In recent years, there have been numerous stories written and reported about the failure of franchises.  Yes, unfortunately many franchisees have lost their investments.  Some of the failures stem from basic economic conditions.  Other failures come from entrepreneurs not fully understanding what they are investing in.  A vast majority of failures come from the fact that some entrepreneurs never receive any franchise support from their franchisor. There are ways to avoid the problems that other franchisees have faced.  The first thing to do is fully investigate the target market of the franchise.  Don’t rely just on the documentation that the franchisor has provided to you.  If you do your own due diligence, you can be sure if there is a potential for you to make your investment back.  Secondly, look into the type of franchise support that you will receive after your purchase.  There are many entrepreneurs that suddenly find themselves alone before the ink dries on their check. If you want to avoid the fate of other entrepreneurs, consider the opportunity provided by Fantastic Sams.  They offer entrepreneurs the opportunity to own their own hair salon franchise.  As long as people value their appearance, there will be a need for hair salons.   And when you purchase a franchise from Fantastic Sams, they won’t abandon you.  As long as you own your franchise, they will be there to make your salon a success.  They realize that they can’t maintain their good name and their level of success without their franchisees.  That is the type of franchisor that you should be doing business with.