The Top 10 Franchise Blogs

Here's a list of some terrific franchise blogs that I read regularly. (I'm subscribed to a few of them, too) Some of these top franchise blogs are run by folks that I know fairly well, while some of them are run by folks that I've never interacted with.

The important thing is this;

If you happen to be interested in the world of franchising, you should consider subscribing to these fine blogs. You'll get a well-rounded view of this segment of small business. 

The Top 10 Franchise Blogs are ranked in order, with #1 being the best, are...

1. Franchise Business Opportunities weblog

Dane Carlson is probably the most veteran of the bloggers in this small business niche. He's posted thousands of articles on franchising over the years. His blog network is big enough to support extra writers, and they're all top-shelf. Newer franchise concepts are highlighted, and they're not just US or Canadian franchises. Dane's franchise blog is global.

2. AllBusiness.com Franchise Blog

With the former executive editor of Entrepreneur Magazine running the show on this blog, this is a must-read. Rieva Lesonsky, and a small team of writers keep readers up to date with pertinent articles about franchising, and also put together an annual AllBusiness AllStars list of the top 300 franchise concepts. Dun & Bradstreet are the owners of this huge web property.

 3. Franchise Direct blog

The team over at Franchise Direct is as good as it gets. (Disclosure; They are a strategic partner of mine) Donald Cranford does most of the writing on this blog. Don's style is short and sweet. He keeps readers informed of important franchise happenings, without the spin. Franchise Direct owns several franchise portals, including some fantastic international ones.

4. FranBest

In terms of raw writing talent, Sean Kelly is the guy. Not only does Sean pump out some amazing articles, he's one of the funniest guys I've never met. Sean and I have been interacting for almost four years now, but we still haven't met face to face. FranBest showcases a lot of niche franchises, and Sean provides thoughtful commentary concerning the world of franchise ownership. Sean is a marketing guy at heart. And it shows.

5. Blue MauMau

I was involved in a small way over at Don Sniegowski's blog about three years ago. Don asked me to contribute some articles about franchising to help get some discussions going, and I obliged. The blog went through a period in which it resembled more of a "franchise bashing forum," as opposed to an informational site on the business model of franchising. If you go back 2-3 years in the blog's archives, you'll see some of the wackiest exchanges to ever take place concerning franchising. The bashing part seems to have been reigned in, and Blue MauMau is more about franchise news and opinion now. Thank goodness!

6. Daily Franchise News

The team over at Sanderson PR, a boutique public relations firm that just so happens to specialize in franchising, is fantastic. Rhonda Sanderson, runs a tight ship, and you can tell that her employees have a blast working for her. Just go over to their blog and read some of their articles. This is an upbeat franchise blog, and you'll find lots of articles that will make you want to go out and party! Rhonda and Courtney, (Rhonda's right -hand gal) taught me a lot about PR, and I'm forever grateful. :)

7. Small Biz Franchise Blog

Lizette Pirtle is part of the team over at International Expansion Experts, a franchise development firm. This blog just keeps getting better and better. You'll find topics targeted towards the franchisor-franchisee relationship. These relationships can be complicated, and Lizette's posts try to help both parties understand each other better. Franchise success seems to be the theme for this fine blog.

8. Rush On Business

No, it's not that Rush. It's Rush Nigut, a web-savvy Iowa franchise attorney, who was smart enough to start a blog a few years ago. Rush is actually the first franchise attorney that I interacted with when social media wasn't called social media. His blog is focused on franchise and employment law, and although he may not post as often as some of the other bloggers on this list, when he does, it's good stuff. This guy gets it.

9. New York Franchise Law Blog

New York Franchise attorney Charles Internicola does a fine job with his blog, and it just keeps getting better. Some of his best posts are geared to folks that are in the exploratory stage of franchising. He also offers a plethora of free tips for folks that are thinking about licensing or franchising their businesses. Check out the offer he has going for his book. 

10. Franchise Pundit

Ryan Knoll is a business attorney from the great city of Chicago. He's been on the blogging scene for a long time, and writes articles that are geared towards existing franchisees. I don't recommend reading his blog when you're hungry, though. The largest sector in franchising, food-related franchises, are prominently featured in his posts, along with some rather appetizing photos.

Those are my top ten. I'm sure I didn't miss any.

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(Just in case I did, feel free to gently remind me of any others, by commenting below.)

Comments

[The Franchise King]

Thank you, Michael I'll go check it out.

How's your year? Selling new franchises? Are your prospective new franchise owners getting financed?

The Franchise King®

[Michael Sawitz]

Thanks for your Top 10. I have been in franchising for 20 years and have to admit some of your picks were new to me. So...thank you.

I have started my own blog for small busines, franchised or not, aimed at the more than 26 million of us involved with small business. Please take a gander and let me know what you think. http://smallbusinessnotsmallgoals.blogspot.com

All the best,
Michael Sawitz
Chief Executive Officer
AIM Mail Centers

[The Franchise King]

Rhonda,
Thank you so much for chiming in, and for helping me learn about PR.

Your gals are the best, and I'm sure it's good to know that you can take care of what you need to, while they run the show, flawlessly.

I'm calling the Prince now. Let me see what he think of the title given to him by the Franchise PR Queen!

The Franchise King®

[Rhonda Sanderson]

Well of course I am thrilled to be on the KING'S list
Of Top Ten franchise blogs. We were for sure one of the first
To do one and we only hope it's gotten better over the years. Joel you have done a great job educating
People on franchising and we are happy to have been
A part of it. You are also a big fan of Sanderson PR and Courtney and for that I say you have great taste! Jon Libava-doesn't this make you the Prince?

[The Franchise King]

Jon,

Thank you so much for reading the post, and commenting about it.

I really appreciate the compliment too! I'm trying!

The Franchise King®

[Jon Libava]

Joel,

I think it was a great idea to do a Top 10 Franchise Blogs article. Now, some folks may get mad, and may feel that I'm a bit predjudiced because I’m your brother, but your blog is the best franchise blog around! You are straightforward, truthful, and sometimes even funny. Rock on!

Jon Libava

Brother of the King

[The Franchise King]

Don,
Your blog/journal deserves to be on the list, that's for sure.

Here's waht I said about the old days of your blog:

"The blog went through a period in which it resembled more of a "franchise bashing forum," as opposed to an informational site on the business model of franchising. If you go back 2-3 years in the blog's archives, you'll see some of the wackiest exchanges to ever take place concerning franchising. The bashing part seems to have been reigned in, and Blue MauMau is more about franchise news and opinion now."

I never said anything about complaints against franchise brokers. Having an open forum, which you do, means that anything goes, unless you change things around, and limit who can post and comment.

The bashing that I spoke of was real, and although you may not have "reigned it in, the community sure did.

On this blog, and on my franchise/small business websites,I disclose not only my relationships with vendors, but I even go as far as making sure that anything that I write that happens to be part of one of my social media/article marketing packages, is disclosed, too.

One more thing;

There's not anyone else out there in the franchise brokerage world that's as careful as I am, when it comes to working with folks that are truly suitable for franchise ownership. You know that, because you know me.

My posts here, and the articles I write as a columnist for Small Business Trends, (Where I'm also the Community Promotions Director)OPEN Forum By American Express, and Business.Gov truly reflect my position when it comes to franchising.

I look forward to even more interaction, Don. It's been too long, eh?

The Franchise King®

[Blue MauMau]

Joel, I’m glad that my blog made your list. You have the link to Blue MauMau though, which is an online trade journal covering franchise news.

My own blog is here:

http://www.bluemaumau.org/blog/don_sniegowski

Regarding the online trade journal Blue MauMau, I’m so glad as its founder to see what it has accomplished. CEOs, industry leaders, front-line franchisees and suppliers leak news information to us on a daily basis. That allows our journalists to print the news that no one else seems to get.

In your review you mentioned that the complaints about franchising, and franchise brokers, have been reigned in. Actually, these still are posted by readers under some of the articles and in a few forums. Our forums are open, as are the comments under our articles, so remarks that are critical to a franchise concept or broker cannot be “reigned in.” That would go against the public nature of our site and our philosophy. Those comments are immediate proof to the reader that they are getting the full spectrum of truth, and not news that is white-washed by companies. The number that receive complaints is amazingly small, considering there are an estimated 3,500 franchisors out there.

We also have advice blogs (http://www.bluemaumau.org/frontpageblogs) that are written by industry experts in the U.S., Canada and Australia. Those outside of the industry are sometimes invited in to publish on occasion where the industry might have a blind spot, to bring in additional insights.

We try hard in our investigative news pieces to uphold journalistic integrity. For example, if Rhonda Sanderson helped Blue MauMau in its public relations efforts (she doesn't), we would have to disclose it to our readers if we listed Sanderson PR as one of our top franchise blog choices. If we failed to do so, our readers would list it, and then they would have us for lunch.

Your efforts in writing blogs and comments from a franchise broker perspective in the early days of Blue MauMau is and will always be greatly appreciated.

Regards,
Don Sniegowski
Blue MauMau, Inc. editor

[The Franchise King]

Lizzette:

You do a great job. Really helpful stuff! I went back and forth on Paul's site. It's kind of a website-kind of a blog.

Rush;

You're welcome!

Tom;

Thank you so much for saying that!

The Franchise King®

[Marty McDermott]

Hi Joel,
This is a great list. We have referenced some of these on our weekly radio show.

Best regards,

Marty McDermott
Franchise Interviews

[Rush Nigut]

Joel,

Thank you so much for inclusion on your list. It's quite a compliment.

[Tom Rondo]

I think this is a great list. I also think that it was a real classy thing you did-not including your own blog in the article.

(It's really the best franchise blog)

Tom Rondo

[Linda Daichendt]

Think you forgot one that, as you are very well aware, is quite respected in the franchise industry; franchisEssentials by Paul Segreto, which can be located at www.franchisEssentials.com. Probably should make it a Top 11 list instead.

[Lizette Pirtle]

Thank you Joel for selecting my blog as part of the 10 best! I am in great company and I truly appreciate this acknowledgement from you, The Franchise King!