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11 steps to finding your perfect franchise

Written by: James Greig

Article Overview: Owning a franchise gives you the best of both worlds – the freedom of owning your own business and the peace of mind of an experienced support team. But there are hundreds of franchise businesses out there, so how do you choose the right one? James Greig shares his expertise to help you find your perfect franchise.

11 steps to finding your perfect franchise

Choosing a franchise is difficult. There's so many industries - everything from home loans to garden maintenance - they can range from $5000 to millions of dollars, and then you have to think about the business’s location and competitors, as well as your own skills and experience. The process can be stressful, time-consuming and confusing.

To make it easier for you, I’ve compiled this list of the 11 steps you should follow. This advice is based on my experience as Managing Director of a franchise business and Manaigng Director of a franchise directory. Follow these steps that I have outlined in this article and you will be able to make an informed franchise decision without the stress and confusion.

Step 1 – Get to know yourself

Before you do anything, you need to take a long, hard look at yourself and why you want to go into franchising. Firstly, brainstorm what you want from a franchise – flexibility? Work from home? A challenge? To work with a strong brand? You also need to honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses, your skills and your experience. For examples, if finance isn’t your strong point then you need to make sure you can get adequate financial support from the franchise you choose. It’s important for you to identify these things so you can base your future decision on them.

Step 2 – Crunch your numbers

As well as knowing yourself, it’s essential that you know your financial situation – you need to be realistic about what you can and can’t afford right from the beginning and also the timeframe you need for accessing finance. Figure out how much you can afford then choose your shortlist based on that, rather than choosing the franchises you like, then struggling to scrape together the money – starting off on the back foot will make it really difficult for you to succeed in the long-term. Once you’ve set you’re budget, stick to it! Looking above what you can realistically afford will only cause you more stress and confusion.

Step 3 – Research, research, research!

Use whatever tools you have at your disposal to find out about the franchise industry. A good place to start is the Internet - read articles and reports from the Franchise Council of Australia, search for advice from franchising experts and browse franchise directories to see what’s available. You should also subscribe to some franchising and small business magazines to get their perspective on the industry. Empower yourself with as much knowledge as possible before you start on your franchise search.

Step 4 – Start the search

You’ve equipped yourself with knowledge of the industry and have established your own position, so now it’s time to find some franchise opportunities that you like. The best way to start is to search online directories, because you can conduct searches based on the industry you want to get into and on how much you want to invest. You should also view the websites of the franchises you like to find out more information about them and the opportunity they are offering. Ideally, the website should have a section dedicated to franchising with lots of information, like on the Bloomtools website.

Step 5 – Shortlist your favourites

Next you should create a simple spreadsheet to help you evaluate these franchises and shortlist approximately 3 of them. Put the names of each franchise down the left side of the page and several headings across the top that are important to you, such as ‘professional image’, ‘brand strength’, ‘training offered’ and ‘marketing support’. Then for each franchise, make notes about each area and rate them out of ten. This summary only needs to be very basic to help you get your list down to 3, so you can contact each of these for more information.

Step 6 – Find out more

You will now need more information from the franchises on your shortlist. Make contact with each one and arrange to meet or speak with their Franchising Manager. Prepare a list of questions to ask them to get more details on what you have already ranked them on and to work out whether you will be compatible with them. Ask questions such as:

o Who runs the franchise? Are they experienced?
o What is the target market of the franchise?
o How does the franchise system work?
o What will it cost me to set up a franchise?
o What kind of training, marketing and support is offered by the franchisor?

Asking questions like this will help you get as much information as possible so you can make an informed decision.

Step 7 – Pick a winner!

Now that you’ve had a chance to speak to someone from each of your shortlisted franchises, evaluate what you’ve learnt and choose a favourite to pursue. Once you choose to contact this franchise again to get more information, you are moving along the franchisee process, but you are not yet locked into anything.

Usually this stage will involve signing a confidentiality agreement, because the franchisor will be giving you information that they don’t want you to pass onto anyone else. These agreements are standard in the industry, but make sure you read it thoroughly before you sign it. At this stage, the franchisor will also want to make sure you are the right type of person for them, so they may ask for permission to do a credit check on you and ask you some qualifying questions. If both parties are keen, you can continue to move onto the next stage which involves you signing an agreement and gaining access to their financial data.

Step 8 – Dig deeper

Once you’ve gotten this far in the franchisee process, you are obviously pretty serious about investing in the franchise. After you’ve signed an agreement with the franchisor and been given their financial data and other information, you get a period of time to conduct what is called ‘due diligence’. This basically just means doing even more thorough research and seeking professional advice.

Get more detailed information about the company by speaking to their other franchisees and researching more about their products and services, history and directors. Then meet with your lawyer and accountant to go through everything with them and get their expert opinion. Make sure you take advantage of this time to learn as much as you can, then compare it with your experience, skills and financial situation. If you aren’t 100% convinced that it’s the opportunity for you, then now is the time to pull out.

Step 9 – Meet face-to-face

As mentioned, it is just as important to the franchisor that you are the right person for the job. So once you’ve received all the information from them and passed all their checks, it’s time to have a formal interview with their franchising team. This is designed to find out if you are compatible with their business and to discuss all the finer details of the opportunity. Obviously you will still have more questions, so use this opportunity to ask them – don’t leave this meeting without finding out what you want to know. Also, evaluate the key people in the franchise face-to-face – if you don’t like the people, the franchise may not be for you. If the franchisor wants to formally offer you the franchise and you accept the offer, you will have to sign a legally binding agreement and organise to pay an initial deposit (the deposit will vary greatly depending on the company).

Step 10 – 'Cool off' if you need to

A ‘cooling off’ period is time that franchisors are legally required to give you to think about your decision to sign with them. This time is required by law because many people change their mind after signing because they got caught up in the excitement of the process or were pressured into it. In this time, you can withdraw from your agreement with them without losing your deposit. However you will be charged for any costs that the franchisor incurred in that time (such as lawyer’s fees), so the best idea is not to sign in the first place if you have doubts. If you do sign, but are then unsure, take advantage of this time to evaluate your decision and seek more advice if necessary.

Step 11 – Join the team

Congratulations! You have now joined the thousands of Australians that own a franchise business and get to be their own boss. This stage of the process involves making payment for the franchise you have purchased and getting your business underway. Firstly you will need to arrange a time to begin the training offered by the franchisor and also organise the location of your business. The process and timelines at this stage really depend on the company you are involved with, so make sure you work this all out with them.

The final piece of advice I can give you is to maximise the opportunity you have been given – take advantage of extra training, engage in lots of local area marketing, build strong relationships with the franchisor and other franchisees and do everything you possibly can to achieve success in your business. If you do this, the results will speak for themselves. Good luck!

Related Articles
  Steps to a Successful Franchise Experience
  Finding a Franchise Online
  Franchising with all its Success
  Tips for Buying a Franchise
  What Information Franchises Want About Me and Why

Article Tags: adequate financial support, budget, confusion, crunch, financial situation, flexibility, franchise business, franchise directory, franchises, garden maintenance, home loans, managing director, shortlist, step 2, step 3, strengths and weaknesses, stress, stressful time, strong point, timeframe



Related Forum Posts
What is the Best Franchise? - As a Franchise Consultant I get asked this question on a daily basis. I work with clients to help them find the right franchise and through those conversations they almost always as me: "What is the Best Franchise?". There is no single answer for this question as the answer truly depends on the criteria you set as a perspective franchise owner. Meaning, maybe you want a retail location with 5 employees or a home based franchise with zero employees. Either way, the word "best" becomes relative to what is important to you. I realized quite some time ago that I could never "sell" a franchise to anyone. The only way someone will buy a franchise is if it makes sense for them & their family. Performing the proper due diligence is key to finding the best franchise for you.
How do you start to franchise? - If you have a successful business that has the capacity to be a great franchise, what are the initial steps you take to begin the process?
Hello I am a franchise expert - Hello, I recruit franchise owners for successful franchise concepts based in the USA. Many of my franchises are looking to expand north to Canada in all major centers. I enjoy networking and answering questions about franchising. If anyone is interested in the franchise world or looking to buy a franchise then contact me. I have a wealth of information and like to help. Thanks for your time. Michael Somer
Re: Franchising Brokers vs Franchising Consultants - Franchise consultants are free and work with you without any obligation. they do not work for any one franchise but do get a percentage of the franchise fee when a franchisee that was registered with the franchise came from the consultant and the franchisee signs. They will try to match up your interests and skills to franchise businesses that are right for you. They can explain franchise guidelines and help you in any way they can. Franchise brokers usually get paid by the client and/ or franchise (generally get some type of commission). Additionally, they can get points or referral fee off the deal if they refer you to a lending resource too after they sell you on a franchise. Typcally they will try to sell a prospective franchisee on a larger deal so they get a larger commission.
Re: Which franchise would you buy? - The franchise to buy, the one that will succeed is the one that is either underrepresented or not represented in the community. Look at your community, identify what service is missing. That is the franchise to pursue. Too many people buy a franchise based on their "heart". A franchise is a "widget". I have found that once people began to investigate a franchise they had never thought of, but find their is a need; the entrepreneurial "gene" kicks in and they get excited. They began seeing the possibilities of success, and as they uncover the nuances of the franchise, they become more interested. It is the uninformed that are uninspired.


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