Flat Fees, State Registrations, and Startup Franchise Costs with Guest Evan M. Goldman (with Evan M. Goldman) | Ep. 18

Host Sean McKay brings on long-awaited guest Evan M. Goldman for a candid look at how franchise law really works behind the scenes. Evan talks about walking away from “great money” in a tedious finance job, stumbling onto a franchise law posting on a job website, and spending the last 13 years focused every day on franchise law.

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As a founding partner at The Franchise Firm LLP, Evan explains why he left large firms with massive cost structures to build a smaller practice that better reflects how franchisors and entrepreneurs actually operate. He walks through his work as outside counsel on dispute resolution, his preference for mediation, and why most of his cases settle before anyone steps into court or arbitration.

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Sean and Evan also get specific on startup franchise costs, flat-fee project work instead of hourly billing, and how state registrations in states like New York and Washington can affect timelines for emerging brands.

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👤 Guest Bio

Evan M. Goldman is a founding partner at The Franchise Firm LLP, where he focuses on franchise law and commercial litigation. He has spent more than a decade working with franchisors and franchisees, drafting and registering FDDs, handling state registrations, and serving as outside counsel on disputes nationwide. Evan represents franchisors in mediation, litigation, and arbitration, with a strong emphasis on resolving disputes before they escalate into lengthy, costly court or arbitration proceedings. He also continues to review FDDs for prospective franchisees, keeping him close to both sides of the franchise relationship.

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📌 What We Cover

• How Evan went from sport management and a plan to be a sports agent to discovering franchise law through a job posting on Monster or CareerBuilder
• Leaving a “boring as hell” finance company job with significant money to do more interesting work, even if it meant a temporary pay cut
• Building experience across multiple firms, then launching The Franchise Firm to operate in the entrepreneurial bucket alongside franchisor clients.
• Why large firm cost structures and huge offices do not match a Zoom world, or the realities of supporting small and emerging franchisors
• The role of outside dispute counsel for firms that draft FDDs and registration,s while Evan focuses on mediation and dispute resolution nationwide
• Mediation versus litigation and arbitration, including why more than 90 percent of Evan’s mediations settle and how pre-suit mediation can keep Item 3 of the FDD clean
• A practical breakdown of startup franchisor costs, including legal fees in the 18 to 25 thousand range, consultants, operations manuals, audits, and the need for real marketing dollars
• How project-based flat fees help franchisors budget their year, remove the fear of hourly billing, and let Evan treat work like a full season where good and bad luck average out
• Why New York and Washington often take the longest for state registrati,on and how New York’s inbound and outbound structure adds volume for understaffed regulators
• Cautious franchise marketing requires disclaimers, and short-term sales promises can turn into long-term misrepresentation claims and angry franchisees.ees
• Evan’s rule of thumb on when franchisors should actually sue a franchisee, including trademark issues, holdover operators, and non-compete...