Personal Brand & Positioning
Do you need a trademark before starting a franchise?
Answered independently in 2 episodes. Every line below is verbatim from the transcript, timestamped to the moment it was said.
The short answer
What the archive says
01If a trademark is merely pending you can still franchise with proper disclosure, but if it's denied or unavailable, plan on a rebrand — the equity is in the name at resale. source →
02Jeff's franchise screen: a brand should have at least five years of operating history and units doing $1M, preferably $2–3M, per location before franchising. source →
03Get a 'franchise guru' on the team or advisory board — someone who has done it before — because you can't afford mistakes with franchisees' money and time. source →
In their words
What was actually said
Can you start a franchise if you don't have a trademark on your name? Like is that just like is that like rule one?
You're making millions. You know that it's a, everything can be transitioned to a successful franchise. But smith fitness, what you started out with and what you built with just happens to be a non trademark.
The episodes
2 episodes answer this
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