How to strike that important balance of openness and collaboration with your franchisees. Franchising is all about relationships — those between unit owners and their employees, franchisees and their customers, franchises and suppliers. But the most important relationship — the one that is really the bread and butter of the franchise business model — is the relationship between the franchisor and the franchisee.

There is no one-size-fits-all strategy to building a strong culture, but there are many paths to success and many ways to win the race. Consider four strategies used to grow franchised brands: individual location (one at a time), multi-unit development, master franchising, and area representative.

Thinking about expanding via multi-unit franchising? If executed correctly, this strategy can provide numerous benefits for entrepreneurs.

Leaders must be in tune and set the tone with employees. Making yourself visible and approachable can go a long way in establishing rapport and relationships.

Successful franchisors constantly learn and innovate. It’s not enough to have a unique or first-to-market idea. You must constantly evolve and update your franchise to maintain steady growth. And if you set out to sell multi-units, demonstrating to the marketplace that you truly care about the community in which you operate will be critical.

H.R. 1101, the Small Business Health Fairness Act, would allow small-business employers, including franchise owners, to offer health insurance benefits through membership in a legitimate trade association, including a franchise system.

When this Louisiana franchisee’s restaurant is destroyed by a massive flood, he embarks on a five-month journey to save his business.

Franchise brokers have become a large contributor to the franchise sales process. Here are five tips to help increase your franchise sales using brokers.

The multi-unit franchisee is an idea that has increased in popularity and frequency in franchising, and looks to be a trend that will continue moving forward. As the industry prepares for expansion, franchisors need to capitalize on all avenues to grow their franchise.

Building a strong culture is not only crucial to company success, it helps you through good times and bad, stabilizes employment and boosts customer satisfaction… not to mention making the enterprise a great place to work.