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    (FS4) A Brief Discussion on Family Dynamics and The Franchise

    franchising information

    It’s important to visit as many franchise headquarters as you can as you investigate which one is for you. This can get expensive quickly, but it is essential in discovering how well a franchisor can take care of you through the visual of how well he takes care of his home space. Consider the risks of purchasing a car without seeing it first or what happens when you attend a school you did not investigate beforehand.

     

    If you have a business partner or spouse who will be operating the business with you, it will be important to bring them along with you to every headquarters you visit. It’s important that your partner know the franchisor just as much as you do unless you decided before that only one person would go, but think carefully. Bringing your partner along can show your franchisor that you are really serious about the franchise opportunity and can take the relationship to the next level.

     

    Evaluating a Franchise and their Services

    Every franchise offers something just a little bit different. The services of the business can vary greatly, even in the same industry. To understand the services offered by the company, you’ll want to establish what their philosophy, maturity, and fees are.

     

    You should receive a copy of the franchise agreement that you are able to take home and read at your leisure. This agreement should contain a list of services offered by the company as well as the definitions of those services. These services will not be what the business offers consumers, but what they offer you as the franchisee in the way of training and support. You’ll want to be sure you fully understand the training outline and if anything confuses you, you ask about it.

     

    If you are working with a sales broker or consultant who makes promises to you, be sure that you locate any of those promises you’re relying on in the print. If it’s not written down, you need to question what you’re being told. While legal promises are still legal, they are harder to prove if broken.

     

    What to Expect Before the Doors Open

    Assuming you have picked a franchisor to work with, they should be evaluating you just as hard as you are evaluating them. Some of the things you can expect them to possibly do the following:

     

    • Determine your financial eligibility and what help you can seek.trends-in-franchising
    • Register, protect, and provide you with information about their company and trademark.
    • Assist in site-evaluation and selection as well as the design and layout of your store.
    • Provide you with demographics and resources for the available market near your location.
    • Provide you with information on the fixtures, equipment, company protocol, and resources.
    • Provide you with a licensed point-of-sales system.
    • Provide a loanable library of resources about the industry and company specifics.
    • Provide you and your team with all levels of training from business management to entry level protocols.
    • Provide information on required knowledge or authorization for services and products you may offer to the public.
    • Provide a plan-o-gram for your store and the appropriate layout.
    • Provide planning and course of operation for grand opening events.
    • Assist in the coordination of store-opening activities.

     

    Any good franchisor will not only help before you open the doors, but will also offer these post-opening services:

     

    • Regular updates about the operations manual.
    • Advertising programs and materials for local, national, and regional campaigns.
    • Establishment of local webpage for your location.
    • Training, chatrooms, and forums based in Intranet.
    • Updates in research and development having to do with products, services, and systems your company uses.
    • Recommend and approve new products, services, and supplies for your company.
    • An advisory council of peers and your franchisor.
    • Support for operations through the headquarters.
    • Continual training.
    • Group purchasing system for filing your inventory easily.
    • Periodic upgrades for décor, design, and equipment.
    • The stability and enforcement of rules and regulations stated in franchisee agreement.
    • Regular meetings either regionally or through conference.

     

    While all of these may not be offered, the best should offer most of these minimally. Your franchisor should also have a system of cfranchisecommunication in order to make reaching them or the headquarters easy should you have any problems or need immediate help. The POS system should also be regulation and set up by the franchisor to work on a system that they use in every location.

     

    While the franchisor will offer support and continual communication, you should know that it is usually not a help line for every little thing, but a way for them to communicate with you in the best interest of the franchise as a whole. Your single location should not abuse the contact information provided for small decisions the business owner is making.

     

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