BDC Partners

22/10/2026

🌟Congratulations, Alexia White! 🌟

We’re thrilled to share that Alexia, Director at BDC Law, has been named one of Australasian Lawyer and NZ Lawyer’s Elite Women for 2026! 👏

The list recognises outstanding female leaders in law across Australia and New Zealand. It’s a huge honour, and it caps off a big year for Alexia, who stepped up as BDC Law’s newest Director in July!

So proud to have Alexia leading the way. Well deserved! 🎉



https://www.thelawyermag.com/au/best-in-law/top-female-lawyers-in-australia-and-new-zealand-elite-women/552250?fbclid=IwdGRjcAVGirJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mBWZkaWQWUQyk9HfvTKwxvZOtRnmDTjdTTQ9ho3NydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR715WhAHANHMmX7J3BScR0Y6C4bBkO-3bqdMZm6MeTFqECDMSPnm66mL0Iizw_aem_tVasA-88nCrjqVlaoKSnQw

19/10/2026

🎓 Congratulations, Bruce McFarlane, CFE!

The National Franchise Convention Gala Night at Parliament House, Canberra last evening marked a special milestone as the Franchise Council of Australia celebrated this year’s Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) graduates. These are professionals who have gone above and beyond to strengthen their knowledge, leadership and contribution to the franchise community.

We’re incredibly proud to share that our very own Bruce McFarlane, CEO of BDC Partners and Principal of BDC Law, was part of this year’s graduating class.

The CFE is the Franchise Council of Australia’s professional accreditation for franchise leaders. It recognises people who have committed to ongoing education, built deep industry experience and made a genuine contribution to the franchise sector. It’s a mark of excellence that tells franchisors, franchisees and partners they’re dealing with someone who truly knows the sector.

For Bruce, it’s well deserved recognition of a career built on franchising. With more than 30 years as a lawyer, he has spent decades advising franchisors, franchisees and retailers on franchising, mergers and acquisitions, and commercial law. He’s also a franchisor director and investor, and a former franchisee himself, so he understands the franchise relationship from every side.

In Bruce’s words: “Great night and very nice recognition for all of us who invested time in the franchise community and participated in the further education programs.”

Congratulations, Bruce, and to all of this year’s CFE graduates. 👏

If you need a franchise expert, Bruce is your go-to person!


Bruce McFarlane

09/09/2026

✨BDC Law Named a 2026 5-Star Employer of Choice✨

We're proud to share that BDC Law has been named a 5-Star Employer of Choice for 2026 by Australasian Lawyer and NZ Lawyer.

This recognition celebrates firms that have built genuinely outstanding workplaces, offering excellent remuneration, clear pathways for career advancement, and real support for staff health and wellbeing.

When Principal Bruce McFarlane, Practice Manager Belinda Carlesso, and Director Melissa Strain started BDC Law in 2022, they set out to build a firm they could be proud of. Not a traditional, hierarchical practice, but one that was flexible, genuinely supportive, and built around real work-life balance for every person on the team.

That's exactly what this award reflects. It's not just about remuneration or career paths on paper, it's about a workplace where staff benefits and flexibility are real, where support isn't an afterthought, and where people are genuinely backed to grow and thrive.

To our whole team at BDC Law, thank you for making this the kind of place people want to build a career. This one's for you.

Bruce McFarlane

09/09/2026

💻 WEBINAR #4 💻 | Managing Risk and Protecting Your Business

You’ve built something valuable. But is it protected?

Join us as we unpack three critical areas every franchise business owner needs to get right:

🔹 Corporate Structures — separating your brand from risk
🔹 Relationship Agreements — protecting owners when things change
🔹 Succession Planning — making sure your business and personal plans align

Featuring:
*Alexia White - BDC Law
*Michael Tuppen - Six Point Advisory
*Bruce McFarlane, CFE - CEO, BDC Partners

📅 22 September | 11:00am–12:00pm AEST
🖥️ Online

Reserve your spot → https://bdcpartners.com.au/webinar-bdc-partners/

18/08/2026

📣 BDC Investments Group is excited to announce the newest addition to the portfolio:

✨Welcome to the BDC family Fresh Front✨

We’re thrilled to be part of the Fresh Front journey, and even more excited to see what the next chapter holds!

https://bdcpartners.com.au/bdc-investments-group-welcomes-fresh-front-to-the-portfolio/

🔵Fresh Front: https://freshfront.com.au/franchising/

Bruce McFarlane

Since launching BDC Partners, our goals have remained the same: being the leader in each of our services, continually improving our processes, using

14/08/2026

Great day for the ComputerXplorers Australia team at the Edunet Tech For Education conference. 💻👾🤖

Bruce McFarlane
ComputerXplorers

07/08/2026

📣 BDC Investments is hiring on behalf of Fresh Front for an Operations Manager - Adelaide based.

🔵Hands-on, high-impact role
🔵Direct founder access
🔵Clear COO pathway
🔵Bonuses tied to real results, in a fast-growing national network.

If this is you, apply now!

Send your resume and cover letter to:
Belinda Carlesso at [email protected]

Hands-on, high-impact role. Direct founder access, clear COO pathway, bonuses tied to real results, in a fast-growing national franchise network.

06/08/2026

🚨 Franchisors, your Disclosure Document is calling and it wants an update.

Every year, franchisors need to update their Disclosure Document within 4 months of the start of their financial year. For most, that's a hard deadline of 31 October 2026.

While you're at it, here's your compliance checklist:

✅ Return on Investment: Franchisees now need a genuine, reasonable shot at recouping their investment
✅ Significant Capital Expenditure: Rationale, amount, timing, risks and benefits must all be disclosed
✅ Specific Purpose Funds: Contributions and spending need to be transparent and reported
✅ Franchise Disclosure Register: Must be updated by 14 November 2026 (penalties up to $198,000 for missing it)

And don't stop there. While your Disclosure Document is open, it's worth revisiting your:

📌 Privacy policies (especially if you're using AI or automation)
📌 Consumer-facing terms, pricing and marketing (Unfair Trading Practice reforms land 1 July 2027)
📌 Website terms (ACL penalties doubled in March)
📌 Franchise agreement (does it still match how your system actually runs?)
📌 AML/CTF obligations (the net has widened — are you caught?)

Getting this wrong doesn't just cost money. It costs time, stress and reputation, and regulators are watching this space closely.

The good news? You don't have to do this alone.

📞 Get in touch with BDC Law today and let's get your documents sorted before the deadlines catch up with you.


Bruce McFarlane

05/08/2026

Another Successful Franchising Expo Melbourne!⭐️

What a fantastic weekend at the Franchising Expo Melbourne.✨

A huge thank you to everyone who visited our stand, shared their business goals, and explored the exciting opportunities available across our franchise network. It was a pleasure meeting so many aspiring franchise owners and having meaningful conversations about business growth.

This year's Expo was particularly special as we showcased four incredible franchise brands together:

🔹 Fresh Front
🔹 Signwave
🔹 Bubba Pizza
🔹 ComputerXplorers

Seeing these businesses side by side reflects the journey BDC Partners has been building over the past few years supporting franchisors with not only recruitment, legal, mentoring and strategic advice, but now also investment and operational expertise to help emerging brands grow.

A special thank you to our franchise partners and everyone who helped make the weekend such a success. We truly appreciate your collaboration and commitment.

Most importantly, thank you to every visitor who stopped by. Your enthusiasm and interest made the event worthwhile, and we're looking forward to following up on the many great conversations and opportunities from the weekend.

Here's to helping more businesses grow through franchising.


Bruce McFarlane

03/08/2026