Tips for New Franchisees to Succeed

For rookie franchisees, there are a number of ways to be successful right out of the gate.

SPONSOREDUpdated 8:08AM • 02/03/16

Franchises provide their new investors with plenty of tools for success, including operations manuals, financing options, marketing and ongoing training..But supplying resources does not equal people walking in the front door. In the early stages of a new franchisee’s career, they will have to hit the ground running. This means they will have to wear a number of different hats and do a little bit of everything. Here are a few ways franchisees can sustain success right away.

Find the Right Location

After franchisees have signed their deal, the next step in the process is to find the right location. Finding the perfect locale for a franchise is a bit more complicated than scrolling through a few listing on Craigslist. Dick Ren, a development agent for MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes*, said franchisees need to choose real estate that works best for their prospective industry. A MOOYAH location would fare better in an area that has a lot of traffic; as opposed to an area hidden behind back roads.

Train Yourself

Training is one of the most integral parts of getting ready to open up a franchise. Franchise businesses are well equipped with training protocols and programs, but Ren said even after the corporate-mandated training is complete; franchisees should try to educate themselves a bit more. This can be done through enrolling in an online class, picking up small-business books, staying on top of industry trends or even participating on a webinar.

Lean on the Team for Support

The saying goes that there are no dumb questions and that rings true for franchising. If an entrepreneur does not have experience in the franchising industry, they may need a little more of a helping hand. Franchisors typically provide a litany of useful guides and the corporate office is usually just a phone call away. Molly Martin is a multi-unit owner with Wireless Zone and said she was not as prepared as she anticipated for changes that occurred at the warehouse level or some personnel issues that arose. She said she relied on her strong team to help her.

“You need to make sure you have a good team to back you up and then use the resources that are provided by the franchisor to assist along the way,” Martin said. “I thought specifically it would be hard to make sure everyone, including myself, knew the frontline areas as well as the backend, but with the great staff and management structure that I have now, I am able to focus on what I need to do and let my management staff take care of the rest.”

Stay on Target

There is nothing wrong in trying new tactics to succeed, but straying too far from the established systems and procedures can cause distractions and some bad stuff to happen. Ren said some of the most successful franchisees he has seen in his 25 plus years in the business are ones that stick to the franchise system.

“When you are in the franchising business, you are in business for yourself, but you are also in business with others such as the franchisors,” Ren said. “Franchisees should listen to what others have to say and can take the best pieces of advice and use them to succeed.”

Find a Rhythm

Once a franchisee has had a few months on the job, old obstacles may now be strengths and running the business can feel like second nature. Finding the right balance of designating tasks in the early months is integral to relieving stress. Martin said finding a good rhythm helped her succeed in running her two Wireless Zone locations.

“It was hard for me to find my rhythm on how I was going to run meetings and how I was able to juggle all the extra owner's calls, training calls and such,” Martin said. “It was very overwhelming at first and took some time to figure out, but I eventually understood it and I am now able to divide my time up how I need too.”

*This brand is a paid partner of 1851 Franchise. For more information on paid partnerships please click here.

Tips for New Franchisees to Succeed

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