Buy the operator model, not the logo.
Do you want to own the right business?
Get matched with franchise brands from someone who co-founded and scaled a national franchise brand, owns multiple units, and invests his own money.
Find my match
01 / Straight talk
Straight talk
Most people don't fail because they picked a bad brand. They fail because they picked the wrong brand for them.
Talk to the owners the franchisor didn't give you.
If you can't survive the ramp, don't sign.
02 / The process
How it works
01 / Online
Take the Franchise Match Survey
Eight questions. Your goals, capital, time, and hard nos.
02 / Match
Get your matches
Ranked brands in my network that fit how you want to live.
03 / A call with Mike
The Reality Check
The truth about your matches: fit, capital, runway, and the four pillars.
04 / Through opening
Owner in your corner
Check-ins at 90 days, pre-opening, and 12 months, plus an owner community.
03 / Skin in the game
Advice is cheap. Skin in the game isn't.
Anyone can give you an opinion. I invest my own money in franchise businesses, and I'll tell you when to walk away.
01
Most research starts with franchisor marketing and what ranks online. It won't show you which brands are quietly losing owners.
02
I've run units, hired teams, and lived through slow quarters.
03
I invest my own capital in franchise businesses, so I evaluate every match the way an investor does.
04 / Start here
Find your match first.
Eight questions. You'll see which brands in my network fit your goals, capital, and time. Then we talk.
05 / Operator perspective
What an owner brings
Anyone can hand you a playbook. Here's what an owner brings.
01
Skin in the game
Most advisors lose nothing when they're wrong. Mike invests his own capital, so he judges deals like an investor, not a salesperson.
02
Access
Franchisor leaders, lenders, landlords, and operators who'll tell you the truth.
03
Accountability that matters
Small owner groups that meet in person.
04
A name on the recommendation
Mike's reputation is on every call he makes.
05
In the room
Site walks. Discovery day. Opening weekend.
06
Judgment under uncertainty
He'll ask the question you're avoiding.
06 / Working together
Ways to work with Mike
Pick how deep you want to go.
Start here
Franchise Match Survey + your matches
- □The Franchise Match Survey
- □Your matched brands
- □One intro call
Reality Check
- □Deep-dive decision session on your matched brands
- □Owner validation calls with real owners of those brands
- □Territory and terms advocacy on your matches
Owner in Your Corner
- □Everything in Reality Check
- □90-day, pre-opening, and 12-month check-ins
- □Site and discovery-day support
Owner Circle
- □In-person mastermind and small peer group
- □Investor-operator perspective and, where appropriate, introductions
07 / Investor in your corner
An investor in your corner
I invest in franchise businesses myself through syndication. That shapes how I look at every deal: unit economics, operator quality, downside.
Where it makes sense, I can introduce you to operators, lenders, franchisors, and opportunities I know well, and tell you what I'd do in your seat.
08 / Four pillars
Every business runs on four pillars.
Whether you buy a franchise or start from scratch, owning a business means pivots and problems every day. Every business stands on the same four pillars. A franchise gives you a system, but you still have to master all four.
01
Getting new customers
Where the next customer comes from, every week.
02
Sales
Turning interest into revenue.
03
Marketing
Staying visible and funded from day one.
04
Operations
Delivering the same great experience every time.
I'll show you how each one works in every brand you're matched with, before you sign.
09 / The operator
The person behind the check
Mike Blair — active franchise investor, former franchisor who co-founded and scaled a national franchise brand, and a multi-unit franchise owner.
10 / Real calls, real outcomes
Real calls, real outcomes
It looked like a business. It was a job.
A friend came to me ready to buy into a restaurant franchise, and on the surface it looked like a strong opportunity. Then we mapped it against what he actually wanted: financial freedom and real ownership. The model needed him on-site and running shifts, with his income tied to his hours. He'd have been buying himself a demanding job, not a business. He walked away. Then we found a franchise in a different category that fit how he wanted to live, and it turned out to be life-changing.
He didn't know this path existed.
I met a couple who cared deeply about mental health. The husband was a grade-school counselor, stuck in a school system job, and he'd never considered that he could own a business in the field he knew. We found a franchise in a related category that built on his experience. He was nervous, so I coached him through it and pushed him to decide, until he felt confident he could do it with the right franchise partner. It became a life-changing move for his family and a path to building generational wealth.
The number the franchisor doesn't lead with.
The franchisor's startup estimate usually doesn't cover what it really takes to get through the ramp-up. Before anyone signs, I check whether there's enough capital and cash flow to open properly, fund marketing from day one, and survive until the business pays for itself. Underfunded owners don't fail because the brand is bad. They run out of runway.
Webinars
Watch Mike pressure-test a real franchise recommendation
Upcoming Webinars
Single vs. multi-unit franchise ownership: The pros and cons of both
Mike Blair
Founder, Franchise Ownership
11 / What you get
Here's what you get
- The Franchise Match Survey
- Your matched brands
- A Reality Check call on your matches
- Owner validation calls
- Territory and terms advocacy on your matches
- Check-ins through opening
- The owner community
12 / Next step
Get matched. Then get the truth.
If I think you shouldn't buy, I'll tell you. That's the whole point.
Nothing on this page is an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy any security. Any introductions are informational only.
Any franchisor relationships are disclosed before you decide.