Franchise Your Business With a Team That Has Launched 600+ Brands
You built a business that works. Launch is where we turn it into a franchise system other people can buy, learn, and run under your name. We build every piece with you, and you can start awarding franchises before the full build is finished.
- 600+
- brands since 2009
- 3–4 months
- to your FDD
- 6–12 months
- for the full build
Brands we’ve worked with
What Does It Take to Franchise Your Business?
To franchise your business, you need a legal offering, a documented way of running the business, and a plan for finding the right owners. In practice that comes down to six pieces: a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) and franchise agreement, an operations manual, a training program, brand standards, a franchise sales and marketing plan, and the support structure that helps franchisees once they open.
The Launch phase is where we build all six with you. Most founders finish in six to 12 months.
What’s Included in Our Franchise Development Services
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Your FDD and franchise agreement
Your FDD is the legal document every prospective franchisee reviews before they buy. We guide its development alongside a franchise attorney from our legal partner network, or work with the one you have chosen. We review competition and recommend the terms of your offering such as fees, territories, and what franchisees get in return. Your FDD is usually finished in the first three to four months. Once it is, you can legally start offering franchises.
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Your operations manual
This is how your business runs, written down so someone who isn’t you can repeat it. It also carries your compliance guidelines. Whether it is well documented, or it still lives in your head, your daily routine has to be clearly defined and shared. Our job is getting it into a format all new franchise owners can follow so you can hold them accountable to the brand standards.
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Your franchisee training program
A pre-opening program that gets a new owner ready to open the doors, organized the way you already train your best people.
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Your brand standards
The look, the feel, and the customer experience every location has to deliver, so your 20th location feels like your first.
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Your franchise sales and marketing plan
We help you define your ideal franchisee, build the sales process that finds and qualifies them, and create the materials behind it, including franchise website copy, brochures, a pitch deck, and your Discovery Day plan. We also introduce you to franchise sales organizations and broker networks that can represent your brand.
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Your franchisee support structure
How you will onboard, coach, and support owners once they open, plus the technology and systems that make it work. You don’t need to hire new staff to get started. We act as an extension of your team through the build.
How a Franchise Launch Works
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1. Kickoff
You meet the full SMB team, so you know exactly who is working on your brand.
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2. Discovery
A deep dive into how your business runs, what makes it work, and where you want it to go. Everything we build comes out of this conversation.
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3. Your FDD and franchise terms
Usually completed in months three to four. From here, you can begin offering franchises.
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4. Manuals, training, and brand standards
Built alongside you while your sales effort gets going.
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5. Your first franchisees
Your sales process, marketing materials, Discovery Day, and introductions to sales partners all come together.
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6. Ongoing support
We stay with you as your first owners open and into Grow when you are ready to scale.
Franchise launch typically takes six to 12 months. You set the pace, and we are here with you along the way.
What to Budget for When You Franchise Your Business
6 / 9 / 12 months
Our Launch packages are fixed price and billed monthly over six, nine, or 12 months, with a defined list of deliverables. For clients who want to launch faster, we can complete the work in six months. You will know the full scope and cost before you start.
Franchising costs more than a consulting fee, and we would rather you hear that from us on the first call than find out later. Beyond your work with SMB, plan for these costs:
- Franchise attorney fees for your FDD and franchise agreement
- Audited financial statements for your FDD and what is needed for year one
- State registration fees, if you plan to sell franchises in registration states
- Trademark registration for your brand name and logo
- A marketing budget to attract your first franchise candidates
Why Founders Launch With SMB
- 600+ brands helped into franchising since 2009, across 100+ industries
- A team that has lived it, with experience as franchisees, franchisors, and C-suite executives
- Certified expertise. The majority of our team holds the Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) designation from the International Franchise Association
- The SMB Franchise Family. Clients join our webinars, networking events, and the invitation-only Annual Summit each December
SMB Franchise Advisors was able to take my company to a new level. We started out as a single location and now have over 125 locations either open or in development.
With SMB, it’s all about the relationship. Your brand gets treated like our own, long after launch day.
A Vetted Partner Network Behind Every Launch
Over 17 years we have vetted the attorneys, accountants, technology providers, sales organizations, marketers, and investors who know franchising. Our connections become your resources.
Franchise Launch FAQs
How long does it take to franchise my business?
Plan on six to 12 months, though the milestone most founders care about arrives sooner. Your Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) is usually finished within the first three to four months, and once it is done, you can legally start offering and awarding franchises while the rest of the build is still underway. For clients who want to launch faster, the work itself can be completed in about six months. We spread the project payments across 6, 9, or 12 months depending on the pace you want to set and the time you can give it. There is more on what drives the timeline on our FAQ page.
What exactly is involved in creating a franchise system?
Six main pieces: 1) Your Franchise Disclosure Document and Franchise Agreement, which are the legal foundation. 2) A franchise operations manual that documents how the business actually runs. 3) An initial training program for new franchisees. 4) A marketing and sales strategy for attracting the right candidates. 5) Brand standards that hold the system together. 6) The internal infrastructure to support franchisees once they are open. We build these alongside you rather than handing over a template. If the FDD is new to you, start here.
What is the first step after signing with SMB?
A kickoff call with your full SMB team, so you know who is working on your brand and we can get to know you. After that we begin discovery, which is the deep dive into how your business runs, what makes it work, and where you want it to go. Everything we build comes out of that conversation, because a franchise model only works if it reflects the business you actually created.
Ready to Franchise Your Business?
Start with a conversation. Our team will want to hear about your business and what you hope franchising will do for it. There is no obligation, and if franchising isn’t the right move yet, we will tell you.
Schedule Your Consultation