Franchise Blog

The National Minority Franchising Initiative (NMFI) has compiled its third annual list of “50 Top Franchises for Minorities.” The results of this survey were featured in the October 2, 2009 issue of USA Today in the Franchising Today section. A copy of the article and list can be found here. For a listing of the companies only, please click here.

The NMFI selected 50 franchisors from hundreds of companies requesting evaluation for inclusion in the article. There was no cost to participate in the survey. The only constraint was that franchisors had to have in excess of 50 operating units. Each participating franchisor was required to submit its most recent Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) and the marketing package that is sent to prospective franchisees, as well as a completed questionnaire. The questionnaire noted the number (both absolute and as a percentage of the total number) of operating units owned by minorities, as well as the number of minorities in senior management that earned over $60,000 per year. (The questionnaire can be found here.)

“We are extremely pleased to see that, even in this poor economy, so many franchisors still have an active interest in attracting more minority franchisees,” said NMFI Co-Founder Rob Bond. “Given this huge underserved market, there is still a great deal of work that has to be done to bring minorities up to parity with the market.”

For a more complete list of franchise systems that wish to increase their minority representation, please go to www.MinorityFranchising.com. The site lists over 500 companies committed to recruiting and supporting minorities, as well as resources that are essential to the evaluation process.

The NMFI also publishes an annual list of the “Top 25 Franchises for Hispanics” for PODER magazine using a similar analysis. Next year’s “Top 25” survey will be conducted in February 2010 and the article will be published in April. Franchisors will be contacted in February to see if they wish to participate. There is no cost to participate; the only requirement is the submission of the completed questionnaire and the most recent FDD.

The National Minority Franchising Initiative (NMFI) was created in 2000 to level the playing field and meet the needs of a largely under-represented market. The multi-faceted NMFI program, which involves the www.MinorityFranchising.com website, the Minority Franchise Guide publication and franchise-related events throughout the country, represents an effective and cost-efficient tool for franchisors to increase minority representation within their systems.

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