Cash-on-cash return and ROI on total investment answer different questions. See how SBA 7(a) leverage pulls them apart, with worked franchise math.
Most franchise payback math counts the owner's 0K salary as 'return' and shows 2-year payback. Strip it out and the same franchise pays back in 5 years.
Item 7's '3 months additional funds' is a disclosure floor, not a budget. How to size a real working capital reserve for a franchise at 6-12 months.
Why online franchise ROI calculators overstate returns 30-50%: flat Item 19 revenue, owner's salary as return, no ramp curve. The practitioner fix.
Why semi-absentee franchises marketed as 10 hours a week typically require 20-30. How to verify actual hours with validation calls.