If you have been considering opening your own business but are concerned with risking your money with an unknown or unproven product or service, you may do well to consider franchising. Franchises are often the best way to go, especially for new entrepreneurs who are looking to be their own boss, but at the same time reduce their risk of losing their hard-earned money.
Unlike opening your own startup business from scratch, with a franchise you can get support from the parent company as well as fellow franchisees. You’ll find this can be a valuable resource, helping you with questions and guiding you toward your eventual success in the business world.
Whether or not you are successful in franchising depends a great deal on what type of business you are planning to start. Though, in most cases, you will find that, regardless of the type of business, franchising is the much safer and easier route to go.
Which role will you play?
You will also want to decide what kind of role you want to play in the business. Do you want to be an absentee owner, who hires management staff that deals with the day-to-day running of the business, or do you want to be more like an owner/operator who is directly involved in running your own business?
About the investment…
Another important question you will definitely want to consider is how much you plan on investing in your franchise. Franchises can cost anywhere from less than $10,000 to over $1 million.
For instance, opening a restaurant franchise will cost a bit more than opening a franchise selling merchandise from home, as you will have to deal with overhead costs such as equipment and food inventory with a restaurant. This BusinessNewsDaily article should give you a good idea of the different types of franchises out there as well as the startup costs.
Make some research first.
Once you’ve decided on the kind of business you want to get into and the initial investment you are willing to put up, you will want to carefully research the different franchise opportunities available. Some of the things you will want to consider include: how good of a support system they have, how good is the corporate staff, and how vested are they in seeing their franchisees succeed in their goals. This is an important life decision you are making, and the more time you take in researching your prospective franchisors, the more likely you will succeed in your franchise venture.
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One big part of researching potential franchisors is reading their financial disclosure document (FDD) carefully and thoroughly. You should pay close attention to past or current litigations (Items 1-4), financial performance and historical grown (Items 19 and 21), and current and past franchisees (Item 20). The last of these items is particularly useful for your research, as you can contact not only current franchisees to see how well the program is working for them, but also talk to franchisees who chose to get out of the franchise. It is a good idea to talk to as many franchisees as possible to get an overview of just how well the particular franchise works.
What does your franchise need to succeed?
You may be wondering what type of people actually run successful franchises. Are franchises only for people who are business savvy with a master’s degree in business? Can the common man open a franchise and expect to succeed?
You will be glad to know that there are many successful franchisees from all walks of life, from business gurus to the “common man on the street.” There have also been many famous celebrities who have recognized the value of franchises, such as those found in this Famous Franchisee Quiz! So, you will be in good company if you do decide to get into franchising.
This article only touches on a few of the aspects of franchising, but hopefully, it does answer your question on whether or not this is the right type of venture for you. Just keep in mind, whether you are franchising or deciding to start your business from the ground up, the number one reason for your success will always be YOU. Any business venture, regardless of what type of business it is, requires dedication and hard work, research and commitment. If you are willing to dedicate yourself to your business and put in the work, you have a good chance of becoming successful.
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