For years, franchise recruitment has followed the same basic routine – advertise on franchise websites, turn up at franchise exhibitions, speak to people who are actively searching for a business, then compete with every other franchise brand for their attention.
In simple terms, everyone is fishing in the same pond.
There are plenty of people in that pond. The problem is, very few of them will be right for us and, to be fair, we will not be right for most of them either.
Some are comparing loft storage with coffee shops, care businesses, dog grooming and fast food. They do not necessarily want the right business. They just want a business. That is a big difference.
We have decided to look at franchise recruitment differently. Instead of focusing mainly on people who already know they want a franchise, we are looking for the right people who do not yet realise franchising could be the answer.
There are thousands of capable managers, team leaders, engineers, tradespeople and experienced employees who already have many of the skills needed to run a successful business.
They can manage people, they understand customers, they know how to solve problems, they can follow a system, they are used to targets, responsibility and getting things done. What many of them do not realise is that these skills could be used to build their own future, rather than continuing to build somebody else’s.
They may think starting a business means coming up with a brand-new idea, finding suppliers, creating systems and making every mistake from scratch. It does not have to.
Franchising gives people the opportunity to own and grow a business, but with a recognised brand, proven processes, training, support and a network of people around them.
That does not remove the hard work. Anyone who says it does is talking nonsense. What it does is remove a lot of the guesswork.
Our job is not simply to sell a franchise to somebody. Our job is to open their eyes to what franchising can offer. We need to show them that their experience has value. We need to explain that following a proven model is not taking the easy option. It is often the smarter option. We need to help them see what could happen if the same energy they currently put into someone else’s business was put into their own.
This approach is harder.
It is much easier to speak to somebody who has already decided they want a franchise. Half the conversation has already been done. But easy does not always mean right.
I would rather spend time educating the right person than trying to convince the wrong one.
The best future franchise partner could be running a depot, managing a team, leading engineers or working in logistics. They may be successful and well paid, but still have that nagging feeling that they are building someone else’s future.
Those are the people we want to speak to.
We are not abandoning traditional franchise recruitment. There are still good people actively searching, and we will continue talking to them. But we are no longer relying on the same pond as everyone else. We are looking beyond it.
Because franchise recruitment should not be about generating the most enquiries. It should be about finding the right people.
And once the right person understands the model, sees the support and recognises the opportunity, the question is no longer:
“Why would I buy a franchise?”
It becomes:
“Why wouldn’t I want in?”
