EntrepreneurshipPresentationTeam Event

Franchise Business Plan

Write a plan of up to 20 pages for buying into an existing franchise and pitch it as a prospective franchisee to a judge playing a source of capital in 15 minutes. No exam.

About this event

Franchise Business Plan (event code EFB) is for one to three chapter members who build a comprehensive proposal to become a franchisee of an existing franchise company. You research the franchise company itself, its market and competition, and what it would take to open and run a location, then ask for the financing to do it. The written entry follows a fixed outline: executive summary, business history, background and objectives, business environment, products and/or services, present market, competition, marketing plan, management and organization, business resources, financial plan and data (including a two-year projected operating statement and a one-year projected cash flow statement), conclusion with the financing request, bibliography and optional appendix. You present as the potential franchisee; the judge plays a potential source of capital. The written entry is capped at 20 numbered pages (appendix included, title page and table of contents excluded), must follow the published outline with every section titled, and must have the signed Statement of Assurances in front; penalty points come off for formatting violations. ICDC qualifiers upload the entry through DECA's online submission system in the weeks before the conference (DECA posts each year's window on its ICDC page; the 2026 window ran March 25 to April 8) and the chapter advisor must log in to verify it. The presentation is up to 15 minutes including the judge's questions, every team member must take part, and only hand-carried visual aids are allowed. Written entry and presentation are each scored out of 100 for a 200-point total before penalties.

What judges score

Business Concept and Franchise Fit (15)Market Opportunity and Customer Fit (15)Competitive Positioning (15)Operations and Execution Plan (15)Financial Viability and Investment Case (15)Presentation Technique: Organization (5)Presentation Technique: Persuasion (5)Presentation Technique: Delivery (5)Presentation Technique: Presentation Design (5)Presentation Technique: Overall Impression (5)

What judges score

Executive Summary: one to three page summary including the rationale for obtaining franchise rights (10)Business History, Background and Objectives (8)Business Environment (8)Products and/or Services (8)Present Market (8)Competition (8)Marketing Plan (8)Management and Organization (8)Business Resources (8)Financial Plan and Data: sales and profit trends, two-year projected operating statement, one-year projected cash flow, plan to obtain capital (10)Conclusion and Financial Request (10)Professional Standards: professional layout, business language and correct grammar (6)

Study resources

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