Big changes are coming to the accounting department, but few companies have done much about new Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) rules. Dubbed revenue from contracts with customers, the handful of new rules will change things for restaurant franchisors especially.

Whether a deal-breaker or the ‘cherry on top' of a location, many franchises have cracked the code for making outdoor spaces work. Watch for overly expensive build-outs, though, as well as zoning and regulations that can pinch. Then there's the weather…

Susan Beth's car may not be as clean as it used to be, but she still thinks the best job in franchising just found her. Susan (we should refer to her by her last name, but it would just sound like we're calling her by her first name, so why bother?), the COO of NRD Capital Management, an un-private equity fund started by Aziz Hashim, is the most bubbly M&A adviser you'll ever run into. “I'm a Type A when I need to be,” Susan says, reassuringly.

The honeymoon is over for Restaurant Brands International, the company formed by Brazilian private equity firm 3G Capital that bought the iconic Tim Hortons donuts-and-coffee chain in December 2014 for $12.5 billion.

‘When you're filled with ego, you're focused on yourself, not finding someone to help,' declares a Halal Guys operator in Southern California. Paul Tran and his four partners came together for their love of the brand.

Each element has a meaning. Blue stands for peace and justice, red symbolizes courage, and the white equal-sided triangle represents equality. The eight rays of the sun recall the first eight provinces that sought independence from Spain, while the stars represent the three major geographical divisions of the country: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Effective marketing is all about getting people's attention. Videos work wonders for Spray-Net, while traditional mixes with digital marketing at Watermill Express. For Blink Fitness, geo-targeting delivers results.

In 2012, the owners of Kono Pizza's American arm set out to change the way Americans eat pizza—out of a cone-shaped crust. Their game plan centered on smaller footprints than traditional quick-service brands. At the time, it had 18 U.S. locations, with intentions of greatly scaling up through the sale of three-, five- and 10-pack store deals, most of which were to be located in traditional brick-and-mortar stores.

You'll find two types of soldiers on the front lines of battle: those who stand paralyzed by fear and those who are emboldened by pure grit and sound strategy. Likewise, the pay-per-click (PPC) battlefield is peppered with franchise players that are either fighting blind or frozen in place, with only a select few who charge forward with a winning strategy.

Dan Tarkoff is stepping into his first franchise venture—an ice cream shop called Bruster's Real Ice Cream. Yaron Goldman is launching his fourth—the iconic Sonic Drive-In. Though their experience level differs dramatically, both franchisees expect to grow their respective brands and reap financial rewards.