Why 90% of Franchise Brands Fail (And How to Be the 10% That Survives)

Jeff Dudan's free digital copy of his book Most people building a franchise brand have no idea how much money it actually takes, what legal landmines are hiding in their FDD, or why 90% of franchise brands fail within 12 years. In this episode, Jeff Dudan sits down with two of the most respected names in franchising - Lane Fisher (founding partner of FisherZucker, one of the top-ranked franchise law firms in the country) and Brad Fishman (co-founder of Fishman PR, ranked the #1 PR firm in franchising by Entrepreneur Magazine) - to pull back the curtain on everything emerging and re-emerging franchise brands get wrong. They cover the real cost of launching a franchise brand ($1.5M-$2M in the first 24 months and why going faster actually costs MORE), the single biggest FDD mistake that kills franchise sales (Item 19), the death spiral that destroys most emerging brands before they hit critical mass, why one bad franchisee can collapse your entire organization, and the new AI-driven landscape that is rewriting how franchise brands need to think about PR and discoverability. Lane and Brad also share the origin story of the Franchise Springboard Conference - the premier event for emerging and re-emerging franchise brands - and why it was built specifically to help franchise founders make one less catastrophic mistake. Jeff Dudan joins as the Chair of Springboard 2026, taking place September 23-25 in Fort Worth, Texas. Topics covered: • The real cost to launch a franchise brand from scratch • Why 90% of franchise brands fail within 12 years • Item 19: the FDD section that makes or breaks franchise sales • Franchise sales compliance and the California SB919 broker disclosure law • How one bad franchisee can destroy your brand reputation • GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and getting your brand found by AI • Partnership red flags and how to vet a franchise partner • The Franchise Springboard Conference 2026 - what to expect • Why franchising thrives in every economy - boom or bust • The business categories AI literally cannot disrupt  Homefront Brands: https://www.homefrontbrands.com  Jeff Dudan: https://www.jeffdudan.com  Guest: Lane Fisher & Brad Fishman  Guest YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@franchisors.community  Guest Business YouTube: Guest Website: https://franchisespringboard.com/  Guest Socials: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/franchisespringboard/  #franchising #franchisebusiness #franchiselaw #franchisemarketing #emergingfranchise #smallbusiness #entrepreneurship #franchisegrowth #franchisedevelopment #unemployablepodcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.