{"id":9460,"date":"2021-05-18T17:35:23","date_gmt":"2021-05-18T16:35:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/?p=9460"},"modified":"2022-01-27T11:05:29","modified_gmt":"2022-01-27T11:05:29","slug":"how-to-franchise-your-business-10-steps-to-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/how-to-franchise-your-business-10-steps-to-success\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Franchise Your Business: 10 Steps to Success"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #101010;color:#101010\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #101010;color:#101010\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/how-to-franchise-your-business-10-steps-to-success\/#1-to-franchise-or-not-to-franchise\" >1. To franchise or not to franchise<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/how-to-franchise-your-business-10-steps-to-success\/#2-is-franchising-a-good-fit\" >2. Is franchising a good fit?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/how-to-franchise-your-business-10-steps-to-success\/#3-in-the-planning\" >3. In the planning<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/how-to-franchise-your-business-10-steps-to-success\/#4-proper-processes\" >4. Proper processes<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/how-to-franchise-your-business-10-steps-to-success\/#5-nailing-the-training\" >5. Nailing the training<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/how-to-franchise-your-business-10-steps-to-success\/#6-creating-your-contract\" >6. Creating your contract<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/how-to-franchise-your-business-10-steps-to-success\/#7-make-your-brand-shine\" >7. Make your brand shine<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/how-to-franchise-your-business-10-steps-to-success\/#8-finding-your-franchisees\" >8. Finding your franchisees<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/how-to-franchise-your-business-10-steps-to-success\/#9-start-your-support-systems\" >9. Start your support systems<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/how-to-franchise-your-business-10-steps-to-success\/#10-launch-and-run\" >10. Launch and run<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/how-to-franchise-your-business-10-steps-to-success\/#conclusion\" >Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 4<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><p>Starting and running a business takes an incredible amount of work and dedication, and many fail before they\u2019re even off the ground. For those who are successful, the rewards are great and, there will often come the point at which a business owner starts to wonder what\u2019s next.<\/p>\n<p>Franchising your brand is a fantastic way of rapidly growing a business with a view to selling it sometime in the future. Although this can be incredibly lucrative, a lot of business owners struggle to know where to start. In this guide, we\u2019ll take you through the ten steps to franchising your business and securing your future:<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1-to-franchise-or-not-to-franchise\"><\/span><strong>1. To franchise or not to franchise<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The first &#8211; and most important &#8211; step is to decide <a href=\"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-franchising\/\">whether or not franchising is right for you<\/a> and your business. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/franchise-meaning-in-business\/\">Franchising<\/a> is most definitely not a &#8216;one size fits all&#8217; solution and is not suited to every business. Before making this important decision, there are some very compelling pros and cons to consider:<\/p>\n<h5><strong>The Pros<\/strong><\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li>Franchising enables you to expand your business without using any of your own capital.<\/li>\n<li>Your business will enjoy new revenue streams through franchising fees and royalties.<\/li>\n<li>Your franchisees will take over the reins of selling your products while you focus on the creative areas of your brand.<\/li>\n<li>Franchisees are, by nature, more motivated and invested than regular employees.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5><strong>The Cons<\/strong><\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li>Setting up a franchise takes a fair amount of time and effort, including putting in place systems, standards and processes as well as creating documents such as manuals and guidelines.<\/li>\n<li>A franchised company can be a minefield of hidden expenses, including ongoing training and support.<\/li>\n<li>If a franchised business expands too quickly, there can be problems with maintaining quality control.<\/li>\n<li>As with any type of business, franchising carries a certain amount of risk &#8211; and disenfranchising can be extremely complicated.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2-is-franchising-a-good-fit\"><\/span><strong>2. Is franchising a good fit?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Your next step is to figure out if your business is suited to franchising and, here, there are a few things to look at:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Track record<\/strong> &#8211; you\u2019ll need to demonstrate to franchisees that a profit can be made from the business and, for this, you\u2019ll need to be able to present results of your company\u2019s profitability.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Clonability<\/strong> &#8211; Does your business have an identity that can easily be replicated across many different branches?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Branding<\/strong> &#8211; is your branding strong enough and recognisable enough to attract franchisees?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Culture clash<\/strong> &#8211; are there any geographical or cultural barriers to franchising your business?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Chain reaction<\/strong> &#8211; do you have strong and established supply chains?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>All of these factors need to be taken into consideration when deciding if franchising is a good fit for your business.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-9461\" title=\"franchise planning\" src=\"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/franchise-planning.jpg\" alt=\"franchise planning\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/franchise-planning.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/franchise-planning-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/franchise-planning-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/franchise-planning-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/franchise-planning-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/franchise-planning-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/franchise-planning-696x464.jpg 696w, https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/franchise-planning-1068x712.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/franchise-planning-630x420.jpg 630w, https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/franchise-planning-20x13.jpg 20w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3-in-the-planning\"><\/span><strong>3. In the planning<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>If your business is ticking all the boxes so far, it\u2019s time to take a look at planning your franchise. It\u2019s important to put together a formal plan to show what you intend to do and how your franchise business is going to work. This plan should include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Any factors &#8211; good or bad &#8211; which may affect your business model<\/li>\n<li>The management structure of your franchise business<\/li>\n<li>A map of your supply chain<\/li>\n<li>Expenses and revenue targets for your business<\/li>\n<li>Your requirements including funding, staffing and set up costs, as well as your current financial position<\/li>\n<li>The quality control process for your business<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This will provide a roadmap for your business as well as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/writing-a-franchise-business-plan\/\">forming a business plan<\/a> should you require funding.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4-proper-processes\"><\/span><strong>4. Proper processes<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The secret to a successful franchise operation is to put together standardised processes that are easy for all of your franchisees to follow and run for themselves. This will involve creating manuals and documents and field testing these to make sure that they\u2019re straightforward and effective.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5-nailing-the-training\"><\/span><strong>5. Nailing the training<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>When <a href=\"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/franchising-your-business-things-you-need-to-know\/\">franchising your business<\/a>, the objective is that each branch offers the same quality and value &#8211; and that includes your staff. This means that you\u2019ll need to design a comprehensive training program that will allow your franchisees and their employees to get up to speed quickly and effectively.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"6-creating-your-contract\"><\/span><strong>6. Creating your contract<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>At this stage, you\u2019ll be looking to create a comprehensive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/the-top-10-steps-to-follow-when-opening-a-franchise\/\">franchise agreement<\/a> to cover your franchisee\u2019s interests as well as your own. Your agreement should include all aspects of the operation, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Fees and royalties<\/li>\n<li>Standards of operation<\/li>\n<li>Costs<\/li>\n<li>Dispute procedures<\/li>\n<li>Territory<\/li>\n<li>Security<\/li>\n<li>Responsibilities<\/li>\n<li>Training<\/li>\n<li>Support<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you\u2019re drawing up the contract yourself, it\u2019s always a good idea to ask a solicitor to look it over for you to make sure that you have all your bases covered. You\u2019ll also want to review contracts regularly to keep them up to date.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"7-make-your-brand-shine\"><\/span><strong>7. Make your brand shine<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>You no doubt believe that your brand is the best thing since sliced bread &#8211; now it\u2019s time to make sure that this is the case.<\/p>\n<p>At this stage of the process, you\u2019ll be getting ready to attract franchisees to your program and, so you need to make sure that your brand is as attractive a prospect as possible. Take a close look at every aspect of your operation to see where you can improve and add anything that may be considered high value to a franchisee. Often, just a few tweaks are all that\u2019s needed to turn your brand into a highly attractive proposition for potential franchisees.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-9463\" title=\"Finding your franchisees\" src=\"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Finding-your-franchisees.jpg\" alt=\"Finding your franchisees\" width=\"1200\" height=\"801\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Finding-your-franchisees.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Finding-your-franchisees-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Finding-your-franchisees-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Finding-your-franchisees-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Finding-your-franchisees-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Finding-your-franchisees-600x401.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Finding-your-franchisees-696x465.jpg 696w, https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Finding-your-franchisees-1068x713.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Finding-your-franchisees-629x420.jpg 629w, https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Finding-your-franchisees-20x13.jpg 20w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"8-finding-your-franchisees\"><\/span><strong>8. Finding your franchisees<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The time has arrived to find your franchisees &#8211; but the key here is in finding the right people. Unlike regular employees, your franchisees will be representing your business on every level, and so you\u2019re looking for people who share your ideals and your enthusiasm.<\/p>\n<p>Before <a href=\"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/advertise\/\">recruiting<\/a>, make a list of the must-have skills and experience and desirable personality traits &#8211; and stick to them. When recruiting franchisees, it&#8217;s vital that you spend a great deal of time getting to know them as well as running comprehensive background checks to help you avoid nasty surprises further down the line.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"9-start-your-support-systems\"><\/span><strong>9. Start your support systems<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Now that you have your fabulous franchisees and, they\u2019re all raring to go, you\u2019ll want to establish some support systems to help you get the best out of your people. Setting up employee support systems as well as quality control ones right at the start is a great way of putting standards in place, which will give you the very best chance of success.<\/p>\n<p>To begin with, you\u2019ll need to make sure that you have excellent technical and IT support. Issues such as inventory problems and issues with POS and tills can be disastrous for a business and, so your technical support needs to be as reactive and as efficient as possible.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, it&#8217;s important for franchisees to be able to get in touch with somebody quickly if they have questions and day to day issues with the business. A lack of support can quickly make franchisees feel disillusioned and stressed, so close attention must be paid here.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"10-launch-and-run\"><\/span><strong>10. Launch and run<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s an excellent idea to encourage your franchisees to hold an opening day event in order to encourage customers through their doors. Free samples and opening day discounts are both great ways of enticing customers to give the business a go. While launch day is extremely exciting &#8211; and the part you\u2019ve been working towards &#8211; it\u2019s by no means the end of the story.<\/p>\n<p>Going forward, you\u2019ll want to have comprehensive monitoring and reporting processes in place to make sure that all of your franchises are running effectively and consistently. When running your franchises, you\u2019ll be looking to strike a balance between keeping your eye on things and interfering; therefore, building a strong relationship with your franchisees is essential.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"conclusion\"><\/span><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Franchising your brand is a fantastic way of increasing the reach of your business and adding new revenue streams and, when done properly, can help secure an income not just for yourself but for future generations. In order to be successful, it\u2019s important to trust your franchisees to manage their branches while keeping one hand on the reins; at least in the beginning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Starting and running a business takes an incredible amount of work and dedication, and many fail before they\u2019re even off the ground. For those who are successful, the rewards are great and, there will often come the point at which a business owner starts to wonder what\u2019s next. Franchising your brand is a fantastic way [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9462,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tips-advice"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/How-to-Franchise-Your-Business.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9460"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9460\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}