Growing a Franchise
Establishing a robust franchise system hinges on developing an adaptable training and support program that fosters franchisee growth and ensures consistent brand delivery.
Once you’ve determined your business is franchise-ready, the next critical step is building a franchise system that works, starting with your training and support program. While every brand’s process will look a little different, a well-designed training structure is what transforms an independent operator into a brand ambassador.
For Jonathan Barnett, CEO and founder of Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning, the key is clarity, structure and flexibility.
“It’s essential to build a comprehensive system with standard operating procedures in place in the training process,” Barnett said. “Along the way, you should be tracking the new franchisees' progress toward clearly defined, time-bound goals that cover all the most important actions as well. That way, you make sure everyone learns exactly what they need to when they need to, while also ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.”
While it’s important to standardize your training, you also have to acknowledge that not every franchisee starts at the same place. “You need to be flexible as well, since not every franchisee is going to come into the system on equal footing,” Barnett said. “Some might need a little more hand-holding or a little more time, and some will take off running on their own.”
That’s why Oxi Fresh takes a blended approach to training, utilizing multiple formats to ensure comprehension across different learning styles.
“We’ve found it’s helpful to use a variety of different training formats to get our franchisees up to speed, since not everyone learns the same way,” Barnett said. “That includes face-to-face training with our home office corporate team, in-the-field training with live customers, extensive online training programs, and ongoing phone and video calls.”
Great franchise systems don’t just build training once — they continually refine it. “We’re always working to improve the process, especially as we get new feedback from the franchisees who continue to move through the system,” Barnett said. “Over time, we’ve continued to become more and more systems-oriented, and we’re often integrating new technologies as well.”
One major enhancement for Oxi Fresh was the launch of its digital university. “Years ago, we expanded our in-person cleaning systems training to include a comprehensive online video training program,” Barnett said. “Now, every franchisee goes through this program, which includes periodic quizzes to check their knowledge and understanding of key concepts.”
They didn’t stop there. “In the last couple years, we started sending out more short videos to the system as well, which offer helpful how-tos and best practices not just for our new franchisees but for the entire brand,” Barnett said. “We also recently brought on our second full-time corporate training and support professional, further expanding our ability to train, guide and otherwise support our franchisees in their goals.”
Initial training is only the beginning. Sustained franchise success requires long-term support that evolves with franchisees' needs. “Once they’ve completed our initial onboarding and training program, we continue to offer extensive ongoing support,” Barnett said.
This includes everything from marketing resources to technology platforms. “We provide a lot of marketing resources and support, operate an in-house scheduling center and online scheduler tool, execute advanced SEO strategies to help franchises rank in local search results, continually optimize and improve our software, manage social media accounts and provide routine updates, communications and helpful videos,” he said.
Oxi Fresh also monitors trends and industry developments to proactively adapt. “It’s also our job to monitor industry trends and other news or changes in the landscape that could affect our franchisees,” Barnett said. “Perhaps most importantly, we’re responsible for protecting, building and spreading awareness of the Oxi Fresh brand.”
And when franchisees need immediate support? “Our franchisees can always pick up the phone or send an email to get in touch with our Home Office team, whether that’s their training coach, franchise developer or any other member of the corporate staff,” Barnett said. “From there, we’ll try to help them however we can.”
As franchise systems grow, consistency becomes a major challenge. Oxi Fresh solves this by sticking to its standardized procedures and centralized team.
“We use the same comprehensive system with standard operating procedures for every step in the process and for every franchisee,” Barnett said. “We have detailed spreadsheets and software that help us track progress towards each important milestone, so we’re able to closely control the training process for every franchisee, whether they’re in California, Florida or Ontario.”
Having the same internal team lead every stage of training also helps ensure continuity. “We have the same in-house corporate team leading each component of the training with all our franchisees,” Barnett said. “Finally, we make sure we’re communicating internally about our franchisees’ progress so that everyone stays on the same page throughout.”
Above all, franchisors must understand that no two franchisees are the same, and support needs to reflect that.
“One big lesson we learned early on — and which is still relevant today — is that not every franchisee enters the system on an equal playing field,” Barnett said. “Some of our franchisees are experienced entrepreneurs, and those folks are often ready to get up and running very quickly. Some of our other franchisees might not have any experience running a business, and they often need some extra help with the fundamentals.”
Regardless of experience level, the franchisor’s role remains the same. “Either way, it’s our job to meet the franchisee where they’re at and do whatever we can to help them pursue success in their territory,” Barnett said.
The best training programs build franchisee confidence. By combining structured systems with personalized support, franchisors can prepare owners to thrive, no matter their background or market.
Growing and selling franchises is difficult. No great franchise did it alone. Want to learn more about how 1851 helps franchisors grow their franchises with confidence? Visit www.1851growthclub.com and see what we can do for you.
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