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Investment Grade Franchises
Looking to buy a franchise?
Don’t just buy a franchise. Invest in an asset.
Development
I want to franchise my business.
We help you develop your franchise from start to finish.
I have a franchise.
Why can’t I sell more units of my franchise?
Insider secrets on how to grow!
I need business or franchise advice.
Where should I turn?
Coaching, strategy and support from experts in franchising.
EXPLORE CFS
Get to know us
A closer look at the story behind CFS and the books shaping the future of franchising.
Dr. Robert A. Needham
FOUNDER / CEO
OUR STORY
Decades of franchise mastery.
From a single Birmingham venture in 1993 to Collaborative Franchise Systems today, Dr. Needham has spent his career redefining how franchises grow. Our mission: unite people around shared success, equitable growth, and collaborative wealth creation.
Books & Resources
BY DR. NEEDHAM
From the shelf
Books that reshape franchising.
From Investment Grade Franchising to the 75,000-copy classic Solving the Puzzle of Owning a Franchise, Dr. Needham’s works give owners, buyers, and investors a proven blueprint for building real, lasting wealth through franchising.
Meet Our Team
The collaborative experts guiding franchisors and franchisees toward lasting, shared success.
Dr. Robert A. Needham
FOUNDER – SENIOR ADVISOR
Robert A. Needham, JD, PhD, has been a business and franchise advisor since 1986. He is a nationally known C-level advisor, thought leader, public speaker, author, strategist, technical advisor, and innovator. One of his most recent books, Investment Grade Franchising, takes a hard look at industry metrics, systems, and processes, proposing key performance indicators and standard operating procedures for franchisors and franchisees.
Bob Blizzard
PARTNER – FRANCHISE ACQUISITION ADVISOR
With more than 30 years of experience in franchising and business development, Bob Blizzard is a nationally recognized franchise strategist and Senior Managing Partner of Collaborative Franchise Systems. His Investment Grade Franchising methodology helps entrepreneurs identify scalable opportunities designed to build sustainable cash flow, long-term equity, and lasting wealth.
Jenn Maher
MANAGING PARTNER – SERVICES
With over two decades coaching business owners, Jenn Maher knows the playbook only takes you so far. Her Beyond Limits program, built on Strategy, Structure, and Soul, develops franchisees who launch powerfully and grow the network. A certified Investment Grade Architect trained by Dr. Needham, her work asks one question: are you building an asset that gives you freedom, or income that keeps you trapped?
Brookolyn Newton
MANAGING PARTNER – DEVELOPMENT
With experience in software, project management, and consulting since 2016, Brookolyn developed the franchise software that guides franchisees through the development process, helping them organize and prepare the key legal and advisory documentation needed along the way.
By the numbers
Our Franchise Family in
Numbers
Here are the numbers according to the franchise industry.
Franchisors
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Franchisors with less than 10 units sold
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WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
Testimonials
Kind words from those with whom we have had the pleasure of working
I have known Dr. Robert Needham for over 16 years. He and his team helped Repicci's Italian Ice grow into a national franchise. We also retained Dr. Needham as our Franchise Advisor to develop the strategic growth for the Repicci's brands going forward, including pre-packaged and home delivery. I highly recommend CFS for Sales, Development, and Services.
Just three years ago, we retained Dr. Needham and CFS to help Cortz by FSP, Inc. take our then-24-year-old company national through franchising. In that short time, under his advice and direction, we have become a national brand with over 40 units sold and 50 in sight. We have franchisees coast-to-coast. Entrepreneur Magazine has recognized us as a top 150 franchise for growth. Kevin Harrington, of Shark Tank fame, has endorsed us. We have national supply chains and are positioned to grow to 100 units by the end of 2027. I confidently recommend CFS as a franchise developer.
My journey as a franchisor started in early 2025 when I worked with another franchise development company to develop Xcyte Fitness Mobile Gym into a franchise. Becoming a franchisor was a major accomplishment, but I also understood that simply having a franchise system in place didn’t mean there wasn’t room to strengthen it.
Since December 2025, Dr. Robert A. Needham and CFS have provided me with invaluable guidance, expertise, and a deeper understanding of the franchise industry. After conducting numerous reviews of my franchise model, documents, systems, and overall structure, Dr. Needham recommended that I go through a franchise refresh. Looking back, that has been one of the best decisions I’ve made for my brand.
What I appreciate most about working with Dr. Needham is that he didn’t just help me improve my franchise, he helped me understand franchising at a much deeper level. Throughout the process, he has taken the time to educate me on how a strong franchise should be structured, what franchisees and investors are looking for, and what it takes to build a franchise system positioned for long-term growth.
Today, because of his expertise and guidance, I have greater confidence in the structure of Xcyte Fitness Mobile Gym and believe my brand is better prepared to enter the market and sell franchises. The difference between where I started and where I am today is significant.
I highly recommend CFS to anyone considering franchise development or looking to strengthen an existing franchise system. The knowledge, resources, guidance, and services they provide go far beyond simply developing franchise documents. For me, their help has truly been life-changing, and I’m grateful to have Dr. Needham and the CFS team as part of my franchise journey.
Papa Dubi’s has been a 20-year private business success story. We always knew we wanted to grow and eventually franchise, but we simply didn’t know how to take that next step the right way.
I was introduced to Robert through a mutual friend. We had been approached by others in the past about franchising, but it never felt right. After our first meeting with Robert, everything changed. The homework he had already done on us and the depth of his knowledge completely blew us away. His genuine confidence in our brand and our team made us feel, for the first time, that this was truly the right direction.
Robert’s vast experience has made what could have been an overwhelming process surprisingly stress-free. When he brought Brooke Newton onto the team, I was excited. I later spent a full week with Brooke in a seminar-style conference that Robert hosted, and it only reinforced how strong this partnership is. I am completely confident in both of their abilities to guide and lead us whenever we need direction.
Their organization and structure are so tight that all we have to do is fill in the blanks. We hired Dr. Needham and Brooke Newton to help transform Papa Dubi’s into a 21st-century restaurant concept focused on home delivery, catering, and take-out as a franchise. We are extremely pleased with their expertise and highly recommend CFS and its services.
I’m excited to watch this thing grow—and none of it would have been possible without Robert and his team.
If you’re considering working with Jenn, I would tell you to give her a call immediately. She has a world of experience and has been immeasurable in my success.
After 32 years in corporate marketing, I started my own company and had to shift my focus from marketing to sales, which was completely new territory for me. Jenn helped me make that transition by understanding my strengths and weaknesses, helping me build effective business strategies, and holding me accountable to my goals every week.
What makes Jenn different is that she doesn’t just focus on your business. She focuses on you. She helped me improve the way I communicate, become a better listener, and genuinely connect with local business owners by understanding their challenges and goals. It has made a world of difference for me.
As a solopreneur, you don’t always have colleagues or a team there to support you and keep you accountable. Jenn provides that support. She lifts you up, challenges you, and helps you understand what may be holding you back so you can keep progressing.
If you’re a solopreneur looking for a coach who can help you grow both personally and professionally while building your business, I’d call Prosperous Jenn this second.
Working with Jenn has been amazing. Honestly, it has been night and day, and I feel like she was the best gift sent to us from above. I’m incredibly grateful to have her by our side helping us push our business to the next level.
Before Jenn, it felt like everything was falling apart. We weren’t communicating the right way, our team was feeling lost, and some people were losing their passion for what they were doing. Jenn helped us put the right systems in place and brought everything back together. I always say she brought the heart back to our company and our team. We could never have done it without her knowledge and support.
One of the biggest changes Jenn brought to our company was EOS. She helped us get to the heart of our vision for the company, our team, our growth, and our people. She also completely transformed our hiring process. We created a system that incorporates DISC profiling, better interview questions, and a stronger focus on making sure new hires align with our core values.
We’re now working toward greater traction, setting clear goals, and already seeing the results throughout the business. Our team is excited again, and we have greater clarity about where we’re going.
If you’re thinking about working with Jenn, stop thinking about it and pick up the phone. She has been one of the best things that has happened to us. She saved our business, brought the heart back into our company, gave us clarity, and showed us the way. Throughout the entire process, she has also become one of my best friends. I’m incredibly grateful that we made the decision to work with her.
