn A Few Things About What A Franchise Consultant Does?

I hope you found this post helpful.

All in all, working with a franchise consultant is one way to go about finding a franchise to own. And if you’re shopping for a franchise to buy, you’re bound to run across one.

But it’s up to you whether to work with one to find a franchise to buy or find one on your own. 

Franchise Consultants FAQ’s

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