How does a specialist broker support the franchise resale process?

At a glance

• I start by finding the most compelling, honest way to tell your business’s story, whatever shape it’s currently in.
• I build rapport with potential buyers quickly, using it to assess whether they’re credible and likely to be approved by your franchisor.
• I keep the whole process moving, chasing replies and watching deadlines so momentum doesn’t stall.
• Once an offer is made, I help bring other credible offers to the table and support you in choosing the right buyer – not always the highest bidder.
• Once an offer is accepted, I introduce the buyer to your franchisor – a relationship they’ll rely on for years to come, and one your franchisor has the right to approve or decline.
• I introduce trusted solicitors, lenders and accountants from our panel, without ever taking a commission on those introductions.
• Once Heads of Terms are signed, I set up your virtual data room, giving the buyer’s team a clear, organised and secure place to access documentation.
• Through to completion, I help everyone hold their nerve during what’s often the most stressful stage of the process.
• Throughout, I represent you as the seller first, while supporting the buyer enough to keep things moving fairly for everyone.

I’m Esther Jones, Head of Recruitment & Resales here at Chantry Group.

I’ve franchised my own business, spent over a decade working in banking, and now spend my days helping franchisees buy and sell with confidence.

People often ask me what a franchise broker actually does, once a franchisee has decided to sell. And it’s a fair question – from the outside, a resale can look like little more than a listing and a few introductions.

So I thought it was worth setting it out properly, in my own words, rather than leaving it as a bit of a mystery.

Here’s an honest look at how I, and the wider Franchise Business Brokers team, support you at each stage of a franchise resale – from the very first conversation through to completion.

It starts with telling your story properly

Every franchise resale begins the same way for me: understanding the business and finding the right way to tell its story.

Whether the business is flying or has had a tougher run recently, there is always a genuine angle worth finding. You know your franchise better than anyone, but it can be hard to see it from a buyer’s perspective when you’re the one running it day to day.

That’s where we come in. Our marketing team is brilliant at identifying what’s genuinely attractive about a business – perhaps it’s strong customer relationships, a loyal team, recurring revenue, or simply untapped growth potential – and presenting it honestly and compellingly.

This work also forms the backbone of your prospectus, the document serious buyers will use to properly assess the opportunity. Our guide, Franchise Resale Prospectus: What it includes and why you need one, explains what goes into this in more detail.

Building trust and getting to know your buyer

Once enquiries start coming in, my next job is building rapport with potential buyers, quickly.

Buyers need to feel confident that whoever they’re speaking to genuinely understands the realities of running a small business, not just the sales pitch. So a lot of my early conversations are about establishing that credibility.

I use a range of questioning techniques that help buyers relax and open up. It might feel like a friendly chat about their background and goals, but it’s also how I work out whether someone is likely to be a credible, serious buyer – and crucially, whether they’re the sort of person your franchisor is likely to approve.

Understanding what’s actually motivating a buyer matters here too. Some are looking for a steady income; others want a turnaround project, or to scale through multiple units. Our guide, Why people buy franchise resales: 7 buyer motivations you need to know, goes into this in more depth.

This shapes how I qualify and prioritise enquiries on your behalf.

Keeping the momentum going

This part doesn’t always get talked about, but it might be one of the most important things I do: keeping the whole process moving.

Franchise resales can stall easily. A buyer takes a week to reply to an email. A question sits unanswered. A solicitor’s request goes quiet. Each small delay chips away at momentum – and momentum, once lost, can be very hard to win back.

So a significant part of my role is simply nudging: watching dates, chasing answers, and making sure nothing is left hanging longer than it needs to be. It’s not glamorous, but it’s often the difference between a resale that completes and one that quietly falls over.

Managing offers and helping you choose the right buyer

Once a buyer is seriously interested and an offer is made, my focus shifts to managing that process properly on your behalf.

Where there’s genuine interest from more than one party, I’ll work to bring other credible offers to the table too – ideally encouraging buyers to put their best foot forward on price and terms.

Then comes one of the most valuable parts of my job: helping you weigh up your options and choose the right buyer. That isn’t always whoever has offered the most money. Funding certainty, relevant experience, and how a buyer is likely to be received by your franchisor all matter too.

Our guide, Who might buy my franchise? The 5 common profiles of franchise resale buyers, gives a useful overview of the different types of buyer you might encounter at this stage.

Introducing the buyer to your franchisor

Once an offer’s been accepted, my next job is introducing the buyer to your franchisor.

This is the relationship they’ll be relying on for years to come, so it matters that both sides feel comfortable with each other from the outset and are happy with the arrangement.

Franchisors also have the right to decline a buyer they don’t feel is right for their network, so I handle these introductions carefully, making sure everyone goes in well prepared.

Bringing in the right professionals – without taking a cut

Once you’ve chosen a buyer, the process becomes more intense, and this is where having the right professionals around the table really matters.

I’ll help both buyer and seller find suitable solicitors, and make introductions to funding specialists if that hasn’t already happened. We work with a panel of five or six BFA-accredited solicitors, so our clients can get a range of quotes and choose whoever they feel most comfortable with.

We also have strong relationships with the franchise-friendly banks in the UK, two specialist franchise finance brokers, and accountants who can help verify figures if a buyer wants that reassurance.

One thing I’m always happy to be upfront about: Franchise Business Brokers doesn’t take a commission from any of these introductions. We make them simply because we know these are people who do a genuinely good job, again and again, for our clients.

Franchise-specific experience matters enormously at this stage. A solicitor or accountant who doesn’t understand franchise agreements, transfer fees, or franchisor approval can slow things down badly.

Our guide, Why franchise knowledge is essential when choosing resale partners, explains why this is worth getting right from the outset.

Setting up the data room and steering due diligence

Once the Heads of Terms are signed, I set up a virtual data room, giving the buyer and their team a clear, organised and secure place to access the documentation they need. It’s really easy for the seller and their team to upload the vital documentation.

From there, my role is to liaise regularly between all parties – buyer, seller, solicitors, and the franchisor – to keep things flowing through due diligence and on to the sale and purchase agreement.

A well-organised data room makes a noticeable difference to how smoothly this stage runs. Our guide, Why a virtual data room could make or break your franchise resale, explains why this single piece of preparation matters so much.

Holding everyone’s nerve through to completion

The final stretch, from Heads of Terms through to completion, is often the most intense part of the process – and usually the most stressful for both buyer and seller.

This is when I spend a lot of time simply chasing things through: keeping the momentum going, answering questions, and reassuring both sides that delays at this stage are normal and rarely a sign that something has gone wrong.

Helping people hold their nerve is, honestly, a bigger part of the job than people expect.

So, who does the broker actually represent?

It’s a fair question, and one I’m asked often: if a broker is the middleman, how can you trust they’re representing your business accurately?

My answer is always the same. We work hard, alongside our marketing team, to make sure your prospectus is accurate, attractive, and properly reflects the opportunity. My role is, first and foremost, to represent you, the seller.

But to get a resale over the line, I also need to support the buyer comprehensively throughout the process.

A good broker works between both parties to keep things moving fairly, while always remaining mindful of who they’re principally there to protect.

This is closely tied to keeping your franchisor in the loop, too. Their approval is part of every franchise resale, and getting that relationship right from early on avoids the sale falling over or unnecessary friction later.

Our guide, The importance of keeping your franchisor involved in the franchise resale process, covers this in more detail.

What this looks like, stage by stage

To bring this together, here’s a quick look at what’s typically happening at each stage of a resale, and what my role looks like at that point.

Let’s talk about your franchise resale

If you’re thinking about selling your franchise and want to understand what hands-on broker support actually looks like, I’d be glad to talk it through with you.

Get in touch for a confidential, no-obligation conversation about how we can support you – including independent franchise valuations, marketing, lead handling, buyer qualification, prospectus creation, negotiation support, and end-to-end resale guidance through to completion.

And if you’re still deciding whether broker support is the right fit for you, our guide, Should I use a broker to sell my franchise? may help.

T: 020 8017 2115
E: info@chantry.email

Why you can trust Franchise Business Brokers

We are the biggest and best team of dedicated franchise marketing and brokerage experts in the UK.

We’re part of Chantry Group, a BFA-accredited franchise agency with almost 150 years of combined UK franchise industry experience.

We can help with as little or as much as you need – from initial franchise valuations and strategies to maximise your business’ value, through to the entire end-to-end franchise resale process.

We also offer a diverse range of businesses for sale in our Franchises For Sale directory.

We look forward to helping you on your exciting franchise resale journey. In the meantime, please explore our advice hub to find out more.