It’s time for our annual year in review. Each year, we publish numerous articles on our blog—and 2025 was no exception. Throughout the year, we published dozens of articles that provide important information and insights for both prospective and current franchisees. Here, national franchisee attorney Jeffrey M. Goldstein takes a look back at some of the highlights.
Understanding Your Rights As a Franchisee
As a franchisee (or as a prospective franchisee), it is critical to ensure that you have a clear and comprehensive understanding of your legal rights. If you don’t know your legal rights, you won’t be able to make informed decisions, and this could potentially put you in a very risky situation.
In 2025, we published several articles focused on helping current and prospective franchisees understand their legal rights. These articles focus on making informed decisions at all phases of franchise ownership—from buying a franchise to facing a dispute with your franchisor:
- 4 More Reasons Why All Prospective Franchisees Need a Franchise Business Review – Learn four important reasons why all prospective franchisees need to work with an experienced franchisee attorney to make an informed buying decision.
- What Does it Mean if Your State Doesn’t Have a Franchise Law? – Learn why some states have franchise laws, and some don’t, and find out what it means if you live in a state that does not have a law that specifically protects franchisees.
- What Constitutes an “Unfair Franchise Practice”—and What if You’re a Victim? – Learn when franchisors’ efforts to maintain control cross the line, and learn what you can (and should) do if you fall victim to an “unfair franchise practice.”
The SBA Reinstates Its Franchise Directory
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) reinstated its Franchise Directory on June 1, 2025. The SBA Franchise Directory is a list of franchisors that meet the SBA’s eligibility requirements for federal loan guarantees. While a franchisor’s inclusion on the SBA Franchise Directory is not an indication of endorsement or approval from the federal government, choosing a franchisor that is listed in the directory can help mitigate some of the financial risk associated with franchise ownership. Learn more: The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has Reinstated its Franchise Directory.
Choosing a Franchise Opportunity
Regardless of how you choose to finance your investment in a franchise, it is critical to ensure that you make an informed decision about the franchise opportunity you want to pursue. There are a lot of options, and it is easy to feel overwhelmed.
At the same time, it is easy to start narrowing your options too soon as well. If you are focused too narrowly on a particular industry or a particular price point, you could end up overlooking viable franchise opportunities. These articles discuss some key considerations for focusing your search in particular segments of the franchise industry:
- Should You Buy Into a “Breakout” Franchise Brand? – While there can be advantages to targeting “breakout” franchise opportunities, there can be risks as well.
- Is It a Good Idea to Choose an Unconventional Franchise? – Similarly, while choosing an unconventional franchise can limit the amount of competition your franchise faces, this can also have certain drawbacks.
- Buying a Budget-Friendly Franchise: Is It Worth It? – If budget is a consideration, how low can (and should) you go? Here are some important factors to consider.
Health and Wellness (and Pickleball) Franchises
Health and wellness have long been among the most popular segments of the franchise industry. This year, we saw a new entrant—pickleball—which has taken the world of franchising by storm. These articles provide some industry-specific insights for prospective franchisees who are considering health and wellness franchises:
- Key Insights from the IFA’s 2025 Franchising Economic Outlook – The IFA’s annual Franchising Economic Outlook takes a look at sales figures and other data from recent years to provide an assessment of the current state of the franchise industry and specific industry sectors.
- Buying a Health and Wellness Franchise in 2025 – Learn about some considerations that are unique (or, at least, uniquely important) for prospective health and wellness franchisees.
- What You Need to Know Before You Buy a Pickleball Franchise – Should you buy a pickleball franchise in 2026? Here are some key considerations.
Making the Jump to Multi-Unit Franchise Ownership
While some franchisees are content to own a single franchise, others buy their first outlet as a stepping stone toward multi-unit ownership. Making the jump to multi-unit franchise ownership presents some unique legal considerations as well—and it is important to make sure you know these considerations before moving forward. Learn more: What Do You Need to Consider Before Becoming a Multi-Unit Franchisee?
Buying a Franchise in 2026
Regardless of the specific franchise opportunity (or opportunities) you are considering, it is critical to ensure that you are making an informed buying decision. Late in 2025, we published an article focused specifically on buying a franchise in 2026. You can read that article here: Thinking About Buying a Franchise in 2026? Here’s Where to Start.
Facing a Dispute with Your Franchisor in 2026
Finally, while most prospective franchisees never expect to face a dispute with their franchisor, these disputes are much more common than most people realize. These disputes can involve a wide range of issues, and they can present various risks for franchisees. In 2025, we published articles discussing various common types of franchisor-franchisee disputes and providing insights on the dispute resolution process. You can read a few of those articles here:
- What if Your Costs Are Higher Than Expected As a Franchisee? – Learn about your legal options if the costs of franchise ownership are higher than you expected (and higher than what your franchisor disclosed in its FDD).
- What Should Your Franchisor Do for Your Franchise (and What If It Doesn’t)? – Learn about your legal options if your franchisor isn’t holding up its end of the bargain.
- What Are the Most Common Reasons for Pursuing Franchise Arbitration? – Learn about some of the most common reasons why franchisees file for arbitration, and find out what you can expect if you need to go through the arbitration process.
Request a Free Consultation with National Franchisee Attorney Jeffrey M. Goldstein
If you have questions about buying a franchise or resolving a dispute with your franchisor, national franchisee attorney Jeffrey M. Goldstein can help. To request a free consultation, call us at 202-293-3947 or tell us how we can help online today.
