RELATED TOOLS RELATED ITEMS Online Extras Management Archives

GOVERNMENT

Federal Trade Commission (www.ftc.gov/bcp/franchise/netfran.htm) -- Responsible for regulating the franchise industry, the FTC offers a wealth of information for both franchisers and franchisees in the Franchises and Business Opportunities section of its site. There's a comprehensive consumer's guide to buying a franchise, a guide to the regulations, and much more. You'll also find useful links to the American Bar Assn.'s listing of attorneys specializing in franchise law.

Small Business Administration (www.sba.gov/workshops/franchises) -- Follow this helpful interactive workshop for both prospective franchisers and franchisees, with sections such as, "Is franchising for you?" and "Identifying the franchisor's responsibilities." Also, check out the SBA's franchise registry (www.franchiseregistry.com). It streamlines the application process for getting a government-backed loan to buy a franchise and lists franchisers already registered with the SBA.

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS

International Franchise Assn. (www.franchise.org) -- Provides a comprehensive resource guide for companies that want to franchise and for people seeking to buy franchises. Its "franchise mall" lists opportunities. There's also franchising news, a bookstore, economic analyses of domestic and foreign franchising markets, and pages of special interest to women in franchising.

The American Franchisee Assn. (www.franchisee.org) -- This lobbying group represents the interests of franchisees. Among other things, the site offers a list of lawyers who represent franchisees and describes proposed legislation that would benefit franchisees.

The Western Franchise Assn. (www.franchising.org) -- Sponsored by a regional franchising association but useful for anyone considering starting a franchise business or becoming a franchisee. It includes helpful reviews of franchising resources and links to franchising Web sites, list of franchising trade shows, and news articles on franchising. Get unvarnished comments from other franchisees and franchisers on the the bulletin board.

CONSULTANTS

FranchisePlanet.com. (www.franchiseplanet.com) -- This new site, developed by consulting firm Frandata Corp. in Washington, D.C., offers a vendor directory for business-to-business e-commerce, franchise industry news, access to summaries of offering circulars for various franchise companies, and online bulletin boards for both franchisers and franchisees.

Bison Franchise Network (www.bison1.com) -- This Carencro (La.) consultancy offers analyses of new franchising opportunities, a comprehensive selection of news articles, and current information about new franchisers entering the industry.