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How This Real Estate Company Streamlined Purchasing, Optimized Costs, and Enhanced Spending Visibility
With 1,500 team members across 260 sites, ease and efficiency were top priorities.
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Hard Talks, Made Easier
Business (and life) is full of difficult conversations. Here’s the best way I’ve found to have them.
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‘There’s No Days Off’
What does it take to compete at the highest level? Billionaire Mark Cuban and NFL star Micah Parsons have the answers.
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My Biggest Change as a Leader
Mindset shifts are hard, but they can be the key to success. We asked six business leaders how they began to look at things differently.
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Where the Best Marketing Ideas Come From
My agency, BBDO Worldwide, has transformed Snickers and tons of other brands. We did it by producing lots of bad ideas first.
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3 Reasons Growing SMBs Are Upgrading to Windows 11 Pro
Support for Windows 10 is ending soon. Now is the time to discover all that Windows 11 Pro can do.
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Don’t Let AI Do Your Writing for You
There’s much to gain by writing things yourself—and much to lose when you outsource it. Here’s why entrepreneurs need to be writers.
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Your 5 New Favorite Things
With Emmy Award-winning tech expert Mario Armstrong’s top finds, your 9-to-5 will have more joys and fewer frustrations—and your downtime will benefit too.
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TEN YEARS, 500 UNITS, ZERO PRIVATE EQUITY
How Mark W. Davis and Frank Torre Transformed PuroClean
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What Makes a Successful Entrepreneur?
We studied 7,000 entrepreneurs, comparing their attitudes to their business results. The insights were surprising.
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America’s Favorite MOM AND & POP SHOPS
HOW WE PICKED 150 BUSINESSES ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
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DEALING WITH ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY
Many small businesses are feeling the impact of tariffs and other policy changes. Here’s how they’re managing.
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OUR BEST-EVER PROMOTION
Want to draw new customers to your business? Take inspiration from these shops on our list, who share their greatest attention-getting ideas.
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Going Global, Still Hustling: How This Founder Keeps the Startup Mindset
Celebrating its 25th year, Electronic Payments is taking its mission of helping small businesses international.
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WHEN THE STRESS GETS TOO MUCH
Having a small business can take a toll on your mental health. Here’s how mom-and-pop owners manage it all.
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OUR MOST VIRAL SOCIAL MOMENT
We all post dutifully, but what really gets people talking? A few businesses from our list share what made them pop.
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WHEN TO CALL A LAWYER
Innocent little oversights can turn into big legal messes. Here are the top problems that mom-and-pop owners face.
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AUTOMATE YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE
Want to drive more business with less work—but still keep it personal? We asked a digital marketing expert who specializes in hyperlocal businesses for his top recommendations.
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I SOLD MY SMALL BUSINESS. NOW WHAT?
Building a local business is hard. But saying goodbye isn’t easy either. Here’s what I learned—and what every small business owner should know.
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HOW TO BUY A LOCAL BUSINESS
Want in on the mom-and-pop-shop life? It’s easier (and more profitable) than you might think.
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THE TOP FRANCHISE SUPPLIERS OF 2025
Need an accountant, bank, lawyer, marketer, or other forms of support? Here are the suppliers that franchisors trust the most.
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ACCOUNTING
FRANCHISORS ARE REQUIRED TO supply audited financial statements annually as part of their Franchise Disclosure Documents, so a good accounting firm is essential. You’ll find all the “Big Four” firms on our list, but smaller firms with franchise expertise are just as popular with franchisors.
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BANKING
THIS YEAR, WE’VE SPLIT our previous Banking/Financing category into two separate categories. In this category, we recognize more traditional banks, which remain essential for both franchisors and franchisees not just for loans, but also for deposits, checking, payment processing, and other financial services.
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FINANCING
MOST FRANCHISEES WILL NEED ACCESS to financing to start or expand their business, and banks aren’t the only source available. These financing solution providers advise and assist franchisees on a variety of options, including Small Business Administration (SBA) loans, 401(k) rollovers, unsecured loans, and more.
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FRANCHISE BROKER/REFERRAL NETWORKS
FRANCHISE BROKERS, also known as franchise consultants, coaches, or advisors, help match prospective franchisees with the best brands for their business and lifestyle goals. Their services are typically free to the franchisee, with payment made instead by the franchisors whose systems they help to grow.
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FRANCHISE CONSULTING/DEVELOPMENT
EXPANDING YOUR BUSINESS through franchising can be a daunting undertaking, but also a rewarding one. Here to assist are a number of franchise consulting and development companies that help businesses begin the franchising journey and help those already established to improve their operations.
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FRANCHISE EVENTS
FRANCHISE EVENTS OFFER the chance for franchisors, franchisees, and those curious about franchising to gather, network, and share best practices. There are events all across the country, including general industry events, trade shows, events for specific groups such as emerging franchisors or multi-unit franchisees, and more.
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LEGAL SERVICES
THIS IS ONE OF THE LARGEST and most competitive categories on our list, as there are multiple law firms that specialize in franchise-related matters. That’s great news for both franchisors and franchisees, since an attorney who understands the unique rules and regulations of the industry is indispensable.
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MARKETING AGENCIES
MARKETING IS ANOTHER CATEGORY that we have split up this year—into Marketing Agencies and Marketing Products/Services. The Agencies category includes full-service firms that help franchisors implement a variety of strategies to market their brands, service offerings, and franchise opportunities.
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MARKETING PRODUCTS/SERVICES
THE COMPANIES IN OUR SECOND new marketing category offer a variety of tools, products, and services to aid franchisors and franchisees in their marketing efforts, including marketing platforms, social media tools, video production services, reputation management solutions, and more.
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MERCHANT SERVICES
PAYMENT PROCESSING AND RELATED SERVICES are essential to the smooth operation of every modern business, and franchisors often prefer—or even require—their franchisees to use the same trusted vendor for these services. These are the providers that franchisors who voted in our survey trust and recommend the most.
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PUBLIC RELATIONS
PUBLIC RELATIONS FIRMS MUST understand the unique needs of franchisors in order to successfully serve them. The best firms need to provide support on at least two fronts: Building awareness of products and services and driving lead generation. These are our survey-takers’ favorite PR champions in another highly competitive category.
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REAL ESTATE
FOR FRANCHISE BUSINESSES that require retail, office, or warehouse space, finding the right location—at the right price—can make a huge difference to their success. Franchisors work with and recommend these companies to their franchisees to help them find the perfect place to plant their flag.
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A Real Estate Revolution
How Morrow Hill is rewriting the rules of growth, speed and trust in franchising.
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TECHNOLOGY
THERE ARE TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS to help franchisees and franchisors run their businesses more efficiently in almost every area, including hiring, customer service, scheduling, business management, analytics, sales, and more. These are the tools franchisors find most useful.
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She Owns a $12 Million Staffing Franchise
After watching her mother run businesses in Indonesia, Josephine Suryono knew she’d one day do the same—just on a different continent.
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These Bagels Are Built to Sell
The food game isn’t easy. PopUp Bagels is winning it with creative marketing, maximum efficiency, and a very focused franchisee plan.
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How to Decode Franchise Fees
You’ll see a lot of numbers while shopping for franchises. Here’s what everything means, and why it matters.
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WHAT TOP PERFORMERS HAVE IN COMMON
Every franchise has a top-performing franchisee who drives the most business. These people tend to share two key qualities: a willingness to do the dirty work, and a purpose far bigger than profit.
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The Top Global Franchises
Looking to expand beyond the U.S.? This list features the top 200 franchise brands growing across the world.