Let’s be honest for a second. The thought of franchise your business is unbelievable–growth, new locations, new people with your logo on, and cash in your coffers and someone else doing the day-to-day. However, as you have attempted to teach someone to do it just like you do it, you are already aware of the fact that it is not as easy as it seems on paper. Franchising is not about doing things at a faster pace, it is more of doing things smarter.
Begin with the reality behind your business. And can it really do without you blowing down its neck? You are not ready in case your presence is the glue which holds everything together. Franchising implies organizing all the details: how to train, how to sell, how to solve a problem before it gets out of hand. It aims at transforming instinct into teaching. It’s not glamorous work. You will waste days in recreating steps you do a thousand times without even having to think about them. That is the way you put your secret sauce in the bottle.
The next big wall to climb? Legal. Franchising is a legal animal–fussy, difficult, and indispensable. A Franchise Disclosure Document, contracts, trademarks, and a fair share of aspirin, will be required. This is not a cheap thing to do. Bring on board experts who are breathing this stuff. A single misplaced word may pay dividends in a few years and it will be even harder to pay than the bill to your attorney.
The human aspect comes in after the legal foundation. This is where things get real. It is not merely one about selling a business model, but about your reputation. The individuals who make purchases will take your brand to new neighbourhoods, new marketplaces, perhaps even new countries. Select the wrong mate and before you know it, your good name may be beaten to death. Money is not all that franchisees need; they need grit, discipline and commitment to your vision. Care can not be taught, only trained.
Training is your heartbeat. You will have to demonstrate to people how to run your business properly, your way, without smothering them. Make a compromise between form and formlessness. Too strict, and they will be incarcerated. Too free, and they will make a mess of your brand. Consider training as tuning a machine. You have everyone playing the same song but with an almost different rhythm.
Then comes support. The signing of the paperwork does not terminate franchising. At least that was where it starts in the marathon. You will be required to go to places, inspect quality and maintain contact. Do not take care of your franchisees, and cracks will be created. Keep interested and you will have a find web of associates rather than a Quilt of issues.
Marketing shifts, too. You are no longer selling to clients, you are selling to the aspiring owners of businesses. They must feel that they are part of your story. So, share the real stuff. The late nights. The system failures that influenced the systems. The close calls which kept you patient. No one invests in perfection, they invest in being authentic.
That’s a fact because in franchising growth, it does not imply relinquishment of control, it implies sharing. You will have to believe in others who did not create this thing with their own hands and that is difficult. However, seeing your brand perform well in a city that you have never visited is another kind of satisfaction.
Grit, patience, and humility to acknowledge what you do not know will be required to franchise your business successfully. The plan is there–it lies hidden in the manner in which you are already running things. Now it is your business to dig it up, clean it off and instruct others to build with.