FRANCHISE ADVICE


7. Their team and franchise network: l Are they open to allowing you to speak with anyone who is in their team or network?


lWhen you speak to these people, does what they say match up to what the franchisor is saying?


l Do you get on with them and see yourself working well with them?


Awarding, not selling Remember, a good franchisor will always “award” a franchise to the right candidate, rather than “sell” it to just anyone. So, if you’re serious about becoming


a franchisee, take it seriously! You should feel as though the franchisor is interviewing you and you need to convince them that you are right for them. Turn up early for meetings and


discovery days, ask lots of questions, be open to getting know people and allowing others to get to know you. They often say franchising is like a marriage, and (for most of us) there is normally a period of “courting” before we walk down the aisle.


“The franchisor should be open to letting you to speak with anyone in their team or network – pay attention to what they say when you speak to them – does it match up with what the franchisor is saying?”


New vs established franchises As a Franchise Development Consultant, I work with business owners to help them become franchisors. The question they all ask at the initial stage is “how will I nd franchisees For brand new franchises it’s always


trickier as potential franchisees will tend to ask “how many franchisees do you have?” and when the answer is zero, it can put some people off. However, for others, this is an extremely exciting opportunity! With more and more business owners


turning to the franchise model to grow their businesses, there are some new brands out there right now, that are going to be the next big thing in a few years’ time. All franchisors started with nothing. So even if a franchise only has zero or


a couple of franchisees, refer back to the “questions to think about” and review the opportunity on that basis.


Early adopter franchisees have a


huge role to play in the development of a franchise network. And (don’t let them know I said this, but) you could get yourself a great deal, plus an even larger amount of support than expected given that you are the founder franchisee and they will do everything they can to ensure you become happy and successful. So, good luck, speak to lots of franchisors and remember, 'Questions are the Answers!' l


Phil Mowat is Managing Consultant at Ashtons Franchise Consulting


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