Top 100 Franchise Opportunities 2011: Behind The Hype

13 thoughts on “Top 100 Franchise Opportunities 2011: Behind The Hype”

• FUCK RITA’S now that place needs to be investigated, total fraud, you’ll lose everything!

• Don’t buy a mobility franchise from Ken Hollowell he is a conman as is Susan Barnes of Rockrose realty Inc

• Resolved

• This is the face of franchising! Fraud! Look at all the negatives in growth! Look at Snap-On! We know by the article in Forbes that it’s own successful franchisor denounces their ranking. He says Snap-On buys back their own sold franchises so they can cook the books on failure rates. So how many of these other franchisors are actually successful and not publishing FALSE information?

• As a former Cruise Planner, I would throw caution to the wind if you are reading the above review. Yes, what is stated is accurate, however there are many strings attached. Not all is as fantastic as it seems. FACT: CP states emphatically that your customers are yours; however they market to them extensively with highly discounted products to benefit their business. FACT: Many promises and written guarantees are made that are never honored; when confronted the franchisee is ignored or dismissed. FACT: Questioning or challenging a statement or recommended business practice known to be unethical is NEVER acceptable as a franchisee; you will be verbally attacked by CP officers. FACT: You are working for a corporation that is in direct competition with you and profiting from your hard work.

  I say FACT as I have documented evidence to support these statements. I urge anyone that is considering this company to carefully examine all options before the outlay of $10k+. I was a franchisee for 3-years and left due to the unethical practices of CP. As they say, hindsight is 20/20 and I count myself lucky to have a thriving agency today. Many franchisee’s who started in a class of 20 when I did never made it and saw their business an monies go down the drain. BE CAREFUL WITH THIS COMPANY!

• Anyone know anything negative about the Cruise Planners/American Express franchise, Cruise One franchise or Expedia Cruise Ship Center franchise? Of course you will only hear the good side of the franchise. I want to go into this with my eyes open and know about the down side of these franchises before I invest and find out first hand.

  I can’t find anything on the internet but that does not mean they don’t exist.

• Hello All.

  I’ve been investigating franchise ownership in 3 separate business areas: Home Health Care, Leather/Plastic Repair and Locksmith Services.

  I’ve tried to do as much due diligence on my own and have called a few franchisees.

  This would be my first franchise and I’ve considered relocating to an area that I am unfamiliar with to open this business.

  I’ve researched a lot, am using a Franchise Consultant but still feel like I’m not prepared to make a decision.

  Can anyone share any light on how long is too long to research before making a decision? I have hesitations in those that are labor intensive and would prefer to not be lock myself into a work/life balance that is unenjoyable.

  I am not the type to be forced into a decision but finding the real data out there has been pretty time consuming.

  Thank you and best wishes to everyone.
  J

• To John (and others):

  Owning a franchise – or any business – is never what you expect. Sort of like marriage, or any serious relationship. In the case of a franchise, the relationship is between you and the franchisor, with your customers, and with your vendors, employees and landlord. Don’t forget all of the different levels of the government.

  Have been a CPA for over 20 years and have had hundreds of business clients. Owned 2 franchises. In both cases, as with most businesses, income was less than reasonably projected and expenses were more. And – in both cases we did extensive research and focused on services we thought the market desperately needed and would pay for, along with skill sets atuned to both.

  You need to get to the point of your research where you can definitively objectively say the positives outweigh the negatives (list them), where you realize you may not make a dime but are willing to take the risk, where you understand it is going to be much harder and take more time and money than the franchisor says and where you don’t want to go to your grave saying “woulda coulda shoulda.” Prayer helps.

  Franchise #1 was a huge money pit, but led to a 20 year career as a professional speaker and published author. Franchise #2 (got out after the initial 5 year contract) led to what is now a profitable business (would not have done it in retrospect).

  Sometimes, buying an existing business and learning the ropes from the owner is a better bet. Good luck!

• I am so surprised to find absolutely nothing negative about cruise planners american express franchise . Just one review on Glassdoor and another one here – cruzedude. So much of media control. anyone who has worked with them can they please share their true views on company. Thank you

• Poonam.
  I am too looking for getting to know someone’s real experience with cruise planners. If you have found anything appreciate if you could share with me.

• As a former franchisee for Cruise Planners I would follow the advice of Cruze Dude and run don’t walk but run from handing over your money to them.

  The company is very “rah rah” and if you don’t think Cruise Planners is the greatest thing since sliced bread and go along with everything you will be on the outs. They are extremely cliquish. They have a Facebook page where the agents do nothing by trash talk vendors and their BDM’s.

  Their “training” ( I used the term training, extremely loosely) is more or less a sales pitch. Which is also an additional fee to the franchisee fee. If they can find a way to charge you for something, you’re paying for it.

  A lot of the agents who bought a franchisee in my opinion should not be in this business, they have no clue as to what they’re doing. But it seems they’ll sell a franchise to whoever can pony up 10K plus the cost of their “training”.

  You can’t use the AMEX logo or name until you sell a certain amount of travel. But that doesn’t stop many of their agents from doing so. In fact many will tell people they work for American Express, which is against the rules. Once again has to do with selling franchise’s to people who have no clue. Many cling to the home office asking question after question as if they work for Cruise Planners over owning their own business.

  Their agreement is like 100 pages long, it’s absolutely ridiculous and they try to restrict you in every possible way.

  The executive management team spends more time traveling then they do actually managing their company. It’s a free for all in the office. Maybe you’ll get someone on the phone maybe you won’t. They’ll read your emails but never ever respond.

  There are plenty of other agencies out there that are less in cost and allow you the ability to do what you want and hire who you want.

• I’m cutrently in the process of buying a Cruise Planners – like many of you guys I’ve done tons of research. However I’m perplex why some of you guys keep looking for bad or negative information- if you want to find out how their Franchise Owners are doing just find out who they are and call them direct and have a heart to heart conversation with them. It’s not hard to find who they are – heck CP even provides you a list of franchise owners who are no longer active with CP. I say heck call them and hear for yourself why they stopped or dropped out of CP.
  truth be told after much research and speaking to aprox 20 franchise owners – most of them I found on my own and did surprised calls – I’m happy to report the overwhelming majority of CP Franchise owners are happy with their decision ad would do it all over again if they had too.
  *** This has been my experience yours may be different ******************

  A little word of advice after 20 years in the business world – get familiar with the 80/20 rule – it applies to almost every industry in the business world and in broadly explains why some people are able to make it in business and others do not.

• I’m also researching Cruise Planners and actually plan to sign on, this coming spring. The above negative revue by, “travelwithme”, sounds more like buyers remorse than an actual negative experience with the company itself. Just stating that the pages of the agreement number 100, sorta reveals that they didn’t actually read those 100 pages for details of restrictions or additional costs and signed on anyway! You are also sent a Franchise Disclosure, which is pretty comprehensive on what you get, don’t get, can do and can’t do, as a Franchisee. I’ve read them BOTH. So, it’s your decision on whether or not to sign on after READING the very pre-disclosed issues that “travelwithme”, has with Cruise Planners. I’m not defending them, but that negative review is rather weak.