prices if the business does not have established relationships. With a franchise, the larger your franchise team becomes, the better pricing the franchisor can negotiate. You continue to stay ahead of the competition with better margins for your business. Ready-Made Branding -- With a sole company, there's marketing and cold calling and building up the business. Forward momentum is like a freight train pulling away from the station -- a slow, strained movement. Franchises have built-in brand and name recognition. Once your franchise is up and running, customers are seeking you out. Lower Risk Potential -- There is a potential for lower risk in a franchise because many of the mistakes have been made and needed changes incorporated into the business. There is a saying "you don't know what you don't know" and you make mistakes as learn along the way. With a franchise, you start with a greater knowledge base and there are much less unknowns for you do deal with, so this should equate to lower risk and a higher chance of success. The key is finding a franchise that has not only learned from their mistakes, but have also gone through the process of improving their franchise business as a result. Established Network -- If you are buying a company, you are pretty much on your own. Of course you can hire advisors and business coaches to improve chances of success, but success or failure is still all with you. In a franchise, you have an established