West Coast Franchise Expo

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Conference Sponsors

Free Seminars

These FREE educational seminars will help you make the right decisions during your franchise research.

For easy guidance, each description is related to a specific category. The legend below will help you understand the meaning of the symbols listed with each seminar description.

Buying a Franchise

Currently Franchising

Business & Compliance Resources

Franchising Your Business

Three Party Franchising

	Symposium 4: The Use of Technology in Franchising (separate fee required)
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Room 512
Presented by: Lee Plave, Partner, Plave Koch PLC and Theresa Huszka, CFE, Director of Franchise Sales Development, TSS Photography This Symposium will explore the way in which prospective and currently franchising companies can harness developments in electronic, telecommunications and internet technologies to enhance their business and franchise relationships. Click here for more details.
	Beyond Single Unit Franchising: Expanding Franchise Systems Through Multiple Unit And Third Party Arrangements
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Room 513
Presented by: Gaylen Knack, Partner, Gray Plant Mooty and Max Schott, II, Partner, Gray Plant Mooty Many franchisors chose to expand their franchise systems through direct, single unit franchise agreements. Although common, this approach may not be best suited for franchisors desiring rapid growth, international development or expansion with more limited resources to sell or service franchises. This seminar focuses on some of the most popular multi-unit expansion models, including multiple unit development arrangements, area developer arrangements and master franchising (also called sub-franchising). We will discuss the basic components of each model, as well as their respective advantages and challenges, and how these may vary depending upon whether an arrangement is for a territory in the United States or abroad. Best practices for getting the most out of each of the different expansion models will be discussed.
	Earning Claims
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM Room 518
Presented by: Marisa Faunce, Transactional/trademark partner, Plave Koch PLC The Federal Trade Commission recently approved changes to the Item 19 earnings claim or “financial performance representation” that became effective in July 2007. A properly constructed financial performance representation can be one of the most powerful marketing tools available to franchisors in discussing their franchise opportunity with prospective franchisees. While many franchisors still do not provide any financial performance representation disclosure in their franchise disclosure documents, those franchisors that do understand the impact it can have on their closure rate with prospective franchisees and the protection it can provide them in ensuring that their financial discussions with prospects are accurate and within the regulatory guidelines. In this session we will discuss the benefits and risks of including a financial performance representation in your franchise disclosure document, your options in making the presentation and how it can be used as an effective tool in the franchise sales process.
	The 7 Secrets You Must Know Before Buying into a Franchise, and the 3 Traps that will Kill You
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Room 511B
Presented by: Mark Leonard, President, Your Franchise Mentor In this informative seminar, experienced multi-unit franchisee Mark Leonard guides prospective franchisees through the dangerous territory that is franchising. Mr. Leonard reveals the hard-won secrets he and other successful franchisees have learned. Attendees will leave this no-nonsense talk armed with the actions they MUST take in order to be successful.
	The Tax Gap: Are You Properly Reporting Your Income and Expenses?
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Room 511A
Presented by: Derek Ganter, Senior Stakeholder Liaison, Internal Revenue Service Do you know what the Tax Gap is? Find out about the greatest challenge to our tax administration system and how your business could be impacted. In this workshop you will made aware of the areas of emphasis, income and expenses, the IRS has identified for small businesses. Are you properly deducting your Car and Truck expenses? Is your home office deduction accurate? These and many other important issues will be discussed. You don’t want to miss this important information!
	Franchising with the SBA
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM Room 511A
Presented by: Stephen Olear, District Counsel, U.S. Small Business Administration Find out what are the SBA’s Criteria for an Acceptable Franchise and learn about the SBA Franchise Registry.
	The Franchise Ownership Mix: Lessons Learned in the Re-franchising Process
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM Room 512
Presented by: Peter Cohen, CEO, Sylvan Learning, Inc. Franchise ownership can mean the difference between the success or failure of any given franchise business. In this seminar, the presenter will explore recent trends in franchise ownership and provide attendees with real world examples of lessons learned during the re-franchising process. The session will examine resources required for a re-franchising effort including time, money, staff and more; targeting potential buyers including marketing options, sales team considerations and financing; and managing the transition including communicating the news internally, legal issues and setting up buyers for success. Attendees will learn how other franchisors are handling the ownership mix; the various options of ownership: corporate & franchisee or franchisee only; and how to develop and implement a strategy to re-franchise corporate-held locations.
	Ready, Set, Go! Steps to Awarding Your First Franchise
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM Room 518
Presented by: Marc A. Kiekenapp, Managing Partner, Franchise Outsource Where do I start? My documents are complete. Now what? Do I personally sell the first few? If I want to hire a sales professional, where do I find them? Should a new franchisor start with a broker network? Are there consulting firms that can help? What media sources should I use? Do I target market areas or build out the entire country? What is the profile of the candidate for my business? Should I use earnings claims? The launch is the most CRITICAL part of the foundation of your business and will determine your future success and culture of your organization.
	How to Finance Your Franchise
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM Room 511B
Presented by: Bernie Siegel, President, Siegel Capital LLC and Nate Greenberg, General Manager, Siegel Capital LLC What investment level can I afford? What are my options? What preparation and steps are necessary to attain financing? How do I make myself look attractive to lenders? In this seminar we will discuss how to use financing as a tool to help you achieve your goals through business ownership. We will explore financing opportunities available to you through the SBA program and equipment leasing, as well as other potential financing options.
	How to Become a Multi-Unit Franchise Owner
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Room 501A
Moderated by: Darrell Johnson, President, FRANdata Franchisors are seeking prospective franchisees that will become mulit-unit owners. There is a clear need to better understand how multi-unit operations change the way franchisees must operate. This profram is designed to help you gain that understanding.
	Global Franchise Expansion: Smart and Lucrative Growth Using the Global Presence of the U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Room 511A
Presented by: Kristin Houston, Senior International Trade Specialist, U.S. Commercial Service and Robert Shaw, Managing Director, Edwards Global Services, Inc. Learn the secret to success other Franchisors already know. . . There is a whole world of international franchising opportunities to explore, but it can be very difficult to decide which markets to target and how to approach them. A key ingredient to enable a franchise concept's international growth lies in a business' ability to cultivate the right information on market trends, growth and legislation, and to utilize that information effectively. With its network of offices across the U.S. and in more than 84 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to do just that! Learn how we help you prepare and ultimately introduce your concept to the chosen market and work for you to find your ideal partner for in that market!
	Three Party Franchising
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Room 513
Presented by: Bill Killion, Partner, Faegre & Benson and Brian Schnell, Partner, Faegre and Benson This session will explore ways franchisors can effectively expand their franchise systems through alternatives to the traditional direct franchise model. We will engage in a rigorous and dynamic discussion of the advantages and challenges of master franchising and area/regional directors. Our speakers will have real life experience with both international and domestic systems and will focus on issues that can make an impact on a three party franchise model.
	Your Franchise Compliance Program: What you need to know
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Room 512
Presented by: Joseph W. Sheyka, Partner, DLA Piper US LLP Creating an in-house compliance and registration program can be difficult and confusing. This seminar will give you an overview of the crucial points you need to know to make them efficient and successful. Your questions will be answered in this seminar dealing with a critical issue for franchisors.
	Symposium 3: Operations Manuals -- The Foundation to Consistent Execution (separate fee required)
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM Room 518
Presented by: Marla Rosner, Senior Consultant, Training , Michael H. Seid & Associates Documentation of your business’ processes and procedures is the foundation to consistent execution of your franchise concept. In this 3-hour Symposium, learn how to create a user-friendly Operations Manual as well as key content that should be included. Click here for more details.
	13 Costly Mistakes Tenants Make Negotiating Their Lease or Renewal
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Room 511B
Presented by: Dale Willerton, Founder and CEO, The Lease Coach Finding the right location and negotiating a new lease or renewal can be a challenge for many small business owners. Tenants may only go through the leasing process once or twice in a lifetime, yet they are negotiating against real estate agents and landlords that negotiate leases for a living. This session will show you how to avoid the common pitfalls faced by tenants while negotiating their lease or renewal.
	10 Commandments of Franchise Sales
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM Room 512
Presented by: Max Schott, II, Partner, Gray Plant Mooty and Gaylen Knack, Partner, Gray Plant Mooty The legal issues related to selling/awarding franchises should not be a mystery. A franchisor should be able to meet its sales goals with complete confidence that it did so in full compliance with the law. This session will help every franchisor understand the legal aspects of franchise sales with a focus on ten simple and common sense rules to implement as part of your sales compliance program.
	Green Building: How to Go Green and Apply the Benefits
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM Room 511A
Presented by: Lance A. Williams, PhD, Executive Director - Los Angeles Chapter, U.S. Green Building Council Commercial interiors are an important focus for green building. Such a focus allows tenants, as well as building owners, to consider and apply the benefits of green building and sustainability to their work space. This panel will consider the use of green materials, as well as such factors as day lighting, materials to be used in a green tenant improvement project, and the related costs associated. The LEED-CI rating system will be a focus of the panel discussion, as well as how persons new to green building and sustainability can begin to develop a green mindset.
	All for One and One for All!: The Art of the Franchisee and Franchisor Relationship
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM Room 511B
Moderated by: Marc P. Plaisted, President, BrandChise Panelists: Scott Weber, Partner, Phelps Dunbar LLP; Dick Rennick, CEO, Team Rennick How does one effectively manage this truly unique relationship? Speakers will show you the signs of a good franchisor and franchisee relationship and what needs to GIVE in order to maintain a positive and lasting exchange.