AllBusiness.com, a D&B company, just announced its third annual AllBusiness AllStar Franchising Listing for 2011. And who tops the list as best franchise opportunity for 2011? The winner is Subway, based on a number of key business indicators such as growth, Web visibility, longevity, system size and affordability. The recession played a key role in the franchising industry in 2010, with recession-resistant industries making a strong showing according to the experts at AllBusiness.

Finding credit to finance a franchising opportunity remained a challenge, so 2010 saw many franchisors stepping up to help franchisees with special finance options and incentives.

The Top 10 AllStars for 2011 are:

1. Subway
2. Dunkin’ Donuts
3. Pizza Hut
4. Hampton Inn/Hampton Inn & Suites
5. Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwich Shops
6. 7-Eleven
7. Jack in the Box
8. Jani-King
9. Servpro
10. Wireless Zone

To see the who made entire listing and for more information on everything franchising, check the AllBusiness AllStars.

Are you considering buying a franchise? Then you’ve got a lot of research ahead of you. One guide you should have with you on that journey is How to Properly Research a Franchise Business BEFORE You Buy It, a new franchise research course in e-book form by Joel Libava.

Libava dubs himself “The Franchise King,” and his sense of humor is one factor that makes How to Properly Research a Franchise Business BEFORE You Buy It worthwhile. You see, researching a franchise is a lengthy and daunting process—at least, it is if you do it right. Libava breaks the task down into smaller steps and gently encourages you through the process (“Almost done…” “Keep going….” “You can do it!”)

It’s easy to rely on other people’s opinions and bits of information you happen to come across here and there—easier, that is, than digging in and doing the hard work of researching a franchise. That’s why many people fail to do their homework—and make decisions they regret later. But this is a big decision—one of the biggest you’ll ever make in your life—and Libava urges you to do it right.

How to Properly Research a Franchise Business BEFORE You Buy It is sprinkled with useful podcasts, videos and links to articles, which help break up the subject matter and keep it entertaining and lively.

Libava provides all the tools you need in one place, taking you step by step through contacting the franchisor for initial information, talking to the franchisor, contacting franchisees for their insights, taking what you’ve learned back to the franchisor, visiting operating units, researching your financing options, creating a business plan, consulting an attorney and ultimately making the big decision. He includes checklists you can use to make sure you get all the information you need.

Perhaps the most valuable aspect of the course is Libava’s honesty. At each stage of the way, he explains what to expect, both mentally and emotionally. He acknowledges the excitement you may feel (or not) and that the end result of all your research may be different than you had hoped.

In my nearly 30 years in the world of small business, I’ve read more books about buying a franchise than I can count. (I’ve even written a few.) I didn’t think there was anything new I could learn about the process—until I read How to Properly Research a Franchise Business BEFORE You Buy It. Click here to view more details

Have you missed any of my recent blog posts from around the Web? Here’s the rundown:

Get 5 tips for spotting trends that could boost your business on my blog at iBank.com.

You know social media is important for your business–but did you know that whether you’re male or female may affect how you use social networking sites? Find out more in my post on SCORE’s Women’s Success Blog.

Think your customers can’t live without your product or service? Think again–and read my AllBusiness.com column to learn how to protect your business when customers have a change of heart.

Americans may be fed up with politics, but they still respect small-business owners. Find out more in my post for Anita Campbell’s Small Business Trends.

Get the latest on the increasing trend toward mobile use of social media–and what it means for your business–in my blog for AT&T’s SmallBusinessInSite.

New research reveals some key differences in how women run franchises as compared to men. Get the scoop in my post for AllBusiness.com’s franchise blog.

Find out what SCORE is doing to encourage broadband adoption by small businesses in my column for AllBusiness.com.

Did you miss out on one of my blog posts from other sites this week? Here’s a look at what’s new:

Discover why texting just might be the best way to advertise your business in my blog on AT&T’s SmallBusiness InSite.

Learn why now is the best–and worst–of times for franchise financing in my post on AllBusiness.com’s Franchise Blog.

Find out how the Financial Stability Act currently under debate in Congress gives small-business owners and investors a break in my blog for iBank.com.

Understand why broadband is so important to the success of your business in my interview with SCORE’s Ken Yancy on AllBusiness.com.

Want to catch up on my latest posts from around the Net? Here’s a rundown.

The ways consumers are using the mobile Internet may surprise you. Learn more in my blog post on AT&T’s SmallBusinessInSite.

Are you sweating the small stuff? That’s not necessarily bad. Find out why in my column on AllBusiness.com.

Get ideas for managing employees in multiple locations in my “Ask Rieva” column on Microsoft’s Small Business Center.

If you’re looking for working capital, check out my post on iBank.com’s blog to see one strategy lots of entrepreneurs are using these days.

Whether franchisees are “true entrepreneurs” has long been a debate in the franchise community. Get my take in my AllBusiness.com Franchise blog.

Get the latest on the state of small-business lending in my blog on iBank.com.

Finally, read whysome of America’s biggest brands are turning to franchising in my post on the AllBusiness.com Franchise Blog.