Becomming a franchisee? good idea?

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I know a guy who opened up his first Jimmy John's this year with plans to open up more. For reference http://www.jimmyjohns.com/franchise/investment.aspx

 

Said guy was my Boss for 3 years. I see him every few weeks. He has been open for almost a year and is barely profitable. He works behind the counter 80 hours a week, and does more work at home on his computer. His store will be profitable before most, but he lives the business. I used to have drinks with him once or twice a week. It's now been 5 months.

 

Franchaising can be profitable but it takes years, if not decades, to build a fleet of stores. You need several stores to live comfortably.

[Trouble Maker]

Said guy was my Boss for 3 years. I see him every few weeks. He has been open for almost a year and is barely profitable. He works behind the counter 80 hours a week, and does more work at home on his computer. His store will be profitable before most, but he lives the business. I used to have drinks with him once or twice a week. It's now been 5 months.

 

Franchaising can be profitable but it takes years, if not decades, to build a fleet of stores. You need several stores to live comfortably.

 

I though you'd chime in since you know him and his situation more. I was trying to remember when he opened up. I knew he came over here for new years at our new place with you, so it had to have been this year. I thought he said wasn't quite open yet. Guess I was remembering wrong.

 

I peer in there to see if he's there the few times I find myself around there to pop in and see how things are going and I've not seen him yet. I did figure if he wans't out front then he was in the back or at home doing managerial work, paperwork, planing.

[Trouble Maker]

In all fairness to the op, some people see things differently than others...

 

I agree. I'm not trying to get him too down. I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that you, and most of the people you are talking about opened up their own business from their own idea from the ground up. That's a lot different from starting/buying a franchise. You can start a business like that form nothing and build it over time. A franchise cost a lot of money up front and over the first year or two. I think that's the biggest thing everyone was trying to point out the op. I'll start my own business at some point, and it will be with the earlier idea (being starting it form the ground up, not a franchise or anything of that sort).