For the right type of people, a franchise can represent a proven method to running a successful business. However, not everyone is suited to running a franchise business. Let's look at some of the key aspects of a franchise and discover why this might be.
The Franchise Concept
A franchise system works because it is built upon control. The original business owner, the franchisor, will have spent years developing and refining its pilot businesses to come up with a tried and tested business model which can be replicated.
Aspiring business owners can then take on the proven model and build their own successful business on it. That new aspiring business owner becomes the franchisee.
Everything about the franchise concept is built around uniformity and consistency and is designed to build customer expectation and familiarity by repetition and replication. This is achieved through consistency of branding, quality of service and product. The ultimate aim is for customers to have an instant connection and expectation when they see the brand, no matter what franchisees business they might choose to visit or use.
An Ideal Franchisee
For a franchisor, there are a number of key qualities that make up a good franchisee. As an ideal franchisee you should typically be:-
Open and willing to learn new skills
Happy to be a follower
A hard worker
Enthusiastic
A People person
Naturally, different people will be stronger in some areas and weaker in others but as long as you have some elements of those qualities in your character you should do well.
If you identify with some of those qualities and think that running a franchise is for you, then the next step will be to look at the different types of franchise businesses available and see what you think suits you best. There are many places online to begin your research through sites like http://www.selectyourfranchise.com.
A not-so-ideal Franchisee
A franchisee with these qualities may tend to struggle with the concept of a franchise:-
Innovator
Always looking for something new
Prefer to do things my own way
The proven franchise system is the very foundation for the franchise and maintaining the consistency of the system is paramount. The biggest danger in an innovative personality is that they will try to change the proven franchise system and do it their own better way. Imagine if you went into your favourite burger franchise restaurant and the owner had decided that selling pizzas would be more profitable than burgers. It would destroy your expectation of the franchise for selling what you have come to expect from it. A franchise works because customers know what to expect and they buy on that expectation.
This is not to say that a franchise does not evolve or consider suggestions for improvement from its franchisees. Most good franchises will have a policy of development and improvement. But an innovator must be prepared to submit his or her improvement ideas and be willing for the franchisor to test them in line with the already proven system. The ideas may or may not be rolled out across the franchise network subject to the franchisors testing and results. An innovator could become frustrated by this process. For this reason, an innovator might find the structure of a franchise like putting an eagle in a small box where it cant spread its wings.
In conclusion, the most important qualities for running a franchise will be a willingness to follow the proven system and that you want to work hard and be enthusiastic in creating a successful business. With those qualities pretty much any franchisor will be willing to consider you as a franchisee. If you feel you have an innovative streak, make sure you think carefully about how important your need to innovate is for you; will you be satisfied in keeping within the boundaries of the proven system or will you soon get itchy feet and need to do something new?
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