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More franchise candidates now begin their search in a chatbot rather than a search engine, while franchisors are using AI to find, qualify, and market to those same people. Steve Buors, CEO and co-founder of Reshift Media, joins Allison to explain what that shift means if you’re thinking about buying a franchise. He covers where AI helps most (narrowing sectors, summarizing a dense FDD, surfacing franchisee sentiment) and where it misleads, including confident wrong answers and mixed-up brands with similar names. He also lays out the questions to ask a franchisor about its AI plans, why showing up in AI answers matters as much as ranking on Google, and one easy habit to build this month. If you’re researching a franchise, it’s a practical guide to using AI with your eyes open, and to knowing when to put the chatbot down and call a real franchisee.

Show notes

Guest: Steve Buors, CEO and co-founder of Reshift Media, a digital marketing company that works with franchisors and franchisees.

What you’ll learn

• How candidates are using AI at every stage of the search, often without realizing it (Google’s AI Overviews and Gemini)
• Why AI answers can be confidently wrong, and how to verify them with a second tool, cited sources, and the franchisor’s website
• How to use an LLM on an FDD, including turning it into a podcast or a bulleted summary
• Why Steve is wary of franchisors using chatbots to pre-qualify candidates
• Questions to ask a brand about its AI strategy and local search presence
• How to try different AI tools and write better prompts

Key takeaways

• AI is a strong research starting point, but double-check specifics like costs and earnings with another tool or the franchisor’s own materials.
• Ask the AI to cite its sources, then follow them.
• Upload the FDD to an LLM to flag anything worth a closer look.
• An LLM doesn’t replace calling current franchisees.
• Local and AI search are blurring together, so ask how a brand makes sure it shows up in AI answers. Steve says a franchisor that can’t answer is a red flag.
• Steve says franchising interest has been higher in 2026 than ever.
• This month: try a few different AI tools, give them detailed prompts about your budget, background, and goals, or use your voice.

Resources

• Read: The Five Most Important Questions to Ask Before Buying a Franchise
• Listen: Five Marketing Questions to Ask Before Buying a Franchise
• Read: What Do You Need To Do To Start a Franchise? Your Due Diligence Checklist

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