Leave Your 9-to-5,
But Skip The $200,000 Mistake
Every franchise sales rep or broker tells you that buying a franchise
is generally less risky than starting an independent business.
TRUE!
But "generally" doesn't matter when the franchise you're SPECIFICALLY considering may be a financial disaster.
Where do you get the actual facts?
How do you know when a franchise has potential or
is burying evidence faster than a cheating spouse on a Dateline episode?
Investigate ANY Franchise Like a CSI Investigates A Crime Scene: with facts, not feelings
WITHOUT
● a commissioned sales rep's bias
● your own blind optimism
● countless hours reading 200-page legal documents
Here's What You'll Learn
5 Mistakes (Almost) Every
First-Time Franchise Buyer Makes
You might be a unicorn who gets it right,
but in 20+ years of franchising, I've seen these
5 costly mistakes over and over.
Getting it wrong hurts - financially,
legally and emotionally
Getting it right is why I created this course.
Videos 1 - 5
What Not To Do
Why?
(and most importantly)
What To Do Instead
This isn't a "learn WHAT you're doing wrong, but you have to buy my big course to learn HOW to do it right" bait and switch.
You'll leave here knowing
exactly what to do.
Videos 6 - 10
My 4-step investigation framework
that'll tell you if a brand is worth your time or you should run from it like a "passive income" seminar at your local Applebees
A framework you can apply:
to ANY brand
in about 20 minutes
and demonstrated with 3 brands
that actually exist
WHY 3 BRANDS?
Most franchises fall in 1 of 3 broad categories:
1) they need a physical location (think food, retail, salons, wellness, pet spas and think investment from $300k - $1 million+)
2) they're mobile-based and can be done from your home or a very small rented space (think technology repair, direct mail, medical billing and think investment from $50k - $180k)
3) they're service-based and happen at the customer's place (think tutoring, senior care, drone photography, home inspection and think investment from $50k - $130k)
I promise you can apply this to
ANY FRANCHISE
at any investment level
so you're gonna see a live brand
in all 3 categories
Video 6 - Would This Brand Pass a Polygraph? (physical location)
Openings, Closures & Future Growth:
What The Numbers Actually Tell You
Video 7 - Would This Brand Pass a Polygraph? (home and service-based)
Openings, Closures & Future Growth:
What The Numbers Actually Tell You
Video 8 - Is Marketing A Smoking Gun
(all 3 brands)?
How Much Is It and How Is It Being Spent?
Video 9 - Follow The Money Trail
(all 3 brands)
Is The Company On The Rails Financially?
Video 10 - Are Any of These Brands DOA?
Which Brands Made The Cut? Which Didn't?
Less than the tank of gas...
that takes you to that job
you're dying to quit...
Is This Course For You?
See What To Expect, What Not To Expect
What Our Students Say
I was really close to buying a smoothie/gelato franchise, but it started to feel weird and they were pressuring me to sign. I did the Franchise Forensics analysis on the brand and holy s--t, found some BIG issues. Seriously, THANK YOU for saving me from a huge mistake!
Jacqueline C.
St. Louis, MO
I've been researching franchises for about 4 months and thought I knew how to do it, but I had no idea there were so many important points basically "hiding in plain sight." Definitely things I would've missed without Valerie's help.
I nixed 4 mediocre brands and have it narrowed down to 2. My dream of owning a business is getting closer every day.
Rafi S.
Billings, MT
I was a little worried this course would be over my head since I don't have a business background, but Valerie's teaching style is so clear, straightforward and down to earth. The real life examples and the way she explains everything totally makes sense.
I'm absolutely confident now that I can do this!
Ingrid T.
Traverse City, MI
I'm Valerie...and yeah,
I like true crime
Since starting my early franchise career with Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, I've directed the franchise departments at El Pollo Loco, Johnny Rockets and Checkers/Rally's - plus consulted on several others.
After seeing so many first-time franchise buyers literally lose their life savings because they invested in other brands that weren't viable (or even legal, in some cases). I kept trying to figure out why otherwise smart people were making such bad decisions.
After asking a few of them, I realized the challenges they faced - nobody taught them how to get the information they actually needed and evaluate it objectively. They felt nervous, but anxious to get started so they gave into random Internet advice or the sales rep's biased input - plus their own wishful thinking.
So, I built Franchise Forensics for people like them. Smart, hard-working people who just need clear guidance from someone who's actually been there.
DATELINE
2 hours
45 minutes of commercials
To find out who did it
FRANCHISE FORENSICS
2 hours
No commercials
To find out if you should do it
STILL WORRIED THAT AVOIDING A $200K MISTAKE
MIGHT NOT BE WORTH $47?
How is the course delivered?
You'll have immediate access to all 10 videos, with live walk-throughs to explain each important point along the way.
How long will it take to go through all the chapters?
It'll take you just shy of 2 hours to watch and take notes.
Didn't you say earlier it takes just 20 minutes?
That's to APPLY the Franchise Forensics framework once you know how to use it.
How long do I have access?
You'll have lifetime access so you don't have to rush through the content.
What if I haven't even started looking at any franchises?
That's totally fine. I've included a section for folks who know they want to buy a franchise, but don't know where to start.
Is it best to binge watch or implement as I go?
I enourage you to watch all 10 videos, THEN apply the Franchise Forensics framework. Each video builds on the one before it and it helps to see the whole picture and context before you turn it loose on the brands you're researching.
What's your favorite true crime podcast
Hands down, My Favorite Murder #SSDGM
Do you offer a money back guarantee?
I guarantee that if you apply my frameowrk to your prospective brand(s), you'll know whether to avoid that brand or move it up to your short list.
If you can show that you've implemented the framework with at least one brand and it didn't give you clear direction like this, then yes, I'll refund your money. Expect to show me your homework first.
Will you just recommend some good franchises for me instead?
Nope! 99% of the people recommending a franchise are getting paid by that franchise. Doesn't automatically mean they're dishonest or the brand is bad, but you'll never know one way or another unless you do your own unbiased research.
Do you offer 1-on-1 sessions?
If you want some extra assistance after completling Franchise Forensics, we can arrange a paid call.
Copyright 2025 . All rights reserved