[{"title":"Startup Sentiment Rebound Continues for a Third Month","url":"https:\/\/www.franchiseinsights.com\/small-business-startup-sentiment-index\/startup-sentiment-rebound-continues-for-a-third-month\/","content":"May 6, 2026 - Startup sentiment was strong for the third consecutive month in April 2026 as business buyer surveys showed that 62.2% of persons exploring ownership agree or strongly agree that \u201cnow is a good time for startup\u201d, up from a recent low of 30% in December 2025.\u00a0","date":"May 6, 2026"},{"title":"2026 Franchise Development Lead Generation Strategic Summary","url":"https:\/\/www.franchiseinsights.com\/franchise-development\/2026-franchise-development-lead-generation-strategic-summary\/","content":"April 29, 2026 -- For anyone who found the series of articles on the 2026 Franchise Development Lead Generation survey too long to consume, or missed some, we are providing a very brief summary with references to the sources for deeper inquiry.","date":"April 27, 2026"},{"title":"Franchise Development Prospects Believe They Possess The Strengths To Own Their Own Franchises","url":"https:\/\/www.franchiseinsights.com\/franchise-prospects\/franchise-development-prospects-believe-they-possess-the-strengths-to-own-their-own-franchises\/","content":"April 22, 2026 - In the March 2026 Small Business Startup Sentiment survey, 58.5% of respondents cited Grit, or \u201cpersistence towards a goal despite obstacles\u201d as a strength that emboldens them to pursue business ownership. Also, 55.4% also attested to their \u201cwillingness to follow a proven system\u201d, an essential ingredient for succeeding at franchise ownership.","date":"April 22, 2026"},{"title":"Solutions to the Enigma of Failed Initial Contact With Prospects","url":"https:\/\/www.franchiseinsights.com\/franchise-development\/solutions-to-the-enigma-of-failed-initial-contact-with-prospects\/","content":"April 15, 2026 - In the first three months of 2026, only 40.2% of individuals submitting inquiries to franchises said they were contacted within seven days by all of the (one or more) franchises they expressed interest in via an inquiry form. These results were from surveys conducted by FranchiseInsights.com from January through March 2026.","date":"April 15, 2026"},{"title":"Small Business Startup Sentiment Rebounds for Second Month","url":"https:\/\/www.franchiseinsights.com\/small-business-startup-sentiment-index\/small-business-startup-sentiment-rebounds-for-second-month\/","content":"March 8, 2026 - Startup sentiment rebounded for the second consecutive month in March 2026 surveys as business buyer surveys showed that 64.0% of persons exploring ownership agree or strongly agree that \u201cnow is a good time for startup\u201d, up from a recent low of 30% in December.\u00a0","date":"April 8, 2026"},{"title":"Two Thirds of Franchise Prospects Say AI Impacts Their Interest in Business Ownership","url":"https:\/\/www.franchiseinsights.com\/franchise-development\/two-thirds-of-franchise-prospects-say-ai-impacts-their-interest-in-business-ownership\/","content":"April 1, 2026 - The 2026 Franchise Development Lead Generation Survey showed that more than 88% of franchise brands surveyed will be using at least one AI tool for lead generation by the end of 2026. But what are prospects themselves thinking will be the impact of artificial intelligence on their path to business ownership? The Franchise\u00a0 Insights Small Business Startup Sentiment Index\u2122 (SSI) survey completed the last week in March revealed that two thirds of respondents believe AI will have an impact on their interest in business ownership (34% said there would be \u201cno impact\u201d).\u00a0","date":"April 1, 2026"},{"title":"2026 Update \u2013 Long-Term Adoption Rates for Franchise Development Lead Generation Sources","url":"https:\/\/www.franchiseinsights.com\/franchise-development\/2026-update-long-term-adoption-rates-for-franchise-development-lead-generation-sources\/","content":"March 25, 2026 - Looking back at usage rates of the top franchise development lead generation channels from 2022-2026, it is clear that after diversifying supply sources over the last several years, franchise teams have made significant adjustments in view of shocks to the supply ecosystem.\u00a0","date":"March 25, 2026"},{"title":"LinkedIn and TikTok to Grow in Usage for Franchise Development Lead Generation in 2026","url":"https:\/\/www.franchiseinsights.com\/franchise-development\/linkedin-and-tiktok-to-grow-in-usage-for-franchise-development-lead-generation-in-2026\/","content":"March 18, 2026 - Franchise systems responding to the 2026 Franchise Development Lead Generation Survey reported increased overall spending on lead sources in 2025. When asked about 2026 plans, more than 45% of teams reported increasing budgets for one or more of their chosen sources as they seek to diversify and assure a stream of qualified prospects for franchise growth.","date":"March 17, 2026"},{"title":"Small Business Startup Sentiment Rebounds","url":"https:\/\/www.franchiseinsights.com\/small-business-startup-sentiment-index\/small-business-startup-sentiment-rebounds\/","content":"March 11, 2026 - Startup sentiment rebounded in February 2026 surveys as business buyer surveys showed 58.1% of persons exploring ownership agree or strongly agree that \u201cnow is a good time for startup\u201d, up from 30% in December.\u00a0","date":"March 11, 2026"},{"title":"Forecast for Top Four Franchise Development Lead Generation Platforms by 2026 Usage","url":"https:\/\/www.franchiseinsights.com\/franchise-development\/franchise-lead-generation\/forecast-for-top-four-franchise-development-lead-generation-platforms-by-2026-usage\/","content":"March 4, 2026 - When asked about 2026 plans, more than 45% of teams reported increasing budgets for one or more of their chosen sources. \u00a0Franchise directories or \u201cportals\u201d as a category grew in 2025 usage to 74.4% and are expected to grow further in usage to 78.8% in 2026. This difference of 4.4% is the highest absolute growth in usage among the top four source platforms.  Among sources surveyed, only Google is expected to decline in usage in 2026.","date":"March 4, 2026"}]