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Before you sign

A franchise can be a good business and still be the wrong investment for you.

Most franchise conversations begin with brands. Mine begins with you — your capital, your city, your available time, your tolerance for risk. Only then do we look at the opportunity.

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Four things standing between you and a decision you can trust

  • 01

    “Everyone advising me earns on the brand I pick.”

    Almost every consultant and broker earns a commission on the brand they steer you toward. This is not a character flaw in any one adviser — it is the structure. When someone is paid to place you, “walk away” is a sentence they are not built to say. Every objection gets handled. Every doubt gets smoothed. You leave unsure whether you received advice or a pitch.

  • 02

    “I don't even know if franchising is right for me.”

    You are comparing Brand A with Brand B without ever having asked whether you should own a franchise at all. Nobody asked, because the people you spoke to earn only if the answer is yes. This is how good people end up in businesses that drain them. The model was fine. The fit was not.

  • 03

    “I can't tell if the franchisor's numbers are real.”

    You are shown projections and P&Ls from “typical stores”. Are they real? Averaged? Do they include the units that struggle? When you meet existing franchisees, the franchisor makes the introductions — to the best ones, naturally.

  • 04

    “I need the best case, but I have to survive the worst case.”

    Everyone talks about the upside. Almost nobody makes you sit with what happens if sales disappoint, costs climb, the relationship sours, or you need to get out.

What getting this wrong costs

Not a bad month. It is ₹20 lakh to ₹3 crore committed to a business that was never a fit, discovered somewhere in year two, under an agreement that does not let you leave.

I have paid this myself — a mall kiosk I understood two months into an eleven-month commitment. Understanding a mistake early does not make it cheaper. The decision window closes at signature, not at realisation.

That is the entire argument for doing this work before you sign.

The GV Franchise Decision Framework

Seven stages that move a franchise decision from an open question to an answer you can defend.

  • 1
    Investor Fit
    Should you own a franchise at all?
  • 2
    Opportunity Fit
    Does the sector, format and model suit your situation?
  • 3
    Unit Economics
    Can one outlet make money under realistic assumptions?
  • 4
    Market & Location Reality
    Is there demand, and will this location attract people who actually spend?
  • 5
    Operator & Franchisor Risk
    What depends on you, what depends on them, where does execution break?
  • 6
    Downside & Exit
    What happens if the assumptions are wrong?
  • 7
    Decision
    Proceed, renegotiate, investigate further, or walk away.

You are not paying for more information. You are paying for a structured decision and an experienced outside view, from the only person in the process with no reason to tell you yes.

What you'll hold at the end

  1. A decision you can defend — to your spouse, your accountant and yourself, including what would have to change for you to decide differently.
  2. Unit economics you rebuilt rather than received — stressed against lower sales, higher costs and a longer ramp, with the assumptions written down so you can challenge mine.
  3. A named downside you have already agreed you can survive — and the exit terms, in plain language, before they matter.
  4. The option to act again — capital you did not commit to the wrong business is capital you still hold. A “no” is not a dead end.

Ask yourself before you get in touch

If this brand disappeared in three years, what would I still own?

What is the smallest monthly sales figure at which I still cover everything — and how far below the projection is it?

How many hours a week does this actually take, and have I asked anyone other than the franchisor?

If I wanted out in month eight, what does the agreement let me do?

If you cannot answer these, that is the conversation.

Who this isn't for

Anyone who has already decided and wants confirmation. If the brand is chosen, the deposit is paid and the question is really “tell me I'm right”, the honest answer costs you money and buys you nothing.

And if you are abroad: anyone who wants a representative rather than an adviser. If what you need is somebody in India to find it, negotiate it, set it up and watch it, that is an agency relationship and I do not take it — at any fee. I also cannot help until you can name the person who will actually run the unit, and say honestly what they have run before.

  • Discovery Call · ₹5,000 · 30 minutes · credited in full against any engagement within 30 days
  • Franchise Decision Advisory · from ₹15,000 · single session or a three-session pack across 30 days
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