Rick Robinson: The Franchise Matchmaker

Rick Robinson knows franchising. He should – he’s spent the last 30-plus years working in the franchising world, both inside and out.

“In my lifetime, I’ve helped over 800 people buy a great franchise, both as a franchisor and now as a consultant,” Robinson said. “Helping match people with the right business opportunity is my job description.”

Working as a franchise expert with Services4Franchising, Robinson’s job isn’t just helping entrepreneurs build wealth – it’s matching men and women with career opportunities they will truly enjoy.

“When you find the right opportunity, you can build a lifestyle that you love and make a really good living at it,” he said.

The key is creating an exclusive model for each client that takes into account how suited they are to certain opportunities. However, before diving into the different facets of what makes someone right for a specific franchise, Robinson reminds his clients to keep an open mind.

“There are literally thousands of opportunities in franchising, many of which people have no idea even exist,” Robinson said. “If you have a certain industry that interests you, let me know, because I may have opportunities available there, but keep an open mind for other great business ideas.”

What’s your motivation?
When asked why they’re looking to get into franchising, the average client often singles out the financial benefits. However, Robinson knows dollar signs are only one small part of the equation.

“What do you want this business to do for you? That’s the question to answer,” Robinson said. “What are your real motivations? Are they just financial? Are you sick of fighting with your boss and want to be in control of your own business? What’s driving you will play a major role in which opportunity suits you best.”

What’s your management style?
Once you know why you want to run your own business, it’s important to determine how you’re going to accomplish it.

“Some people want to be hands-on day in and day out,” Robinson said. “Other people want to build up a business so it can be run by a manager and they can have much more flexibility with their time. Some businesses can be semi-absentee, others can be pretty much completely absentee once you’ve gotten it off the ground.”

Knowing how involved you want to be will help narrow down your options.

What are your strengths?
Every person has their unique strong points. Perhaps one franchise candidate is great at the technical side of running a business, but lousy at sales. Or perhaps they’re excellent at both but not great with managing employees.

“It’s important to find an opportunity that will offset any weaknesses,” Robinson said. “Sometimes if my clients don’t have the knowledge or experience necessary, but they’re set on a certain opportunity, I’ll tell them to find a good partner who will complement them.”

What’s your financial picture?
Money may not be the most important factor when finding the right franchise opportunity, but it’s still an essential component.

“Figuring out your income requirements is important,” Robinson said. “Are you going to have money coming in from another source while you build your business, or do you need an opportunity that will help you break even really quick? Some franchises will require multiple locations to meet specific income needs, so it all paints a picture of what opportunity makes the most sense.”

Robinson weighs these and many other factors for each and every client, analyzing the individual to ensure the business opportunity is primed not just for financial success, but enjoyment on the part of the franchisee.

From pizza and fitness to hair care and in-home senior care, Robinson specializes in matching up candidates with low-investment, high-margin opportunities. His services are free, and he’s already done the leg work of identifying the cream of the crop franchises for his clients. Not to mention his long-existing relationships with financing companies who can help franchisees turn their entrepreneurial dreams into a reality.

The only question potential business owners have to answer now is: What are you waiting for?