I get a kick out of all the franchise systems that claim to be recession resistant

In my travels I’m finding virtually every franchise organization is claiming to be "recession-resistant." Yep, we say it, too, but only because our franchise owners can back it up.

I talk with Great Clips franchisees every day. And of course I speak with prospective franchisees every week. Lately the latter group has been addressing the former group with one particular question, "How is the economy impacting your salons"? One would expect to hear an answer filled with equal amounts of shock, horror and carnage. But instead, franchise prospects are hearing, “Today is an ideal time to start a Great Clips business: commercial landlords are eager to retain tenants and to find new ones, and their eagerness may result in more favorable leasing terms than we’ve seen over the last five years, and staff is plentiful."

Unlike many retailers, Great Clips is growing at a healthy pace – partly because (and let me brag here) we have intelligent, aggressive franchisees who are jumping all over a strategy Warren Buffett champions: “We simply attempt to be fearful when others are greedy, and to be greedy only when others are fearful." If you’re considering a franchise, do your homework, and dig deep particularly when you hear that recession-resistant claim. Then the real question becomes, do their franchisees back it up?