By Bill McPherson
For many entrepreneurs, one of the draws in joining a well-established franchise is that the business model and processes are already laid out and have proven to work well at other locations.
Instead of coming up with a unique idea that may or may not succeed in your local market and starting your company from scratch, a franchised business allows you to be your own boss as long as you adhere to your franchisor’s brand guidelines.
But you may still want to put your own mark on your local operation. This requires that you find a franchising organization that will allow you to strike the right balance between following their proven system of success and personalizing the business as your own.
It’s important that you establish good communication with a franchisor early in your relationship so that they will be more receptive to your feedback later. Find a franchisor who will provide you with the actionable advice you need to know before making your own independent decisions.
Building Trust
If you want to work with a franchisor who will allow you some leeway in personalizing your business, your first option is to do your research. Whether you work with a franchise broker or do the research yourself, you need to be clear that you want to make your own mark while still conforming to brand standards.
Some organizations welcome ingenuity and originality and want their franchise owners to brand their locations with a distinctly local flair. But others want you to follow their process by the book and have no room for deviation.
If your goal is to put your own stamp on your franchise location, be honest with the franchisor upfront. If their business model doesn’t allow for nonconformity, this organization may not be the right fit for you. Speak to existing owners as well for their experiences.
Setting this goal with the franchisor at the beginning of your relationship helps you build trust within your organization and keeps the lines of communication open. If they are willing to allow you to put your own personal spin on their business model, you will want to remain receptive to their suggestions throughout your relationship with your franchisor.
Leaning into the Brand
If you’ve made it to the point where you are discussing specifics, chances are you have done your research and understand how your chosen franchisor runs its business.
Becoming part of a franchise means that the path to success has been somewhat paved for you. The franchisor provides you with an established business model, brand recognition and marketing support to help you get started.
In the long run, a successful franchise also provides you with operational guidelines, and initial and ongoing training so that you reach and continue to achieve profitability.
When you consider that more than 90% of sole proprietorship startups fail, while more than 90% of franchises in the United States are still operating after five years, following your franchisor’s business model is probably an excellent idea.
Other benefits include reliable market research about your operating area, a shorter path to open, national and regional advertising and marketing campaigns, centralized operational services like call centers and accounting departments, and a network of other franchisees to provide peer-to-peer advice.
But the most beneficial feature of a franchise may be its ability to create a strong brand identity that promotes both the growth of the franchise and the success of its individual franchisees.
Once you understand and appreciate your franchisor’s brand identity, you can then broach the subject of tailoring your operations to meet the demands of your community or to build stronger customer relationships.
Finding a Franchise to Call Your Own
As you begin the process of buying into and investing in a franchise, bear in mind that you need to follow the franchisor’s business model to a tee. It may be tempting to try to weave your own experiences into a franchisor’s process, but until you are more acclimated with their system, it’s better to let your future franchisor guide you.
There also are ways you can enhance your local customer experience and put your own stamp on your franchise while maintaining brand consistency. One of those is through charitable community work. This is why it’s important to team with a franchise that gives you the freedom to select your own charity to partner with.
While many franchisors have charities they support on a national level, they do understand that those charities might not meet the needs of every community where they have a franchise location. Make sure you look for franchisors who will encourage you to find a local school, group or charity that reflects the values of your community.
Ask potential franchisors if they will allow you to tie in some of their marketing campaigns to local events and interests in your area. For example, if your local high school or college football team is particularly popular, find out if it’s OK to tie franchise-wide specials to the local game, or if your community hosts a highly attended holiday event, see if they will be fine if you sponsor the event.
And, once you open your location, you should be able to enhance your franchise’s brand by personalizing your customer service. This can include training your employees to remember and repeat customers’ names or ask for local feedback.
The important thing to remember is that establishing a good line of communication with your franchisor, listening to your franchisor’s feedback and complying with their processes early in your relationship will help you grow a strong business.
Adding your personal touches can make your location more successful, but only with strong guidance from your franchisor.
Bill McPherson is the vice president of retail network development for PostNet, a global leader in high-quality printing and shipping solutions, and AlphaGraphics, a leading franchisor of printing and marketing solutions. With over 29 years of franchise leadership, he has led franchise development and real estate for B2B, B2C, retail, and in-home senior care concepts. For more information, visit https://postnetfranchise.com/.
About MBE Worldwide
MBE Worldwide S.p.A. (“MBE”), a privately-owned company with its headquarters in Italy, is a Global Commerce enabler for SMBs and consumers thanks to its platform providing e-commerce, fulfillment, shipping, marketing and print solutions via multi-brand operations: PrestaShop, Mail Boxes Etc. (except the U.S. and Canada), PostNet, PACK & SEND, Spedingo.com, AlphaGraphics, Multicopy, World Options UK and Print Speak. The combination of our retail platform – that currently counts 3,190+ service centers in 58 Countries with more than 12,000 associates – our PrestaShop ecommerce platform served almost one million business customers in FY 2023 €1.4 bln (US$1.5 bln) of System-wide Gross Revenue and €22 bln (US$23.8 bln) of e-commerce Gross Merchandise Value.
For additional information please visit MBE Worldwide Group websites at: www.mbecorporate.com – www.prestashop.com/en – www.mbeglobal.com – www.postnet.com – www.packsend.com.au – www.packsend.co.uk – www.spedingo.com/en – www.alphagraphics.com – www.multicopy.nl – www.printspeak.com – www.mbe.it – www.mbe.es – www.mbe.de – www.mbefrance.fr – www.mbe.pl – www.mbe.pt – www.mbe.co.uk – www.gelproximity.com/en – www.worldoptions.com