By Colt Florence
Finding opportunity in the corporate world can be challenging, and it’s becoming more so all the time. According to data from Pathrise, it took white collar workers an average of 294 applications to find a job in 2024, an increase from 254 the year prior. The jobs are there, but in an increasingly competitive environment, landing them can take time, patience and more than a little luck.
Given the competitive nature of the corporate world, more and more job seekers are looking for alternative avenues to leverage their business acumen and see their careers flourish. Franchising is an attractive option for anyone looking to step off the corporate ladder and create their own path forward. Fields such as home service franchising, in particular, can provide growth opportunities that are largely recession resilient.
Building on past experience
For anyone who has a track record in business leadership or team management, franchising can provide the right infrastructure to pursue independence and success.
One advantage that franchising offers is the opportunity to capitalize on prior experience within the guardrails of a proven system. Buying a franchise means getting built-in operational guidelines, training programs and business models — an entire ecosystem in which owners can apply the skills from their prior backgrounds and professional experience.
Franchising also involves a reduced risk level—especially when the franchising model is complemented by the owner’s business bona fides. Many owners bring with them working knowledge of local markets and consumer trends, which can help them make informed decisions and mediate entrepreneurial risk. Again, fields like home service franchising can be especially useful for reducing risk, as they remain resilient even amidst economic uncertainty.
There are also some ways in which franchising can help new owners jumpstart the notoriously time-intensive work of building a new brand. In fact, one of the merits of franchising is that the brand is already established, allowing owners to draw from past marketing experience in order to boost a known, recognizable identity.
Transferring key skills
Anyone who has worked in a managerial or business leadership position has undoubtedly cultivated a broad portfolio of skills. Many of those skills can be easily transferred into the franchising context. As such, franchising provides white collar professionals with a chance to build on existing strengths, further developing the talents they already possess.
Just a few of the core skills that can transfer into the franchising space include:
- Financial aptitude. Most office professionals develop a basic financial skill set, or at least a sense of familiarity with concepts like budgeting, revenue tracking and expense controls. Even literacy with financial statements can provide a leg up in the franchise world, where owners have important financial decision-making responsibilities within a proven model.
- Leadership. Any past experience managing personnel can be invaluable in the franchising world, as owners will need to be prepared to delegate, to communicate a vision to their team members and to motivate performance.
- Marketing and sales. Franchises come with built-in marketing assets — not just the brand itself but often a wealth of marketing collateral. Still, someone has to execute on these assets, pitching the brand to consumers in the local area, ensuring the sales pipeline remains full at all times. Again, prior expertise can provide a meaningful head start toward franchise success.
Seeking independence as a franchise owner
As the corporate job market grows more crowded and competitive, many professionals desire an alternative path — one where they can enjoy a greater sense of autonomy. Franchising provides not only a way to build on existing skills and experiences, but to experience real independence.
The term “be your own boss” can feel trite, but for franchise owners, it carries the ring of truth. Franchise owners enjoy ample space to make daily operational decisions, to hire and fire staff and to nurture relationships with local customers. The franchise system provides a sense of safety, but it doesn’t smother or obscure that independence.
Franchising usually involves a choice of local markets, too. Not only are aspiring owners free to select the industry they want to work in — for example, by choosing a pest control or a window treatment franchise — but to work in a market that aligns with their knowledge and passion.
One question that every entrepreneur must answer is how quickly they wish to scale and grow. Here again, franchising means freedom—specifically, the freedom to exercise some control over that growth. With franchising, owners can decide for themselves whether they wish to optimize the current location or to spread into multi-unit ownership. In home service franchising, there is enormous freedom to pursue growth by opening new branches in outlying markets.
More than anything else, franchising is notable for providing ownership that’s paired with guidance. It gives you the ability to experience many of the benefits of small business ownership while also getting to leverage proven systems for training and support. Getting to work autonomously while enjoying significant safeguards against risk — now that’s freedom. And it goes a long way toward explaining why franchising is an increasingly viable model for those looking to leave the corporate world and exercise their business skills elsewhere.
Colt Florence is Senior Vice President of Franchise Development for Five Star Franchising, an innovative, growing platform of home service brands, including Five Star Bath Solutions, Gotcha Covered, Bio-One, 1-800-Packouts, Card My Yard, and Mosquito Shield. He has more than a decade of experience in franchise development and sales, including leadership positions with successful franchise brand platforms.