Why franchise owners get the best deals

Imagine this, readers:

You’re scrolling BizBuySell and spot a pressure washing franchise for sale in your city. 

Looks decent—name recognition, five years in business, and a semi-absentee owner.

You figure, “Hey, this could be my foot in the door.”

What you don’t realize:

Three existing franchisees in that brand looked at this business weeks ago, before it ever hit the public listing. And they all passed. 

By the time it’s on BizBuySell, you’re picking through the leftovers. 

Let’s take a look at the “inside game” that owners get to play… and the strategy you can use to get in the door.

Plant your flag

Even if you haven’t bought your first franchise, it’s important to think about your endgame. 

One popular strategy with a lot of people I work with is to grow through acquisition: they plan to buy a business, then grow by buying more businesses (as opposed to starting new businesses, or growing the one they’ve bought). 

→ Related read: What’s your endgame?

Franchising is a great option for these people, with what I call the “plant your flag” strategy.

You start, counterintuitively, by buying a new franchise territory instead of an existing business. Because once they’ve “planted their flag,” they’re on the inside of the system. 

And being on the inside gives them three serious advantages:

• Easier deal sourcing. When a franchise goes up for sale, existing franchisees hear about it first.
  

• Faster diligence. You already know the model. You’ve run the playbook. You know what “good” looks like inside the brand.
  

• Smoother integration. You’re familiar with systems, vendor relationships, and hiring norms. 

Growth becomes just a matter of execution.

Who this works for

The “plant your flag” strategy works especially well for:

• First-time business owners who want a proven model (not an open-ended experiment)
  

• Acquisition entrepreneurs looking to buy multiple units or resales
  

• People who want the 3E outcomes:
  → Exit (sellable asset)
  → Executive Ownership (build a team, step back)
  → Empire (multi-unit scale)

—

Buying a franchise is a great middle path to get into business ownership.

You’re not starting a business from scratch. And you’re not buying a business you have to figure out all on your own. You get systems, leads, structure — and once you’ve done it the first time, you can do it as many times as you want.

It’s why I love my job.

Thanks for reading,

Connor

P.S. Want help planting your flag? I work one on one with people looking to buy their first franchise the right way: not the overpriced resale, not the low-support money grabs. (Plus, my services don’t cost you a dime.)

If that’s you, click here to book a call. Let’s talk.

Ready for the next step? Here are 3 ways I can help you: