We believe in franchising. And believe a strong, healthy franchise industry is a strategic imperative.
What's at issue?
Why the CFT exists.
A strong, healthy franchise industry requires competent franchisors with viable opportunity offerings AND a robust community of well informed, near-term franchisees.
The missing ingredient? – The near-term franchise buyer needs a vastly improved understanding of what franchising is, what it can possibly do, or not do for them and an ability to discern how franchisors operate.
To gain that improved understanding, better, more objective tools, information, frameworks and perspectives are sorely needed by the near-term franchise buyer. An objectivity, we don’t believe, is currently present in today’s franchise industry. Without which neither Franchisor nor near-term Franchisee can meet their goals. The CFT’s Primary Objective is to provide that objective framework to the near-term franchise buying community.
Franchising Decoded & Demystified is an initial attempt at meeting that need.
CFT's primary objective
We exist to serve the educational needs of the near-term franchise buyer. In providing objective information to the near-term franchise buying community based on THEIR needs, they can:
- Make more fully informed decisions
- Have more meaningful conversations with potential franchise concepts and partners
- Enter the process with more clarity and confidence and
- More closely align their experiences in franchising ownership with expectations developed during the investigation process, should it come to that point.
To accomplish our Primary Objective, the Council on Franchise Transparency must make our information truly represent the interests and needs of the near-term franchise buyer – uninfluenced by outside factors.

Guiding Principles
The CFT exists to execute our Primary Objective. Therefore, the Council of Franchise Transparency has adopted these Guiding Principles
- Be brand and/or advertiser agnostic
- Keep the needs of the near-term franchise buyer central to our decision-making
- Provide a universal benefit to the franchise industry
- Provide a product that is purely educational
- Continuously seek to educate
- Make our individual needs subordinate to those of our communities

Council on Franchise Transparency
The Council on Franchise Transparency is a revolving all volunteer board of franchisors, franchisees, and allied parties in the franchise industry who provide objective, experienced based information on the nature of franchising. Member organizations must meet eligibility guidelines including agreeing with our Guiding Principles.
“We believe franchising creates tremendous value to franchisors, franchisees, communities they serve, opportunities for employees and our nation. This value is only unlocked when franchisors communicate with transparency and completeness about the makeup of their systems and near-term franchisees understand the important aspects of systems they should be looking at, their abilities to open and manage a business and subsequent roles. In this way sound decisions can be made for mutual fit and the long term health of both parties and our industry as a whole.”
– Message from our Chairman