Marrying Your Franchisor

The franchisor you marry may not be the same zor on your 10th anniversary.

You may wake up one day and wonder who that ugly person is in the bed next to you - they sure were good looking when you married them. This is why it is so important that you understand that zors have wide ranging authority to change just about anything connected to a brand, and zees have little to say about it. A zor can be sold to a company that wants to change the look and feel of an entire brand - and they can require you to spend the money to do so (even if you don't have it).

I've seen a recent situation where a new zor corporate owner decided it was time to change the corporate logo that had been the brand for over 20 years - a recognized logo that is known to just about everybody. (This guy may have been the guy behind new Coke years ago....I'm just guessing).

It will cost franchisees millions of dollars in an industry that has seen declining sales for almost a decade now. Franchisees arge that it will confuse customers and do nothing for sales, at a time when they are struggling. The response of the zor has been do it or you will be in default.

These franchisees married a good looking spouse, only to wake up to a monster 20 years later. They didn't change, but thier spouse did - and if you think divorce attorneys are expensive, try hiring a good francise attorney.