There are many fine posters on BMM on the subject of Due Diligence (DD). Some of these are legal experts, some are scholars, and some are, like I am, from the school of hard knocks.

In the space of one year, two of the largest quicklube operations in the country have filed chapter 11. Heartland, Jiffy Lube's largest franchisee (400 stores) filed in January, and now, the 80 store EZ Lube Chain has sought bankruptcy protection.

Franchise agreements give franchisors incredible power.

Well, just back from visiting Belgium, Luxembourg and Amsterdam.

It occurs to me that anyone purchasing a franchise these days should understand that a large percentage of their gross income could end up being spent on legal fees.

Maybe we should come up with a "contingency" item on every zee budget that includes a big chunk of cash set aside to fight the franchisor.

If, by some miracle, you don't have to use your defense fund, you can send the kids to college.