Can you switch lanes mid-career and operate a franchise with no previous experience? Dorian Gonsalves believes you can.
“Franchising provides a licence for you to trade on someone else’s knowledge”
There is often a point when the idea of a change in career can seem a welcome prospect. It could be due to redundancy, disillusionment with a job you would somehow fallen into, or simply a desire to build an asset to pass on to future generations of the family. What often stops people from turning a dream into reality is fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of a regular income, and fear of failure. Thankfully, because of the way the franchising industry is structured, many of those fears can be faced and overcome.
Firstly, a franchise will not provide a licence that trades on your existing knowledge. Franchising provides a licence for you to trade on someone else’s knowledge. That is a key difference. This knowledge will be proven, systemised, tested, and presented in an operations manual. You will also receive training, and a readymade support structure.
Secondly, figures show that the UK franchise industry is huge. The BFA (British Franchise Association) estimates there are over 50,000 franchised businesses in the sector, contributing over £19 billion a year to the UK economy. Interestingly, the profile of franchise buyers has been shifting steadily towards younger owners, with varied backgrounds.
Finally, the franchise industry is not populated by domain experts who randomly decided to franchise their trade. It is largely populated by franchisors who invested in the necessary professional expertise to ensure the success of their franchise network. So, rather than focusing on your own suitability to take on a particular franchise in a new industry, consider which franchise can best transfer its expertise to you, and maintain that impetus going forward.
Switching lanes
Switching lanes and buying a franchise in a new industry will never be entirely comfortable. Most people who make the leap from employee to franchisee underestimate the emotional impact of this identity shift. When you become a franchisee you:
Switch from being evaluated on your output to being responsible for profit and loss.
Switch from having a manager to having a franchisor. Although your franchisor provides support, some days it can feel like you have a boss that you chose voluntarily.
Realise that many of the skill skills developed in your previous career instantly reset to zero.
To be successful you need to adopt a beginner’s mind and potentially undergo training with someone who is 20 years younger. You will also need to adhere to an operations manual rather than following your own instincts. People who switch lanes most successfully are those who adapt and embrace the learning experience, rather than give into feelings that they have been demoted from a senior role in a previous career.
Four important questions to ask…
How forward-thinking is the franchisor?
A franchise with a long track record can seem reassuring, but longevity and adaptability are different things. Ask what the franchise looked like five years ago versus today. If the answer is ‘basically identical’ proceed with caution. Markets are constantly moving, and businesses who fail to evolve and adapt are vulnerable and could quietly export that risk to you.
How comprehensive is the training?
All franchisors will try and impress you with their slick onboarding programme. But what happens afterwards? Find out what happens at months six or 18. Can you still access ongoing structured development, or does the support quietly taper off when your initial fee has cleared? If you have no previous industry background, access to a sustained training programme is key to success.
How accessible is the senior leadership team?
Talk to existing franchisees before you sign anything. Ask what happens when something goes wrong (which it undoubtedly will at some point). How accessible is the senior management team when support and advice is needed? Who picks up the phone? Networks with dynamic, visible leadership tend to produce franchisees who feel backed rather than abandoned.
Are franchisees encouraged to input ideas?
The best franchise systems are feedback loops rather than dictatorships. Ask if franchisee suggestions are welcome and if any of those have ever changed the business model. Examples could be introducing a new product line, operational tweaks, or an innovative marketing approach that started as a pilot scheme and was later rolled out network-wide. If a franchisor cannot provide any examples this could be a red flag. Buying into a franchise that is unwilling to welcome new ideas could quickly become a demotivating experience.
Conclusion
If you are currently at a mid-career crossroad and wondering whether business ownership is only available to people who have already proven themselves in the trade, be reassured that it is not. But be realistic and accept that switching lanes is never 100% risk-free.
No franchise, however well run, can take away from the fact that you will be starting over in a new industry. You cannot be expected to become an overnight expert in that business, but you can conduct your own due diligence on the people promising to make you an expert. Before you sign anything make sure you stay curious, keep asking questions, and talk to existing franchisees. Once you find the right franchise opportunity it is then a case of showing up, demonstrating a willingness to be taught, and embracing every available opportunity. Good luck!
