The Franchise

Franchising has become one of the most important and effective business growth strategies in the past quarter century. Although franchise system development dates back centuries to the times when monarchs awarded territories to tax collectors, current franchise business systems date back decades to the Singer Sewing Machine strategy of granting rights to individual business people to sell Singer products in various regions.

A Franchise strategy allows the Franchisor to penetrate, develop, and dominate markets on a simultaneous basis. A Franchise system also allows for each individual Franchisee to own their very own business, and yet participate in, and garner value from, a proven Franchise system.

A good Franchise system allows the Franchise Company to gain market share quickly, which serves as a barrier to competition, and helps build the Brand, which in turn creates exponential value for all stakeholders - including each Franchisee.

So how do you identify a good Franchise system? Well it makes sense that if you want to find out about strategies, culture, and compatibility, then you should ask the right questions. The answers can then be assessed to determine if the fit is right.

The following discussion covers five questions that should always be asked by the Franchise Candidate. If a Franchisor is either unwilling, or unprepared, to answer these questions, it should be a strong indicator that the fit may not be right.

How Big Is The Market?

The Franchisor should have a good handle on the available market for the product or service that you will be offering as a Franchisee. Presumably the Franchisor has done extensive research on the current market size, as well as the potential market size for the future.

The Franchisor should be willing to share that information with you so you can assess the data to make sure that the opportunity is going to be of sufficient size to satisfy your own goals. You may have to sign a non-disclosure agreement first, but the information is important to you, so it must be assessed. The whole idea of Franchising is to ensure that the goals and dreams of the Franchisee, and those of the Franchisor, are unified. If the market availability will allow for strategies to be implemented by you, which are consistent with your goals, and those penetration goals are congruent with the Franchisor’s goals, then all is good.

If it’s a long-standing and stable market, then there should be plenty of statistics to back up that conclusion. If it’s a new and burgeoning market, there should be analysis that you can assess to give you a comfort level that you, together with Franchisor, can go get a significant share. If it’s a fad market, or limited life market, then the strategies should reflect that, as should the agreements.

The caution is that if the Franchisor is wishy-washy about the market, or is unwilling to discuss the issue in depth with you, that should be a significant warning sign.

Who are The Competitors?

The Franchisor should have a good understanding about the competition, and how much market share they command. It doesn’t matter how big a market is if it’s completely saturated, unless the Franchisor has specific strategies to eat someone else’s lunch.

The Franchisor should be able to talk to you about specific competitors, what their strategies have been, what they will likely be in the future, and how the Franchise system intends to penetrate that market.

The Franchisor should also be willing to discuss the future competitor that may appear on the horizon. They may not be willing to disclose their specific strategies about dealing with that eventuality - at least not without erasing your memory after the discussion. However, a general discussion about the issue should give you some solace that they have thought about their approach, and that you feel comfortable with their preparedness.