1851

<p>It’s always good to have someone in your corner. Particularly when you’re opening a business.</p><p>That’s exactly why people turn to the franchise model. They get to be their own boss, but they also have some support and guidance with the business from a corporate office.</p><p>But exactly how much support — and what kind of support — should you, as a potential franchisee, expect from the home office?</p><p>1851 Franchise asked <a href="https://www.msaworldwide.com/about-us/msa-senior-team/kay-ainsley/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=what-kind-of-support-should-franchisees-expect-from-franchisors-2714723" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><u>Kay Ainsley</u></a>, the managing director of <a href="https://www.msaworldwide.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=what-kind-of-support-should-franchisees-expect-from-franchisors-2714723" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><u>MSA Worldwide</u></a>, a firm that advises franchise businesses, to help us understand what franchisees should expect from their franchisor’s corporate headquarters.</p><h4>1851 Franchise: What is the franchisor’s role and responsibility for a new franchisee?</h4><p>Kay Ainsley: I think that the franchisor’s primary responsibility is to protect the brand. Therefore, they need to provide their franchisees with the tools necessary for the franchisee to operate the business to the standard set by the franchisor.&nbsp;</p><h4>1851: And the franchisee?</h4><p>Ainsley: The franchisee is ultimately responsible for the day to day decisions, who to hire, who to have on their staff and financial management. The franchisee is ultimately responsible to manage that business’s bottom line.</p><h4>1851: Should a franchisee expect to have an on-site visit with the corporate office before they start?</h4><p>Ainsley: I think that bringing trainees into a corporate location is beneficial because the trainee gets to see the corporate culture as well as the nuts and bolts of managing the business. I think good training programs incorporate classroom as well as on-the-job training. It's one thing to have somebody explain to you how to do something, and it's another thing to get your hands dirty doing it.</p><h4>1851: Is the training usually enough to get ready to open?</h4><p>Ainsley: When a franchisee goes to training, in some cases, it's like drinking from a firehose. There's a ton of information that’s provided in a short period of time, then when they actually go to open their business, it's like, “What do I do next?”</p><h4>1851: What is a typical opening-day concern?</h4><p>Ainsley: I always say, a franchisee’s first panic, is “What if I, what if I open my doors and nobody comes?” The second one is, “What if I open my doors and <i>everybody</i> comes!” Franchisors will often send somebody to help with those first few days of getting open and settled. And I think that's a good thing for a franchise to do.</p><h4>1851: What sort of marketing support is typical at first?</h4><p>Ainsley: I think the franchisor should provide the initial plan. In our firm, we call it “a market introduction,” rather than a “grand opening.”&nbsp; We try to make sure the franchisee has thought about advertising plans and budgeted enough money to get them through the first several months of getting their business open, rather than just the week of the grand opening.</p><h4>1851: After that first week, that first month, should franchisees expect to have somebody to call if something goes awry?</h4><p>Ainsley: It may depend on what goes awry, but I think in most cases franchisors want to get somebody off to a good start. If you ignore somebody or their questions in the early stages, it's not gonna get any better. It's easier to train them well to give them opening support to get them not only walking but running by themselves. It eliminates headaches down the road.</p><h4>1851: What about having business coaches available to work with franchisees? Is that a reasonable expectation to have?</h4><p>Ainsley: I think that's a competitive advantage in some systems. Certainly, if a franchisor were going to provide that, you would highlight it during the franchise sales process. And again, all of this depends on the concept and the industry.</p><p>I wouldn't say there's ever a one size fits all</p><h4>1851: What’s a reasonable level of training?</h4><p>Ainsley: If you were franchising a pharmacy, you're not going to teach somebody to be a pharmacist or a chiropractor. You're going to give them the brand to operate under, the marketing plan and maybe some business guidance, but they have to have those skills.</p><h4>1851: What should a franchisee <i>not</i> expect from the corporate office?</h4><p>Ainsley: They can't make you successful. They can give you the tools they can show you how to use the tools, but they cannot manage your business for you. They give you the tools, but you've got to work the business and you've got to take responsibility for it.</p>

What Kind of Support Should Franchisees Expect From Franchisors?

1851 Franchise

Before you invest in a franchise business, find out how the brand will invest in you.

what-kind-of-support-should-franchisees-expect-from-franchisors

Preservan

How to Read the Preservan 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document

how-to-read-the-preservan-2025-franchise-disclosure-document

Woodhouse Spas

Why Woodhouse Spas Is in a Class of Its Own: Comparing the Franchise Opportunity Across the Wellness Industry

why-woodhouse-spas-is-in-a-class-of-its-own-comparing-the-franchise-opportunity-across-the-wellness-industry

Shuckin' Shack

Photo of person holding oyster and Shuckin' Shack hot sauce bottle

Shuckin’ Shack Looks Toward Columbus to Grow Georgia Presence

shuckin-shack-columbus-ga

BooXkeeping

Graphic with person sitting on bar chart, surrounded by coins and pie charts

Why Franchise Brokers Should Take a Closer Look at BooXkeeping

franchise-brokers-booxkeeping-investment

Franchise Bookkeeping Mistakes That Put You on the IRS Radar — And How BooXkeeping Helps You Avoid Them

franchise-bookkeeping-mistakes-that-put-you-on-the-irs-radar-and-how-booxkeeping-helps-you-avoid-them

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

What ALEC-Laffer's Report Means for Franchising

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

Hooters Leans Into Franchising With Closure of 30 Company-Owned Stores - Agg - 1851 Franchise

Hooters Leans Into Franchising With Closure of 30 Company-Owned Stores

hooters-franchise-model-company-owned-closures

Dave’s Hot Chicken Sold to Roark Capital in $1 Billion Deal to Fuel Global Expansion

daves-hot-chicken-sold-to-roark-capital-in-1-billion-deal-to-fuel-global-expansion

Homebuyers Keep Buying — And That’s Good News for Home Service Franchises - 1851 Franchise

Homebuyers Keep Buying — And That’s Good News for Home Service Franchises

homebuyers-keep-buying-and-thats-good-news-for-home-service-franchises

AI Could Push Unemployment to 20% — Fueling a Surge in First-Time Franchise Buyers - 1851 Franchise

AI Could Push Unemployment to 20% — Fueling a Surge in First-Time Franchise Buyers

ai-unemployment-impact-white-collar-job-loss

How To Sell Just One Franchise: What You’ll Learn at FranCamp NJ 2025

how-to-sell-just-one-franchise-what-youll-learn-at-francamp-nj-2025

The Ultimate Guide to Selling Franchises: How To Create a Strong Incentive

how-to-build-strong-incentives-to-attract-prospective-franchisees

The Ultimate Guide To Selling Franchises: How To Budget Properly

how-franchises-can-budget-their-finances-properly

The Ultimate Guide To Selling Franchises — How To Build Webinars

how-franchisors-can-build-effective-webinars-to-reach-prospective-franchisees

The Ultimate Guide to Selling Franchises: How to Position Your Value Proposition

The Ultimate Guide to Selling Franchises: How to Position Your Value Proposition — Point of Differentiation

how-to-position-your-value-proposition-with-a-point-of-differentiation

Sola Salons Franchisee Grows Salon Freedom Into a Multi-State Powerhouse 

sola-salons-franchisee-grows-salon-freedom-into-a-multi-state-powerhouse

Dan Yangas Brings Family Flooring Legacy Full Circle With Footprints Floors Franchise in Naperville 

Dan Yangas Brings Family Flooring Legacy Full Circle With Footprints Floors Franchise in Naperville, Illinois

dan-yangas-brings-family-flooring-legacy-full-circle-with-footprints-floors-franchise-in-naperville-illinois

What Kind of Support Should Franchisees Expect From Franchisors?

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS