By Tereza Murray, Leading Franchise & Business Consultant and CEO of Tereza Murray Franchising (TMF)
If a café shuts down, we don’t declare independent business dead. So why do we treat franchise failures as proof the whole model is flawed?
Lately, it feels like every story about franchising is a courtroom drama or company collapse—F45’s fallout, Jeanswest’s woes, Domino’s shrinking store numbers. It’s not a good look. But we’re confusing the vehicle with the driver.
Franchising isn’t broken. What’s broken—when things go wrong—is how it’s being run.
After two decades in franchising and business growth, I can tell you the model still works. It works when it’s built properly, run honestly, and supported consistently. When it fails, it’s usually not the model—it’s because someone took shortcuts or scaled too fast. That’s not a franchise problem. That’s a leadership one.
Let’s talk about what franchising really is—and what it’s not.
Myth One: I need to start with legal documents
This trips up a lot of founders. They assume the franchise agreement comes first, when it’s actually one of the last things to finalise.
The legal structure can’t be properly drafted until the business model is defined, the franchise relationship mapped, and the fee structure confirmed. Without that clarity, any legal documentation is either premature or too generic—putting you and your future franchisees at risk.
The most important document in the early stages isn’t the agreement—it’s the Operations Manual. This is your business’s operating system in written form. It protects your brand and ensures consistency across your network. It also carries legal weight.
While the agreement sets the overarching terms, the manual is where the details live. For example, the agreement might say franchisees are responsible for local marketing—but the manual outlines what they can customise, what needs approval, and how reporting works.
Get the manual right first, and everything else—your legal docs, onboarding, support—can align with it.
Myth Two: Franchising is only for big corporates
I often hear founders say, “We’re too small to franchise.” What they really mean is, “We think franchising is only for McDonald’s or Snap Fitness.”
It’s not. It’s for you.
Some of the most exciting franchise systems right now are being run by tradies, beauty therapists, and consultants—people who were great at what they did and realised others wanted a roadmap to do it too.
You don’t need 20 staff, a flashy HQ, or national reach. You need a model someone else can follow, a way to teach it, and tools to help them deliver it. The rest can be built as you go.
You don’t need to fit the mould—you define it.
Myth Three: Franchising is too expensive for small business owners
Here’s what no one tells you: franchising doesn’t have to be expensive. It has to be strategic.
Compared to opening new locations yourself—covering leases, staff, equipment—franchising is significantly lower cost and lower risk. You're not funding every outlet. You're building a system others can use to replicate your success.
With the right support, getting franchise-ready costs far less than people expect—and a fraction of what direct expansion would.
Done right, it’s one of the most cost-effective ways to grow—without taking on more leases, more staff, or more risk.
Myth Four: I have to make my business fit the franchise mould
Too many founders think franchising means adjusting their business to fit someone else’s format.
But franchising is just the process of replicating a business. You decide what that looks like. You define the structure, the relationship, the support, the level of control.
You don’t need to mimic someone else’s setup—and you shouldn’t. The point is to preserve what already works, not to squeeze it into a different model.
When done properly, franchising is a framework for expansion—not a restriction.
Myth Five: You lose control when you franchise
This one always makes me smile. Founders I work with are control people—they care about quality, consistency, and brand integrity.
Franchising, done right, is the ultimate form of quality control.
You’re not letting go of your business—you’re writing the rulebook for how others replicate it. Franchisees follow your systems, brand standards, and service promise. Franchising forces you to clarify the “secret sauce” that made your business work.
And here’s the real kicker: franchising helps you stay closer to your brand. Instead of being stuck in day-to-day operations, you can focus on growth and innovation—while knowing the customer experience remains consistent.
It’s not about losing control. It’s about elevating it.
So what actually makes it work?
Across every franchise success I’ve worked on—services, construction, fitness, food—the pattern is clear. It’s not luck or branding. It’s the right foundations built in the right order:
- Replicable systems: Being great at what you do isn’t enough. You need to teach others. That means documented processes, training tools, onboarding, and quality control.
- A model-first legal approach: Legal docs don’t come first. They come last—and they should reflect how your business actually works.
- A strong operations manual: This is your real backbone. It outlines how things are done, ensures compliance, protects your brand, and sets expectations across the network.
- Real support: Franchising isn’t set-and-forget. Support, mentoring, and regular check-ins keep your network aligned and high-performing.
- Values-aligned franchisees: You can teach someone how to do the job—but not how to care. The best franchisees believe in what you’ve built. Hire for alignment first; skills can be taught.
Franchising is a smarter kind of growth
Franchising is about sharing your success. About helping others step into business ownership with a roadmap. And giving founders a way to grow with less risk, less capital, and more clarity.
It’s not about handing over control or building a corporate empire. It’s about scaling what works—without losing what matters.
Franchising isn’t dead. It’s misunderstood. And when you cut through the noise, what you’re left with is one of the most proven, empowering, and flexible growth models we’ve got.
If you’re a business owner wondering if this is your next move—don’t be spooked by headlines. Get informed. With the right setup and support, franchising might just be the smartest thing you ever do.
Tereza Murray
ABOUT TEREZA MURRAY
Tereza Murray is a leading Franchise and Business Consultant with over 20 years of experience in the franchising industry as both a consultant and franchisor, along with a track record of success running some of Australia and New Zealand's most well-known brands (franchised and independent). With a background spanning over 30 years in business development across B2B and B2C, Tereza works with businesses ranging from start-ups to established companies ready for serious growth.
