Fly the Friendly Skies…of Franchising
Last Updated on Monday, 11 May 2009 23:01 Written by line Thursday, 30 April 2009 14:01
by Robin Smith
Two weeks ago, I focused on the very basics regarding franchising and covered a bunch of facts. Today, I want to share my analogy about franchising that might be helpful to some who are considering it. Franchising is like flying an airplane. You, as the business owner, are the pilot. The plane is the business. The franchise provides you with a runway that (hopefully) helps you get off the ground a little smoother than if you tried to go it alone. The franchise also provides the control tower; they’ll give you some direction while you’re in the air.
Now, just as with airports, there is quite a bit of variability out there. If the franchise is relatively new, that runway could be more like a grassy field, less bumpy than taking off in a forest, but not exactly smooth sailing. In that case, the franchise may not have all the answers, particularly regarding specifics about market conditions in your area/state. The runway may be under construction and getting better all the time (although that might not do you any good once you’ve gotten started). You may be helping to build the runway and make it smoother for others. Franchises that have been around for a while will often have that ‘runway’ pretty well built. If there are hundreds of locations or franchisees in existence, chances are they’ve been through the start up phase enough times to be able to pretty well tell you how to do it.
The second part of what the franchise provides is the ‘control tower’. That’s the ongoing support, guidance and direction you receive once you’re up and running. As with the assistance on the startup, there will likely be variability in that ongoing support. Some franchises are extremely proactive in monitoring your performance and giving you feedback on ways to improve. Others are much more reactive and it will be up to you as the owner to ask for assistance. I find one of the biggest mistakes new franchisees make is to sit back and wait for someone to come to their rescue if they are having a problem. If you need help, ask for it!
Always remember it’s your plane to fly, the runway and the control tower won’t save you from crashing or prevent you for soaring, that’s up to you.
Just because a franchise is new, doesn’t necessarily mean that the runway won’t be developed or the ongoing support won’t be great. And just because it’s been around for a while doesn’t necessarily mean that they have everything figured out. It’s always important to do your home work and talk to existing franchisees….more about that next time!
