1851

The choice to invest in a franchise is almost always accompanied by some financial goals, but the business performance of a brand cannot be the only thing you evaluate when you’re researching your next investment. Whether you’re focused on building wealth or working to create a new opportunity that better aligns with your values and goals, culture should be a consideration alongside any systems, training or support you’re evaluating.1851 Franchise spoke with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronholtfranchise/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=guide-to-buying-another-franchise-evaluate-the-culture-of-the-brand-2726378" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Ron Holt</a>, founder of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pinkzebramovingfranchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=guide-to-buying-another-franchise-evaluate-the-culture-of-the-brand-2726378" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Pink Zebra Moving</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelmoehl/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=guide-to-buying-another-franchise-evaluate-the-culture-of-the-brand-2726378" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Rachel Moehl</a>, a franchisee with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wineanddesign.com/franchise/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=guide-to-buying-another-franchise-evaluate-the-culture-of-the-brand-2726378" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Wine &amp; Design</a>, for some insights on finding the franchise brand with a culture that’s right for you.“We are a franchise brand, which means systems and processes are super important,” said Holt. “But when you have a big dream like we do here at Pink Zebra Moving, then you have to take culture seriously since just executing a task isn't the same as knowing why you should care about executing a task.”“I really think you should love what you’re buying. There’s something positive to find in everything, and that’s a gut check you have to do,” Moehl said. “You have to have love for [the business], even if you’re thinking financially. There will be ups and downs in any business, and you have to have something to fall back on.”For Moehl, culture is an especially important part of the business. In an art franchise, she needs to be flexible, person-focused and interested in the “warm and fuzzy” side of things. After years spent in corporate roles where she consistently “felt like a square peg in a round hole,” Moehl made the decision to go out on her own. By starting a business with a brand that she aligned with, she knew she would be working alongside people with similar values. She would also be able to build her own subculture at the unit level. There was a clear alignment, and she continues to be fulfilled by franchise ownership with her brand.<h3>How To Find Your Perfect Fit</h3>While there are some clear-cut cultural questions to consider when evaluating a brand, Moehl said a lot of the process can come back to a gut feeling.“My first conversation with the CEO was the most casual, human conversation,” she said. “She knew my financials from the paperwork, so we talked about whether my personality was right. She knew I was a people person. I was coming at the business from being such a passionate consumer of the paint-and-sip business, and when I opened my own, I wanted to fix the problems I was seeing.”Comparing something like a Wine &amp; Design franchise, which encourages personalization and connection each day, with something like Dunkin’, a huge franchise system with clear processes and prescriptive recipes to ensure consistency across units, reveals why the culture evaluation process is so important.Investors who are looking to sign a multi-unit franchise agreement and quickly scale to grow their portfolios are often less interested in the “warm and fuzzy” cultural aspects of a brand. For growth-focused entrepreneurs, a culture of efficiency, transparency and drive is important. For franchisees looking to go out on their own in search of more personal and professional fulfillment, a culture of connection, flexibility and support is important.This is not to say that investors cannot focus on the personal side of their businesses or that passion-driven entrepreneurs cannot find great financial success, but it is often pretty easy to tell when goals or priorities just don’t align.Asking the franchisor about the onboarding and start-up process can be a great way to gauge the brand’s cultural priorities by coming to better understand the steps the leadership sees as essential before a franchisee is considered “ready to go.”“Our brand's slogan is ‘We make moving fun.’ We take this statement seriously across our franchise network … [and] start every franchisee off the same way. They must graduate from our Customer Experience University, which is a six-week-long curriculum full of books, podcasts, practical exams and zany experiments,” Holt said. “We follow this up with a customer experience boot camp on the ground during the first week of operations. Daily customer experience tips are delivered every day at noon, and monthly customer experience webinars occur across the network as well. We engage with our franchisees as much as possible so that everyone understands the ‘why’ behind our brand.”&nbsp;<h3>Finding a Balance for Long-Term Satisfaction</h3>Moehl described this balance between culture and financial goals as a sliding scale of sorts. It’s rare that an entrepreneur is entirely dedicated to a warm and fuzzy feeling or an all-business, “get it done” model, but many will fall somewhere on that spectrum. When you’re realistic about where you stand and what is most important to you, you can easily compare your priorities with the franchisor’s to identify your ideal opportunity.“We ask our candidates to tell us why they want to be a franchisee in our network. Some people say the obvious things, like ‘make more money’ or ‘find happiness,’” Holt said. “Neither of those responses are wrong, but we require every franchise candidate to take their role of industry disruptor seriously. The goal of creating a new category within the local moving industry has to be our franchise candidate's number one reason for wanting to join our network. We simply won't award development to anyone who wants to join the brand for another reason. Discovery goes both ways in franchising. We can't expect franchisees to help the brand chase a dream if they don't agree on the dream in the first place.”“I think most entrepreneurs would say that about 90% of decision-making is gut-related. You’ll have a visceral reaction when something just doesn’t feel right,” Moehl said. “Going the franchise route, you know you have the benefits of a tried and true system. That’s all very important upfront, but there's a lot of self-assessment involved, too. That’s a really important question: Where’s your heart? What do you love?”Every great franchisee had help buying a franchise. Want to learn more about how 1851 helps franchisees find the right franchise opportunity? Visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.1851growthclub.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=guide-to-buying-another-franchise-evaluate-the-culture-of-the-brand-2726378" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.1851growthclub.com</a> and start your journey.

Evaluating a Franchise Culture: A How-To for Growing Owners

1851 Franchise

A franchise's financial potential is important, but it’s not everything. Here’s how you can evaluate the less tangible aspects of a potential franchise investment.

Guide To Buying Another Franchise: Evaluate the Culture of the Brand

guide-to-buying-another-franchise-evaluate-the-culture-of-the-brand

Comfort Keepers

How This Comfort Keepers® Franchisee Grew From One Acquisition to a Powerhouse

how-this-comfort-keepers-franchisee-grew-from-one-acquisition-to-a-powerhouse

Caring Transitions

What Makes Caring Transitions the Premier Franchise Choice for Senior Move Management

what-makes-caring-transitions-the-premier-franchise-choice-for-senior-move-management

Jollibee

Photo of Jollibee mascot and two smiling people in Jollibee pajamas

How Jollibee’s Culture Fuels a Global Brand People Love

franchise-culture-brand-success

petbar

petbar franchise logo tenth 10th anniversary

10 Years Strong: How petbar Turned One Dallas Boutique Into a Fast-Growing National Franchise

petbar-10-years-strong-franchise-growth

Griswold

Beaumont Enterprise: Local Woman Brings Griswold Home Care Franchise to Greater Beaumont, Texas

griswold-home-care-greater-beaumont-opening

Buying a Franchise Masterclass

 Franchise Opportunities

Get Support Buying a Franchise

How to Buy a Franchise White Paper

How to Buy a Franchise

How to Sell Franchises

How to Grow a Franchise

Find a Franchise Supplier

1851 Franchise Opportunities

Franchisor News

Franchisor Power Rankings

FranCamp Mastermind Summit

Franchise Development Website Builder

Franchise Resources

Website Awards

Power Rankings

About 1851

Advertise on 1851

Contact 1851 Editorial

Terms of Use

1851 Login

GROWTH CLUB LOGIN

facebook

instagram

twitter

linkedin

youtube

How AI Is Transforming Restaurant Operations and Franchises

ai-impact-restaurants-franchises-human-centric-technology

Round Table Pizza Franchisees Take FAT Brands to Court Over Marketing Fund Mismanagement

round-table-pizza-franchisees-take-fat-brands-to-court-over-marketing-fund-mismanagement

FAT Brands Nears Bankruptcy as Creditors Demand Repayment of $1.3 Billion Debt

fat-brands-nears-bankruptcy-as-creditors-demand-repayment-of-13-billion-debt

Callaway Sells Majority Stake in Topgolf to Private Equity for $770 Million

callaway-sells-majority-stake-in-topgolf-to-private-equity-for-770-million

Keith Sizemore headshot, Radiance Holdings

Radiance Holdings Names Keith Sizemore Chief Development Officer

keith-sizemore-radiance-holdings-cdo

Photo of group of dogs standing together in day care facility

Top Pet Boarding and Day Care Franchise Opportunities for 2025

top-pet-boarding-daycare-franchises

The Top 15 Pet Supplies and Retail Franchises for 2025

the-top-15-pet-supplies-and-retail-franchises

The 15 Top Pet Grooming Franchises To Consider for 2025

the-15-top-pet-grooming-franchises-to-consider

The Top 15 Pet Wellness and Vet Care Franchises for 2025

top-pet-wellness-franchise-opportunities

A Practical Playbook: Who To Call First When Franchising Your Business

franchising-your-business-who-to-call-first

image of jerome hanway from right at home Las Cruces, New Mexico 1851 franchise franchisee spotlight

Jerome Hanway Is Building His Right at Home Franchise Around His Mission To Serve

right-at-home-franchise-las-cruces-jerome-hanway

AI-related job cuts, October U.S. job cuts, American job cut record

AI-Fueled Layoffs Reshape the U.S. Job Market — And Highlight Franchising’s Resilience

ai-job-cuts-franchising-path-forward

Guide To Buying Another Franchise: Evaluate the Culture of the Brand

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS