The Hill Article – 7-Eleven Franchisees Call for Investigation

The Hill, By Lexi Lonas – 09/29/21 10:19 AM EDT The National Coalition of Associations of 7-Eleven Franchisees (NCASEF), along with another group, is calling for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate the convenience store giant and several other companies due to their franchising practices. The NCASEF, with Franchisee Advocacy Consulting, filed the petition with …

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Schakowsky, Scanlon, Jayapal Send Letter to FTC

United States Representatives Jan Schakowsky, Mary Gay Scanlon, and Pramila Jayapal sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission concerning unfair and deceptive digital delivery food practices that hurt small business restaurants. In addition, and most important to the franchise industry, the letter also called out the franchisor/franchisee relationship for being “underinvestigated” by the FTC. …

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Roll Call – House clears bill to extend loan program for small business

Roll Call, By Jim Saksa, Posted July 1, 2020 at 6:56pm Roll Call article that includes my quotes on PPP and the need for additional PPP. Article can be found here. Additional comments:  Franchised industries such as lodging, personal care, fitness, restaurants and bars, and others have been severely impacted, and many need immediate help past …

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Senator Coretz Masto (NV) Sends Letter to FTC Concerning Covid-19 Issues

Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (NV) has once again supported protections for franchisees by sending a letter to the Federal Trade Commission expressing her concerns with disclosure and franchisor behavior in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.  Franchisee Advocacy Consulting worked closely with the Senator and her staff on these issues and the concerns of the impacts …

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Fair Franchising Initiative Engages Franchisee Advocacy Consulting

**** Press Release ****   April 13, 2020 RE: Fair Franchising Initiative Announces Keith Miller of Franchisee Advocacy Consulting as Director of Legislative Affairs Contact: Prakash Shah, FFI President, firstgrwth@aol.com, (908) 267-5021   Fair Franchising Initiative (FFI) is pleased to announce the engagement of Franchisee Advocacy Consulting (FAC) to provide legislative consultancy services to FFI.  …

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AAFD Names Keith Miller as Director of Public Affairs and Engagement

Written by: AAFD OCT 1, 2019: SAN DIEGO, CA – The American Association of Franchisees and Dealers (AAFD) has announced the engagement of Franchisee Advocacy Consulting (FAC) to provide political consultancy services to the AAFD. Importantly, FAC’s Principal, Keith Miller, has accepted the role as the AAFD’s Director of Public Affairs and Engagement.  See full …

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Burgerim or Bust

Bust Say Many Franchisees   Over the past few years, Burgerim is one of the top franchise performers in growth, units opened, and franchise sold. While that has been great for the franchisor, how have the franchisees performed?  First, let’s look at some numbers from their Franchise Disclosure Document dated April 3, 2019[i], for the …

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Senator Cortez Masto Introduces SBA Franchise Loan Transparency Act

Today, July 31, 2019, Senator Cortez Masto (NV) introduced S.2383, The Small Business Administration Franchise Loan Transparency Act of 2019.  I personally want to thank the Senator and her staff for their efforts to protect franchisee interests. You can read her press release here. For my testimony in advance of this legislation being introduced, watch …

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Keith Miller Testifies at United States Senate Banking Subcommittee Hearing

On July 17, 2019, Keith Miller, Principal, Franchisee Advocacy Consulting, testified at the United States Senate Banking, Subcommittee on Economic Policy hearing titled, “Economic Mobility: Is the American Dream in Crisis?”  I discussed some of the obstacles in franchising that hamper the efforts to realize the American Dream, concentrating on the lack of financial transparency …

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Max Muscle® Franchise Owners form Independent Association

March 26, 2019 – Today, franchise owners of Max Muscle® Nutrition have announced the formation of Max Independent Franchise Owners Association (MaxIFOA, Inc.), a self-funded alliance to represent their interests with the South Dakota-based company. The organization, while working with Max Muscle Nutrition®, will be a unifying voice of franchisees, focusing on franchisee profitability while …

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Can Dickey’s BBQ Franchise Owners Survive? Franchisees Claim They Received Misleading Numbers

Written by Keith R. Miller Franchise owners of Dickey’s BBQ are closing at an alarming rate. Why is this, and can a franchise owner really make a profit owning a Dickey’s BBQ? Despite this, up to now, the franchisor has continued to sell a high number of new franchises. Can they continue that pace and …

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Is Dickey’s BBQ Franchising’s Next Quizno’s? 28% Systemwide Churn

Written by Keith R. Miller It’s not easy to forget the Quizno’s saga.  Once one of the darlings of the franchise industry, growing through franchising to nearly 5,000 locations, but today, just under 400 in the United States.  Many franchisees lost everything (investments, savings, their home), and as stores closed, eventually the franchisor filed for …

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NLRB Rejects McDonald’s Settlement Deal in Joint Employer Case

Nice article by Janet Sparks. See my quote at the end of the article. Blue MauMau – by Janet Sparks, August 29th, 2018 The long-awaited decision from the National Labor Relations Board finally came last month when the NLRB judge issued her decision rejecting proposed settlement agreements from McDonald’s Corporation [NYSE:MCD] surrounding claims by fast …

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Franchisees, Is Your Operations Manual Changing Your Franchise Agreement?

Written by Keith R. Miller As franchise owners, we all sign franchise agreements that set the terms and conditions of our business, and the relationship with our franchisor. Most of those franchise agreements contain a condition that you will follow the then current Operations Manual. While it is understandable that the Ops Manual must change, …

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The Franchise Industry, Heavily Regulated? – Shattering the Myth

Written by Keith R. Miller All of us have heard the argument: franchises are in a heavily regulated industry.  Really?  This article will attempt to briefly clarify what is specifically regulated, what isn’t, and is it enough considering those investing in a franchise not only risk their investment, but likely all their assets. We hear …

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Restaurant Business – Franchisees Push Back

Amid industry challenges, franchisees get serious about protecting their profits. By Jonathan Maze on Feb. 27, 2018 These days can’t be great if you’re a franchisee—not in the restaurant business, at least. Same-store sales and traffic have been weak for two years. Competition is intensifying. Labor costs are rising. Rent costs keep escalating. And some customers just …

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Coalition of Franchisee Associations Elects New Officers

Coalition of Franchisee Associations Elects New Officers  Washington, D.C. (Jan. 18, 2018) – The Coalition of Franchisee Associations (CFA) Board of Directors has elected new officers. John Motta will serve as chairman of the CFA, Terry Hutchison as vice chairman, Connie Schmidt-Kirman as secretary, and Christy Williams will serve as treasurer. “I am excited to …

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The Washington Post – The dark side of your $5 Footlong: Business owners say it could bite them

By Caitlin Dewey December 28, 2017    Subway franchisee Keith Miller has signed onto a letter urging corporate leaders not to reinstate a promotion that cuts into his profits. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post) A Subway sandwich is far more than the sum of its fillings, franchisee Keith Miller says.Those ingredients cost roughly $2. Then he pays labor. …

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Blue MauMau – CFA Supports Florida Protection Bill for Franchisees, IFA Opposes

Posted Tue, 2017-02-07 18:44 by Don Sniegowski Two Florida state Republican legislators, Senator Jack Latvala (District 16) and Representative Jason Brodeur (District 28), unveiled a bill today that is aimed at protecting franchise owners. Called the Protect Florida Small Business Act, state Senate Bill 750 aims to protect Florida franchise owners from capricious closings of their franchised businesses without cause …

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SAINTPETERSBLOG – Keith Miller: Florida’s small businesses need protections in state law

 by Guest Author KEITH MILLER Two Orlando residents are out $8 million after a large, out-of-state corporation forced their local businesses to shut down. The local entrepreneurs were originally enticed by the corporation to open 10 Mexican-themed fast food restaurants in the Orlando area. The California-based corporation used unrealistic sales projections and profit margins to convince …

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Keith Miller and Ronald Gardner to Receive the AAFD Chairman’s Award at 2017 Total Quality Franchising Awards Banquet

Written by: AAFD APRIL, 2017: SAN DIEGO, CA — The American Association of Franchisees and Dealers (AAFD) will honor Keith Miller, Chairman of the Coalition of Franchisee Associations (CFA), and nationally recognized attorney Ronald K. Gardner Jr. with the Total Quality Franchising Chairman’s Award for Distinguished Service to the Franchising Community. These awards will be presented …

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Rep. Ellison Introduces Bills to Improve the Franchise System

Jan 13, 2017 Press Release Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) introduced two bills to strengthen the ability of franchisees to succeed as business owners. The Fair Franchise Act of 2017 (H.R. 470) and the Small Business Administration(SBA) Franchise Loan Transparency Act (H.R. 471) ensure franchisees receive accurate financial information prior to buying a business and sign agreements that enhance their …

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CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS BRING BACK FRANCHISE RELATIONS BILL

12 Apr, 2015 0  GREENGROUP    CALIFORNIA , FRANCHISE , LAWMAKERS , RELATIONS BILL California lawmakers have reintroduced legislation designed to protect franchise operators from what some describe as predatory practices by franchisors. Assembly bill 525, introduced April 6, is a modified version of Senate Bill 610, which was approved by state lawmakers in August 2014 but was VETOED BY GOV. JERRY BROWN. The bill attempted …

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PA HB 1620 Franchise Practices Bill: CFA Chairman Keith Miller Testifies (Video)

(UnhappyFranchisee.Com)  Coalition of Franchisee Associations (CFA) Chairman Keith Miller testified November 19, 2013 in favor of the Pennsylvania’s proposed Responsible Franchise Practices Bill, HB 1620. Championed by former Quiznos franchise owner & PA Representative Peter Daley (D), HB 1620 aims to protect franchisees from “fraudulent or unfair practices in the sale or operation of franchised businesses.” …

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