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Carlie Smith

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Carlie works with franchisors and franchisees to grow their brands and businesses by helping them to comply with state and federal franchise regulations and navigate corporate transactions.  Carlie often assists hospitality and restaurant brands in navigating the regulatory permitting process.

Prior to joining Manning Fulton, Carlie worked as a law clerk at Kirton McConkie, a Salt Lake City law firm. During law school she interned with Judge Thomas B. Griffith of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and Justice Thomas R. Lee of the Utah Supreme Court.

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One central benefit that franchisees seek from joining a franchise system is the leadership of the franchisor’s team. This team controls the brand standards, leads national marketing, gives advice and support, and is responsible for brand innovation and development.

Item 2 of the Franchise Disclosure Document (“FDD”) discloses to prospective franchisees who these leaders are and their business experience. Item 2 also discloses who is involved in franchise sales and operations. However, under the requirements of the FTC Franchise Rule, not every leader, manager, or salesperson needs to be included. The below lists summarize who needs to be included in Item 2 and who does not.Continue Reading Who’s Who in Item 2?

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically impacted business in 2020, from government stay at home orders that prevented operations to adjusted customer service capacity or additional safety procedures. Some of these changes to your franchise system may be what the FTC or states regard as “material”, meaning the change likely affects a prospective franchisee’s conduct or…

Businesses are increasingly defined by the technologies they use internally or that they offer to their customers; franchisors are no exception Technology is interwoven into the way that businesses think about themselves and the world. For example, Amazon famously declared itself first a technology company that “just happens to do retail.” Developments in technology distinguish companies from their competition and open new growth opportunities.

Your franchise business likely depends of an array of systems to interact with customers, provide goods and services, and link franchisees to you and each other. Or, perhaps, those advancements are still aspirations for your system, and you want to leave the door open to introduce those technologies later.

Having the technology fee disclosed in your Franchise Disclosure Document (“FDD”) and included in your Franchise Agreement provides you with the flexibility to implement technologies systemwide and have your franchisees help bear the cost.Continue Reading What is the Technology Fee and Why Should I Charge My Franchisees One?

Items 5, 6, and 7 of a Franchise Disclosure Document (“FDD”) are all about money – how much the franchisor charges for the goods and services it provides franchisees before the franchised business opens, how much the franchisee will pay to the franchisor throughout the business relationship, and how much the franchisee will need to invest to open the business. After reading Items 5, 6, 7, the franchisee must understand how much things cost, how much they’ll be paying you, and when they will be making payments.

It is important for you to give accurate estimates to avoid litigation risks and help prospective franchisees evaluate their ability to successfully finance and open the business.
Continue Reading Franchise Disclosure Document (“FDD”) Items 5, 6, and 7 Explained

Developing a Social Media Policy for Franchise Systems

Effective use of social media is challenging for any business, but creating a strategy that works for an entire franchise system can be even more difficult.  Once that strategy is developed, it needs to be supplemented with a social media policy that protects you and your franchisees.

Below are four things to consider as you develop a social media policy.
Continue Reading Developing a Social Media Policy for Franchise Systems

You have worked hard to grow your business and brand.  The last thing you want to do is give it all away.  A carefully drafted non-competition agreement can protect your brand and trade secrets.

Well-drafted, enforceable non-compete agreements include the following elements:

Narrow List of Prohibited Activities

Courts are increasingly focusing on balancing former franchisees’…

COVID 19 undoubtedly impacted your business. Franchise systems in a wide array of industries experienced temporary closures, forced innovation in the delivery of goods and services, and altered unit economics. Some of these changes may qualify as “material” changed under state and federal law and will need to be accounted for in an amendment to the 2020 FDD.  The federal and state requirements are outlined below and will help you to determine if and when you need to amend your FDD because of COVID-19.
Continue Reading Do I Need to Amend My FDD to Account for the COVID-19 Pandemic?

The FTC Rule allows some franchisors to be exempt from the franchise disclosure document requirements. There are seven stated exemptions, and some of them are tied to certain monetary values. The FTC is authorized to adjust them every fourth year based upon the Consumer Price Index so that the laws are still relevant in changing economic conditions. The Commission is required to update the monetary exemption thresholds in 2020.

The following adjustments will go into effect on July 1, 2020:Continue Reading Franchise Exemption Threshold Adjustments Coming in July 2020

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California AB5 employee contractor

Perhaps you’ve heard about the California Legislature’s efforts to target misclassification of employees in the gig economy.

While the law passed in September 2019 had obvious impacts on companies like Uber and Lyft, it can also significantly affect franchisors. AB 5 increases the likelihood that a franchisee or franchisee’s employees will be viewed as employees of the franchisor, which dramatically increases the franchisor’s obligations to them.

Read on to learn how legislation in California may effect you.Continue Reading Mitigating a Franchisor’s Risks under California AB 5