Strategy
Part of Planning a franchise in England around the owner's job, not the brand
Franchise ninety day plan in England: the day 90 decision
The final fifteen days of a franchise ninety day plan in England: what the file must hold, the dependency register, and how to choose proceed, stop or extend.
The last band of a franchise ninety day plan turns research into a decision. Days 76 to 90 resolve every remaining dependency, finish the professional reviews and end with one of three outcomes: proceed, stop or extend for a named missing item.
Contract, property, finance and public-authority timings can require longer, so no day overrides professional review or an external deadline.
What to take away
- Day 90 ends a review. It is not a promise to launch in three months.
- Every open condition needs an owner and a last safe date.
- Licence routes and franchise approval run separately.
- Extending is sound only for a named missing item.
- Withdrawal or a pause can be a good outcome.
What the file should hold on day 75
By day 75 the earlier bands should have left written findings, not impressions. If one is missing, it becomes the first entry in the dependency register rather than a reason to skip ahead to the decision.
| Band | Finding that should exist |
|---|---|
| Days 1 to 15 | Owner role, capital limit, location, weekly availability, the alternative to buying, a testable statement and the first evidence request sent |
| Days 16 to 35 | Companies House match for the contracting company, trade mark ownership checked, varied operators interviewed with territory age and operating model recorded |
| Days 36 to 55 | Digital boundary, competitors mapped, customer conversations held, and a written finding that supports, weakens or leaves the territory thesis unresolved |
| Days 56 to 75 | Month-by-month cash schedule from source documents, a later-opening scenario and at least one weaker-sales case |
A weak entry in the territory row is a question about demand signals. A weak entry in the cash row is a question about risk scenarios.
The dependency register
List every remaining condition with an owner and a last safe date. A condition is anything that must be true before money or a signature moves. Without an owner and a date, a condition is only a worry.
GOV.UK's licence finder can identify possible routes by activity and location, but says its list may not be exhaustive. Confirm the responsible English authority and keep applications separate from the commercial franchise approval. The rules and compliance guide shows where the finder fits.
| Condition | Owner | Last safe date | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licence route for the activity | Buyer | [date] | Responsible English authority named |
| Draft agreement reviewed | Solicitor | [date] | Written advice on the clauses |
| Cash schedule tested | Accountant | [date] | Later-opening and weaker-sales cases |
| Property position | Property adviser | [date] | Review of the premises terms |
The professional reviews
Commission or complete the appropriate legal, accounting, finance, property and regulatory reviews. Each reviewer should see the same documents: the draft agreement, fee schedule, territory basis and the source behind the financial illustrations.
The legal review reads the key clauses against the territory and the fee schedule. The accounting review tests the cash schedule built in days 56 to 75. Finance, property and regulatory reviews answer questions only their specialists can.
Repeat the trade mark check before signing. The Intellectual Property Office's trade mark search lets you find out who owns a trade mark, and the owner should match the party granting the rights.
Revisit the criteria you wrote on day one
Return to the criteria from the first fifteen days: owner role, capital limit, location, weekly availability and the alternative to buying the franchise. The decision is whether this opportunity still beats that alternative.
GOV.UK's business plan page says a plan covers objectives, strategies, sales, marketing and financial forecasts. Check each heading against the file. A heading still filled with the franchisor's promotional wording rather than your evidence is an unresolved item.
The reasoning behind the criteria sits in planning around the owner's job, and the one-page planning template holds them on a single sheet.
Choosing between proceed, stop and extend
Decide to proceed, stop or extend the review for a named missing item. Write the outcome and the reason on the register before telling anyone.
| Outcome | It fits when | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Proceed | Every condition is resolved or owned and dated, the reviews are complete and the day one criteria still hold | The reviews and the remaining dates |
| Stop | A condition is unacceptable or the evidence weakens the case | The finding that ended it |
| Extend | One named item is missing | The item, its owner and a new last safe date |
Extending is not a way to avoid deciding. Name the missing item and set the new date before the extension begins.
Do not let day 90 create urgency
The purpose of the deadline is to prevent endless browsing and undocumented optimism. It is not there to push a signature. A sound outcome may be withdrawal, a revised territory or a pause until reliable evidence arrives.
Where an outside party sets a pace that conflicts with the reviews, record the conflict in the register. Contract, property, finance and public-authority timings can require longer than ninety days.
Before you act
- Check that days 1 to 75 each left a written finding.
- List every remaining condition with an owner and last safe date.
- Confirm the responsible English authority for each licence route.
- Complete legal, accounting, finance, property and regulatory reviews.
- Revisit the day one criteria and the alternative to buying.
- Write the outcome, the reason and any new date.
Common questions
What should days 76 to 90 produce?
A dependency register with an owner and last safe date for every condition, completed professional reviews and a written decision to proceed, stop or extend.
Is withdrawing a failed review?
No. The review exists to test the opportunity, and a sound outcome may be withdrawal, a revised territory or a pause until reliable evidence arrives.
When is it sensible to extend?
Only for a named missing item. Record the item, who owns it and the new date, so the extension does not turn into open-ended browsing.
