Source Book Publications and the World Franchising Network are committed to helping individuals in their quest for self-employment and business ownership by providing them with the most comprehensive and up-to-date information on the maximum number of legitimate franchise systems and service providers. We feel strongly that the operating and systems advantages provided by franchising make it the preferred avenue for 95% of those people who want to go into business for themselves.

Our Stakeholders

Our stakeholders are today's prospective and existing franchisees, franchisors, law firms, consulting firms, accounting firms, service providers and entrepreneurs, who, as a group, make the franchising industry what it is and, more importantly, what it can become.

About the World Franchising Network

With its extensive product line of books, internet websites, databases and consulting services, the World Franchising Network is the pre-eminent provider of reliable, up-to-date and easy-to-use information on franchising.

Books include:

1) Bond's Franchise Guide (20th Edition) provides detailed profiles on nearly 900 North American franchisors, as well as information on franchise industry service providers, consultants and attorneys. The profiles are divided into 29 distinct industry categories;

2) "How Much Can I Make?" (10th Edition) provides historical sales, expense and/or profit data on actual franchise operations, as provided by the franchisors themselves. This "insider's guide" includes 93 recent earnings claim statements for 4 major industry categories;

3) Bond's Top 100 Franchises (3rd Edition) provides a rigorous analysis of 100 top franchises in the food-service, lodging, retail and service-based industries. Selected from the 3,000+ available franchise systems, these companies were evaluated on the basis of historical performance, brand identification, market dynamics, franchisee satisfaction, level of initial training and on-going support, financial stability and other key factors; 

4) Bond's Hottest New Franchises (new publication) provides detailed profiles on companies that have less than 50 operating units and which provide great potential for entrepreneurial franchisees;

5) Veteran's Franchise Guide (new publication) provides detailed profiles on franchisors committed to the inclusion of veterans in their systems.  The book also provides relevant resources for the prospective franchisee;

6) The Minority Franchise Guide (4th Edition) provides detailed profiles on over 450 companies committed to the inclusion of minorities in their systems. The book also provides relevant resources for the minority investor;

7) The International Herald Tribune International Franchise Guide provides detailed profiles on a broad range of international franchisors, attorneys and consultants/service providers. Included franchisors are specifically looking for international partners;

8) Tips & Traps When Buying a Franchise (2nd Edition) provides an insightful overview and road map for prospective franchisees.

For details on these books, as well as other books about franchising, see our Franchise Bookstore.

Internet websites include:

www.worldfranchising.com - the Internet's most comprehensive and up-to-date portal on franchising. The subsidiary sites (noted below) of resources and sortable databases cover all major segments of the industry.

www.100topfranchises.com -  provides a listing of 100 top franchises in the food-service, lodging, retail and service-based industries. Selected companies were evaluated on the basis of historical performance, brand identification, market dynamics, franchisee satisfaction, level of initial training and on-going support, financial stability and other key factors. 

www.hottestnewfranchises.com -  provides information on companies that have less than 50 operating units and which provide great potential for entrepreneurial franchisees.

www.franchises4vets.com -  a sortable database of North American franchisors who actively seek out and support veteran franchisees, as well as related resources.

www.minorityfranchising.com - a sortable database that includes a detailed listing covering 50 fields of critical information on over 450 North American franchisors who actively seek out and support minority franchisees, as well as related resources.

www.franchisingsuppliers.com - a sortable database that includes detailed profiles of leading North American franchise consultants and service providers, as well as related resources.

www.franchisingattorney.com - a sortable database that includes detailed profiles of leading North American attorneys who specialize in franchising, as well as related resources.

www.franchisingresourcecenter.com - lists over 80 franchise industry publications and proprietary in-depth reports, as well as more than 300 current franchise earnings claims (Item 19s) that can be purchased over the Internet. Orders are usually shipped within 24 hours.

Robert E. Bond

Rob Bond is a leading national authority on the exceedingly complex franchise industry. As the founder and president of Source Book Publications, located in Oakland, California, his sole focus for the past 20 years has been the dissemination of timely and in-depth information on franchising through books, websites and databases. Source Book Publications currently maintains six websites and publishes eight books on franchising, including Bond's Franchise Guide, considered by many to be the "industry bible."

Recognizing the need for a national forum to address the under-representation of minorities in the U.S. franchising community, Bond created the National Minority Franchising Initiative. The 2003-2004 program included Bond's Minority Franchise Guide, the www.minorityfranchising.com website and 10 seminars hosted throughout the country.  His partner in the NMFI is Everett Wallace of Wallace Enterprises International.

Since receiving his MBA from Stanford Business School, Bond has built an extraordinary record of achievements in several Fortune 100 companies, real estate development and consulting. As an author, lecturer and consultant, he is regarded as one of the franchise industry's most knowledgeable and widely-quoted spokespersons.