Benjamin Franklin could be called the “American Father of Commercial Franchising.” In 1731, he and Thomas Whitmarsh agreed that Whitmarsh would open a printing business in Charleston, South Carolina. Franklin sold paper and printing equipment to Whitmarsh while agreeing to a non-compete with Franklin. The author of Poor Richard’s Almanac subsequently established similar relationships in multiple states (New York, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Georgia) and several countries (Antigua, Jamaica, Canada, and Great Britain). Thus, starting one of the earliest known examples of a franchise network.
