Franchise Connect Pro

With over 753,000 franchise establishments from 295 industries operating in the US, choosing to invest in a franchise brand that resonates with the franchisee’s personality disposition and lifestyle preferences holds potential for sustained financial success. Franchise Connect Pro serves as a beacon for aspiring entrepreneurs, individuals transitioning from corporate roles, and established business owners alike by helping them identify opportunities that align with their goals and objectives.

Owned by Sue and Craig Derene, Franchise Connect Pro offers consulting services to guide clients in discovering the next step in their career through franchise ownership. The franchise consulting and development firm represents over 900 leading franchise opportunities and uses a methodology, developed over a decade of industry experience, to match the entrepreneur to business models including brick-and-mortar, home-based, semi-absentee, and even a handful of full absentee ownership models. Being Certified Consultants of FranServe, a business conglomerate, enable the power couple to attain resources and work on multiple levels of franchise ownership. The firm’s hands-on approach offers insights beyond what is typically achieved through online research.

“Sue and I converse with clients to discern their preferences and help select a franchising opportunity that best suits them, as it is difficult to obtain this outcome through independent online research,” says Craig Derene.

Franchise Connect Pro’s due diligence process begins when an aspiring franchisee seeks the founders’ industry expertise. The initial upfront calls between the client and the firm focus on discussing the scope of services offered to find the apt business model. Putting theory into practice, Sue and Craig then learn their requirements through a three-part educational assignment.

The assignment comprises a Google Drive with informative articles on franchising and business ownership for review, an entrepreneurial assessment that highlights the client’s personality traits, and a candidate profile form. The fillable PDF profile form asks the client to answer detailed questions on various aspects. This includes their current financial situation and capital on hand, preferred business location, time allocated to manage business operations, involvement of family members, interests, passions and goals, as well as the clients timeframe. Parallel to how a realtor assists prospective home buyers, the firm utilizes this information to present clients with franchise opportunities and business models that match their personalities and objectives.

Franchise Connect Pro also resolves clients’ misconceptions and questions during the franchise selection process regarding franchisor support, training, and overall culture. Sue and Craig’s comprehensive industry experience enables them to cite the advantages of investing in a franchise and counsels their clients on relevant questions they should ask franchisors before signing the legally binding Franchise Agreement. Franchise Connect Pro also partners with specialized attorneys and lending firms to offer legal and financial assistance, if needed.

Time, honesty, and transparency are the only asks Franchise Connect Pro requests from their clients, as its services are rendered free of cost, while franchisors pay a referral fee to the firm. Sue and Craig also offer existing business owners assistance in determining their company’s franchisability through their franchise brokering services.

Numerous franchisees and franchisors have accredited Franchise Connect Pro for their success. For instance, a corporate acquaintance of Craig Derene was searching for a franchise with a semi-absentee model that allowed her and her husband to lead interchangeably. After the firm assisted them in discovering their preferences, the client selected an upcoming brick-and-mortar massage franchise that operated on a membership model and purchased the rights for three units. The chosen business model along with the franchisor’s advertising and business strategies facilitated the client to achieve positive cash-flow positive upon the inauguration of the first unit.

Franchise Connect Pro’s methodology of choosing business models that harmonizes with their personal, professional, and financial needs demystifies the franchise selection process and makes it more accessible to aspiring franchisees. This factor facilitates the firm to assist franchisees and franchisors in the US and Canada to overcome hurdles in their search for franchise ownership and paves the way for successful franchise investments.