Useful franchise links

Franchise Regulation

File a complaint

American Association of Franchisees & Dealers (AAF&D)

A national nonprofit trade association that represents the rights of franchisees throughout the U.S. and whose mission is to bring fairness to franchising. Visit the AAF&D website

American Franchise Association (AFA) 

A representative organization for franchisees that advocates changing the rules and laws governing franchising on both the state and national levels. Visit the AFA website 

Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) 

An organization that provides ongoing professional education, about the hospitality industry, to its members so that they may become better managers and more successful business people. Visit the AAHOA website

Business.gov 

This site is designed to help small businesses navigate and understand applicable federal and state rules and regulations. Visit the business.gov website 

Federal Trade Commission (FTC) 

Call the FTC's complaint hotline at 1-877-382-4357. This organization regulates franchises on a federal level. Visit the FTC website

International Franchise Association (IFA) 

This organization seeks to put franchisors, franchisees, and suppliers under one umbrella to facilitate effective business transactions among those member groups. Visit the IFA website

New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) Franchise Law Committee 

This committee was formed to provide a forum for attorneys who actively practiced franchise laws or who are interested in such laws. It seeks to raise public awareness of the large number of knowledgeable attorneys in the state who practice in this field. This site contains many interesting articles on franchising written by committee members. Visit the NYSBA website 

North American Securities Administrators Association, Inc. (NASAA) 

This site contains a directory to help franchise professionals contact their state's franchise regulators. 

Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) 

The SCORE Association is a nonprofit organization dedicated to entrepreneur education and the formation, growth, and success of small businesses nationwide. Working and retired executives and business owners donate their time and expertise as volunteer business counselors and provide confidential counseling and mentoring free of charge. Visit the SCORE website

State of California

State of Illinois

State of Maryland

State of Minnesota

State of Rhode Island

State of Virginia

State of Washington

State of Wisconsin

U.S. Business Advisor

Visit the U.S. Business Advisor website 
This site provides a variety of information, including:

  • starting, managing, and marketing your business. Includes links to American Express Small Business Network, Forbes Small Business Center, and Fortune Small Business magazine
  • business tax concerns. Includes information on self-employment concerns, direct access to tax law, and American Bar Association Tax Section publications
  • financing your business. Includes information on Small Business Administration loan programs, Department of Agriculture loan programs, and Kiplinger small-business finance.
  • workplace regulations. Includes information on equal employment, Americans with Disabilities Act, employee benefits, and pensions

New York Small Business Development Center (SBDC)

Visit the New York State Small Business Development Center website 

U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)

Visit the U.S. Small Business Administration website

This official site site of the SBA is a trove of information how to start, mange, finance, and sell a business. Representatives also can be reached at the Small Business answer desk at 1-800-U ASK SBA. Use this site to find out how to: 

  • write a business plan
  • obtain needed licenses
  • obtain SBA loans, from $2,000 to $2 million and beyond
  • receive disaster relief
  • link to hundreds of online resources