Beware of the Franchise FranBogies!
What’s a FranBogie?  FranBogies are bogus franchise statistics that a certain element of my beloved franchise industry has been feeding, nurturing and breeding for more than 20 years.
They are, in short, shared lies that some irreputable franchisors, franchise sales brokers, con-sultants and lazy and/or apathetic franchise writers perpetuate in order to convince prospective franchisees that buying a franchise – any franchise – is practically a risk-free investment.
According to these bogus statistics, usually attributed to the SBA or US Department of Commerce, starting an independent business leads to financial ruination while buying a franchise is a …read more

Franchise scam watchers and alleged victims alike know the name Anthony Reza Solhi all too well.
According to the Anthony Reza Solhi: Predatory Scammer or Innocent Victim? blog post on Unhappy Franchisee, Canada’s Anthony Reza Solhi is regarded by many to be a predatory con man who preyed on the hopes and dreams of recent immigrants, drove a Porsche and bought a mansion with an indoor pool with their life savings.
(FranchisePick.Com previously reported on Solhi with two posts, The Latest U.S. Import: Franchise Fraud, & Another Pizza Franchise Scam Victim comes Forward.)
But now Anthony Reza Solhi …read more

Curves International Inc. chief executive Gary Heavin, recently said that high SBA loan defaults were a result of “the overpriced resales of franchises between third parties.” (See QUIZNOS, COLD STONE, SUBWAY & CURVES TOP FRANCHISE LOAN DEFAULTS)
On the Unhappy Franchisee website (See CURVES: Disturbing Resale Story), a Curves franchise buyer of two existing clubs provides an example of how a resale business can be artificially, even fraudulently, inflated.  The results can be disastrous for the unsuspecting buyer.
The Curves franchise owner writes:
I am a Curves resale. I bought 2 clubs from a friend of the family, who I thought was …read more

Michele Bellso and her ill-fated Make and Take Gourmet meal assembly kitchen franchise chain continue to provide compelling examples of how NOT to start and run a franchise chain.  Their newest lesson plan includes a special guest appearance by, pound for pound, the hardest working franchise enforcement agency:  the Maryland Attorney General.
According to this post on Unhappy Franchisee, the Securities Division of the Office of the Attorney General of Maryland “finds grounds  to allege that Respondents Make and Take Holding, LLC and Michele Bellso violated the registration, disclosure, and antifraud provisions of the Maryland Franchise Law, in relation to the …read more