Annual IFA Franchisee Survey Shows Increasing Economic Uncertainty Among Business Owners

The International Franchise Association (IFA) today released its third Annual Franchisee Survey, in partnership with FRANdata, showing the impacts of continued economic challenges on franchised businesses. The survey of over 1,400 franchise owners shows increasing economic uncertainty in the face of increased prices and slowing consumer demand, resulting in lower business earnings in a majority of businesses. The survey also measured franchisee concerns with tax policy, ahead of the expiration of many Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) provisions next year.

Unlock the Power of Your Data

Do you have access to your data? Do you know where it lives? Can you leverage your data to answer important questions about your business? Data tends to be siloed in the platforms where it is entered: Financial, Marketing, Operations, POS/CRM. There may be reporting options within the individual platforms, but how can a question be answered that requires information from more than one platform? Often data needs to be manually copied from one source to a spreadsheet, then from another source to the same spreadsheet. This process takes a great deal of time and effort and can be prone to errors and issues over time. Companies can struggle with multiple spreadsheets and difficulty determining a source of truth. There is a better way.
September 06, 2024

Compliance is essential when offering a 401(k) plan

Offering a retirement plan is a great way to show your employees you care about their future and want to compensate them well. Employees care about retirement benefits, and some states now even require employers to offer some way to save for retirement. However, offering a plan isn't exactly as simple as just snapping your fingers. There are many compliance considerations to take into account as you research and consider what plan might be right for your organization.
September 06, 2024

IFA Applauds Massachusetts Court Ruling In Patel v. 7-Eleven

“The momentous decision in Massachusetts will have a far-reaching impact toward protecting franchisees’ roles as entrepreneurs and business owners,” said Michael Layman, IFA senior vice president of government relations and public affairs. “Classifying franchisees as employees, as the plaintiffs unsuccessfully argued, would have undermined franchisee independence and led to an untenable situation for franchisors and franchisees alike, and undoubtedly created confusion, uncertainty, and an increase in litigation in the Commonwealth. We are pleased that common sense prevailed in the Bay State and hope that its precedent impacts the broader independent contractor debate in Washington, D.C. and state capitals across this country.”