Canadian Franchising - Key Components Of A Successful Loan For A New Or Existing Franchise

Canadian franchising. Got your act together? The act we're referring to of course is your ability to successfully secure a franchise loan for a new or existing franchise in Canada.

Let's focus in on some critical components of what to do and with whom!

It's not as hard as you think to turn one of the most successful business models (franchising) into a successful financial solution for the acquisition of your business. Naturally you have the option of building or inventing your own business model in any industry but surely utilizing a proven method success already in place has significant appeal.

And the financing for your franchise can be focused on any number of industries where the franchise model is prevalent. You ability to be able to generates profits while duplicating the franchisors success is not limited to geographic issues , and , more importantly , the need to invest large amounts of capital when in fact you don't have to under the franchise model .

Many clients we talk to are looking at either acquiring an existing franchise as opposed to a new unit. There are advantages to both and we are pretty sure based on experience that neither, new or existing offer any superior advantage.

But our subject is of course focused on the financing re: your franchise loan .of that new or excising business. The one positive thing when you are considering a resale by an existing current franchisee is of course that you have access to financial performance of the existing owner.

That typically includes several years of financial statements and a proper disclosure of assets in the business. If the owner still has debt outstanding in the business that debt, in the form of bank loans or equipment leases or working capital loans, must be addressed in the context of your purchase and refinancing.

In the case of a franchise which has hard assets and leaseholds, (as opposed to a service business) an appraisal of those assets at fair market value is both recommended and in fact probably required.

We also point out to clients early in the process that they structure their purchase as an asset sale as opposed to a share sale , as share sales are exceptionally difficult to finance other than on an all cash basis - and then of course its not a financing per se, its a ' cash sale ' . A cash sale may or may not be the right thing to do. Too much equity certainly lowers your overall return on investment and ties up your personal assets, quite often permanently.

Don't forget also to address employee issues with respect to financing liability of any severance, termination scenarios, etc.

If you finance your Canadian franchising purchase via a government SBL loan (the preferred solution for many franchisees) an appraisal of an existing franchise is certainly required. If in fact a new or turnkey unit is under consideration you require a detailed business plan focusing on your experience, the industry in which you're going to participate, and a proper financial forecast that ' cash flows ' in a positive nature in order to retire the debt satisfactorily .

Other things you should focus on in your plan are customer profiles, competition analysis, etc.

Having a formal or informal network of business advisors, lawyer, accountant, and banker certainly helps.

Seek out and speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor who has the ability to turn your Canadian franchising dream into a success franchise loan resolution for a new or existing franchise.