Franchising is big business that can bring in big bucks too. Someone who is planning to venture into this space will find there is no dearth of opportunities. In a way, that’s a good thing as it gives you the chance to find something you would really like that fits into your budget. The downside to this is that excessive choices also make it very difficult for you to narrow down the choices.
Every potential franchisee expects a number of things from their to-be franchisor. We’ve listed the 5 main things you should expect from your franchisor:
It’s crucial that you look for a franchise that runs its business in a professional manner and the different touch-points you can see evidence of this aspect, are:
When you are interested in owning a franchise, it’s obvious that you would want a very clear picture of everything involved in starting this business; this is especially true when it comes to the money aspect. When you visit a company’s website and look for cost; and when you actually interact with the company’s representatives, they should be proactive and forthcoming with providing you all the information you need.
After all, you will be investing a significant amount of money in their franchise and you need to be assured that they are transparent in their dealings and that there are no hidden costs that will surface later. It’s a good idea to contact existing franchisees and ask them what their upfront costs were – this should give you a fair idea about whether the company is on the level.
This is a very important aspect; you don’t want to open up the franchise business you always wanted to open up, only to find out that someone else has opened up another similar franchise hardly a kilometre away from yours. This is bound to have an adverse effect on the profitability of your business. So, find out whether the franchise provides territory protection.
While this may sound like a very broad term, it’s commonly used whenever there is talk about a franchise business model and it’s something you should expect from your franchisor. The things the company’s headquarters should be providing support for are:
Every franchisor has a different business model and so the one you are planning to associate yourself with, may/may not have a department that is dedicated to deal with real estate. If they do, it’s an excellent thing; but if they don’t the least they should be able to provide you with are references of commercial real estate agents in your specific area.
A portion of what you pay the franchisor for is their expertise in the field; and ideally, that expertise should include real-estate. The team at the franchise HQ should be able to help you with zeroing-in on a location that would be lucrative for you.
Again, this information is something existing franchisees can help you with. So you should double-check with them and understand how much support the franchisor provided them when they were looking for a location.
It’s normal to harbour these expectations from your franchisor and you should connect with the current franchisees of the company to find out whether the latter is able to fulfil these as expected.
For any more tips or information related to franchising and how to make a success of it, contact us via this number –1300 855 435. If you like, you can also send us your queries via this online form.
Thanks for reading,
The Franchise Institute Team
1300 855 435
