Franchise owners are small business owners and they can have a big political impact, which is our experience in Maine. Franchise owners in Maine will continue to have the opportunity to educate their lawmakers, which we have learned do not know much about franchising, but we have shown them the importance of franchisees in Maine, to invest and create […]
Maine ‘crowd investing’ bill becomes law
The measure is designed to help Maine start-ups raise funds from small investors. J. Craig Anderson at the Portland Press Herald reports that a measure allowing Maine businesses to raise up to $1 million through “crowd investing” became law Monday. The bill, L.D. 1512, “An Act To Increase Funding for Start-ups,” was approved overwhelmingly in […]
Support Maine franchise owners with these four basic protections
Ed Wolak, Chairman of the Maine Franchise Owners Association contributed the following letter to Bangor Daily News and it ran in the paper and online today March 11, 2014. By Ed Wolak, Special to the BDN Posted March 10, 2014, at 11:47 a.m. Last modified March 10, 2014, at 12:07 p.m. BDN The Maine Small Business Investment Protection […]
Big Whopper Economics
Want fast-food workers to get a raise? Let local restaurant owners form a union to fight their corporate masters. By Josh Freedman – Washington Monthly In August, Larry and Kathryn Baerns and their son, Christopher, filed court papers charging that the two new Steak ’n Shake restaurants they had just opened in the Denver area […]
Franchised Units Increase in Iowa 300% More than Adjacent States
The graphic below compares the growth of franchised Units in Iowa from 2004- 2007 to adjacent states and the nation. In 1994 Iowa passed a Franchise Practices act, the reaction from the IFA and Franchisors was to boycott Iowa, in an effort to show other states what could happen if you pass a Franchise Practice […]
Failure to Pass Franchise Protections 20 Years Ago Cost Maine More Franchised Units
In 1994, Legislative document 1916, or as some people remember it — The Franchise Practices Act, was shot down by Governor John R. McKernan, Jr. even after it passed both the Maine House of Representatives and the Maine Senate. Leonard Kovit, owner of 5 Meineke’s in Maine and New Hampshire in 1994, remembers the bill […]
Franchisee Protections Exist Across the Maine Border in Canada
Five provinces in Canada have passed franchise disclosure and fair franchise relationship laws: Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Ontario, and Prince Edward Island. British Columbia is also considering franchise disclosure and franchise relationship legislation. In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires the use of a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) in all 50 states […]
Universal Franchisee Bill of Rights Makes An Impact
The Universal Franchisee Bill of Rights (UFBOR) was released in August 2011 and to date has over 1,200 franchisees, friends of franchisees, and franchisee associations that have endorsed it. The UFBOR was created by franchisees for franchisees as a fairness doctrine, and the goal was to highlight the imbalance in the relationship between franchisees and […]
First Annual Maine Franchise Owners Franchise Business Day and Legislators Meet & Greet set for January 29th
The Maine franchise owner community is invited to attend the First Annual Maine Franchise Owners Franchise Business Day and Legislators Forum on January 29, 2014. The event will begin at 1 p.m with the “Franchise Business Day” forum to share timely information, best practices and resources for Maine franchise owners. A Franchise Owner and Legislators […]
Maine Unemployment Rate 6.4 Percent in November
State Labor Commissioner Jeanne Paquette released November workforce estimates for Maine. Seasonally Adjusted Statewide Data Survey of Households – The preliminary seasonally adjusted unemployment rate estimate for Maine was 6.4 percent in November—the lowest figure since November 2008—down from 6.7 percent in October and 7.2 percent one year ago. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics […]