The IFA Is Spending $5 Million to Counter This Major Franchising Myth The IFA's new awareness campaign highlights real franchise owners whose work supports local jobs, charities and neighborhoods.
By Carl Stoffers Edited by Jessica Thomas
Key Takeaways
- The International Franchise Association launched a $5 million campaign called “Franchise Means Local.â€
- The campaign highlights that most franchises are small businesses owned by local entrepreneurs.
- The effort aims to correct the perception that franchising represents big business.
The (IFA) has launched a $5 million national awareness campaign aimed at tackling one of the biggest misconceptions about the franchise business model — that franchises are "big business."
The initiative, titled "" highlights the fact that most franchise locations are owned and operated by individual entrepreneurs who live and work in the communities they serve. Funded through the , the campaign will share stories from local franchise owners across the country, showing how they create jobs, support local causes and drive neighborhood economies.
"Franchising is too often misunderstood," Matthew Haller, IFA president and CEO, says. "Our goal is to show the real stories behind the businesses serving local communities and driving the American economy."
Related: The Top Franchise Suppliers of 2025
According to the IFA, franchise businesses collectively employ about nine million Americans through more than 830,000 locally owned locations, generating $870 billion in economic output. Roughly 80% of franchisees own only one unit, and nearly a third say they would not own a business without franchising.
Franchise Means Local officially launched on October 8. "This is a timely investment in the future of our business model," Ron Feldman, chair of the IFA Foundation Board of Trustees, says. "Franchisees are not faceless — they're neighbors, community leaders and small business owners whose investments stay in their communities."
The campaign's message is simple: Behind every national franchise brand is a local business owner. By putting real people front and center, IFA hopes to reframe how the public sees franchising — not as corporate expansion, but as a network of small business owners powering local economies.
Related: No Experience? No Problem. How This First-Time Franchisee Built a $3 Million Business.
