FRANdata works with clients on their most challenging performance issues, investing significant time and effort in developing and renewing a knowledge base that offers unique perspectives and insights. We apply our understanding of the market and industry forces to develop long-term strategic direction for our clients.
We took a central role in developing performance standards around particular areas of the franchise model and set the bar based on those standards – industry-accepted measurements and standards of reporting were born: true failure rate, unit time-to-breakeven, the Bank Credit report and the franchise continuity rate.
We enable our clients to achieve lasting success in franchising. Our work is founded on a rigorous understanding of every client’s business context, industry dynamics, and market climate. We study franchise trends and emerging best practices because we believe that in order to serve our clients, we must stay ahead of the game.
Highlights
Meet our CEO
Darrell Johnson
(CEO)As CEO of FRANdata for over 25 years, I’ve witnessed the franchise model evolve alongside modern business practices. Through all these changes, one constant remains: our people. It’s their dedication, expertise, and innovation that drive our success. I am fortunate to work with some of the brightest minds in franchising, and together, we’re committed to advancing the franchise model and empowering the industry. While I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished, there’s much more ahead as we continue to lead in franchise intelligence. Thank you for being part of this journey.
Darrell Johnson
Meet the Franchise Experts
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Edith Wiseman
As a more than 20 year veteran at FRANdata, franchising is more than a passion for Edith, the analyzing and understanding of all things franchising and equating insight into results is her calling. As president of FRANdata, Edith plays a pivotal leadership role in the strategic growth of the company's performance advisory, strategic marketing and franchise financing solutions. Due to her dedication and knowledge Wiseman is the go-to person for hundreds of franchisors, top franchise lenders, Fortune 500 companies, and industry partners. As one franchisor disruptor describes the results of her work -- “we couldn’t have grown to 1,000 stores and beyond without her and her team.” Named by Entrepreneur as a Top Influential Woman in Franchising and by 1851 as one of their Top Women in Franchising, Wiseman has long been a key figure in understanding and promoting business model excellence and franchise finance best practices.
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Paul Wilbur
As COO of FRANdata, Paul is instrumental in building the research and consulting framework at FRANdata. Paul manages the Research, Information Management, Marketing and IT departments and plays an integral role in the strategic development of FRANdata’s suite of franchise solutions.
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Dallas Kerley
Kerley has over a decade of experience in the franchise industry and has been a featured speaker at numerous business and franchise conferences. In his former role as CEO of Benetrends Financial, a leading 401(k) business financing firm in the franchise community, he helped educate entrepreneurs on small business funding strategies and has written several articles on small business topics for a variety of publications.
Partnering With Thought Leaders in Franchising
FRANdata is proud to be a research partner of the International Franchise Association (IFA). the International Franchise Association is the world's oldest and largest organization representing franchising worldwide. IFA works through its government relations and public policy, media relations, and educational programs to protect, enhance and promote franchising and the more than 733,000 franchise establishments that support nearly 7.6 million direct jobs, $674.3 billion of economic output for the U.S. economy, and 2.5 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). IFA members include franchise companies in over 300 different business format categories, individual franchisees, and companies that support the industry in marketing, law, technology, and business development.
The International Society of Franchising (ISoF) is the global association of academic scholars who conduct scientific research on franchising. ISoF's hallmark event is its annual conference where attendees share cutting-edge research findings. You can find more information about ISoF, past research paper abstracts, and how to register for the next annual conference at www.FranchiseSociety.com
History
Remember the term UFOC? We started as a UFOC (now FDD) collection company, but soon customer inquiries came in asking us to compare them against their peers; so, we quickly became a data analysis company, expertly dissecting and analyzing data into understandable pieces of strategic information. It was a natural transition to go from mastering the data found in the FDD to researching beyond publicly available sources. In the mid-1990s we were proudly commissioned by the IFA to create one of the earliest attempts to analyze the franchise industry as a whole, called the “Profile of Franchising” report. Shortly thereafter, as part of our entry into franchise capital access solutions, we launched the Franchise Registry. 40,000 FDDs later and more than 10,000 franchisor and supplier clients over the years, our market has embraced our robust analysis and has helped us usher in our current role as consultants and industry analysts. With our role as objective analysts comes the responsibility to have the analytical tools in place to correctly decipher and measure a franchise business’ true performance success and failure. From the first UFOC collected over 25 years ago to the research and consulting projects of today, FRANdata has built our business from a culture of integrity and the desire to grow the industry we serve.
How it all started
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1989FRANdata acquired 1,000 UFOC (Uniform Franchise Offering Circular) documents, solidifying its position as a leading source of information in the franchise industry. This marked a pivotal moment in the company’s history, enabling them to provide valuable insights to franchisees, franchisors, and investors.
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1996FRANdata embarked on its inaugural research project in collaboration with the International Franchise Association (IFA). This marked the beginning of a fruitful partnership, further establishing FRANdata as a trusted research and data provider within the franchise community.
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1997
FRANdata took a significant step forward by establishing the Franchise Registry. This platform became a central hub for essential franchise information, streamlining the franchise registration and lending process. It represented a milestone in enhancing transparency and efficiency in the franchising industry.
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2001FRANdata underwent a significant change when it was acquired by NCB. This event marked a turning point in the company’s evolution.
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2004FRANdata experienced another transition when it was acquired by Darrel Johnson. This change in ownership contributed to the company’s growth and development.
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2009
FRANdata introduced Bank Credit Reports (BCR), expanding its range of services and becoming a valuable resource for financial information in the franchise industry.
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2012
Began working on the Mega 99 rankings with Franchise Update MagazineRanking the largest multi-unit franchisees in the United States
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2013
FRANdata’s impact extended internationally as the Small Business Administration (SBA) adopted the Franchise Registry Universal Numbering System (FRUNS).
Additionally, FRANdata established Franchise Business Intelligence tailored for the Australian market.
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2014
FRANdata played a pivotal role by creating a methodology and ranking system for Forbes, further solidifying its position as a trusted source for franchise industry insights.
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2015
Franchise Credit Score gained recognition and was used by lenders for underwriting loans, highlighting its importance in financial decision-making within the franchise sector.
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2016
FRANdata had amassed an impressive database, collecting information from over 50,000 Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDDs). This extensive database enhanced its ability to provide valuable insights to stakeholders in the franchise
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2018
Releases Forbes Franchises 2018More than 9000 Lender representing hundreds of banks access the Franchise Registry
Experian utilizes FUND to enhance their business scoring model
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2019
FRANdata introduced the Top Score Award at the Multi-Unit Franchising Conference (MUFC), recognizing excellence within the multi-unit franchise sector. This award further solidified FRANdata’s commitment to acknowledging achievements in the industry. -
2021
Launched Franchisee Playbooks; Providing in-depth information on franchisees and their operations supercharging sales and marketing -
2023
Lenders with 5 trillion dollars in assets rely on the FUND Score to assess credit risks.