Franchising: A Marketing Strategy You May Not Have Considered

by David Frey

Do you have a successful business but don't know how to expand it?

Do your customers love your products and services and often tell you that you should take your business nationwide? (or worldwide?)

Do you have a unique business concept that if you could just get people to sell it for you, you know it would be a huge hit?

Do you have a great product or service but you're struggling to find commissioned salespeople that will sell it for you?

These are common frustrations that I often hear from small business owners.

I received an email the other day that reminded me of one simple solution that solves the aforementioned problems.

Okay, maybe it's not so simple, but it's definitely one solution that is widely employed but only by a very small subset of businesses.

The Solution to the Problem

Franchising.

What a novel idea.

Franchising is a very effective way to expand your business.

How a Friend of Mine Grew a Consulting Franchise from $0 to $8 Million in Less than 10 Months

I witnessed first hand how effective franchising can be when a friend of mine started a consulting franchise from scratch and built it into an $8 million dollar company in less than 10 months!

And he didn't even have one client!

Can you believe that?

He didn't have one client. He simply took his processes, procedures and business model and franchised it and then sold it to other consultants.

Actually, he "licensed" his system rather than franchising it.

It was amazing to behold. (I was a little jealous :-)

But Why Do So Very Few Business Owners Franchise?

...Probably for several reasons:

1. They think it's too complicated.
2. They fear they'll lose control.
3. They believe it's very expensive.
4. They don't think they have a business that can be franchised.
   

Or, they probably just didn't know how to go about it so they never pursued it.

All of these fears are unfounded.

They are myths (like my friend proved).

Most any business can be franchised.

The franchisability of a business has more to do with how you run your business than the business you are in.

Here Are Ten Elements that Make Your Business Franchiseable

1. First
You do need a decent business concept. But it doesn't have to be a novel concept. Heck, look at how many hamburger joints are franchised.

2. Second
You should have a good operational system. This means that many of your operations are somewhat systematized.

3. Third
Your business needs to be somewhat simple. By that I mean, you should be able to teach it to someone else in a relatively short amount of time.

4. Fourth
Your business needs to make money. It's no use franchising a business that isn't profitable. If your franchisee can make around a 15% return on their money then you're okay.

5. Fifth
You have to be able to manage a corporation. You no longer will be managing a small business so you'll have to put your franchisor hat on and sharpen your management skills.

6. Sixth
Does your business have a uniqueness to it? This flies in the face of what I told you in the first element, but it does help.

7. Seventh
Your business needs to be able to thrive in any locale. It should not have a regional flavor to it to the point that it wouldn't work in another part of the country.

8. Eighth
The industry your business is in preferably should not be dominated by huge conglomerates. Industries with lots of Mom and Pop shops is a good sign.

9. Ninth
Can the inventory that your business uses be financed? You'll need to create financial leverage so it's best to have assets that can be financed.

10. Tenth
Are you willing to take advice and invest in the proper help you'll need to franchise your business? You might be a great window company but you probably don't know much about franchising so you'll need to invest in professional help.

Conclusion

Franchising is a viable marketing strategy to expand your business. Again, I've seen franchising literally explode businesses in a very short period of time.

David Frey is President of Marketing Best Practices Inc., a small business marketing consulting firm and the editor of the Marketing Best Practices Newsletter. His products include The Small Business Marketing Bible, Instant Referral Systems, and Coaches and Consultants Marketing Bootcamp.