Have you founded a successful business? If so, congratulations! Franchising might seem like the perfect next step to scale your company. That’s exactly how I felt back in 2017. My outsourcing agency, Get Ahead, had grown strongly, and I could see that opening it up to regional franchisees could supercharge my growth.
I now run a team of franchisees around the country, but my journey from founder to franchisor has been full of highs and lows. Looking back, there are things I got right, things I got wrong, and definitely things I would have done differently. If you’re thinking of starting on your franchising journey, these are my top tips from personal experience:
Be really honest with yourself: Could your business work without you?
For many founders, their business is their baby. You may have spent years building your company, honing your skills, and optimising your strategy. You might be finally starting to feel the rewards of all that effort, having created strong demand and a great reputation.
Franchising might help you unlock further growth, but now is the time to be self-aware. You have built your business – but are you now ready to hand it over to someone else? If your business can’t run without you, franchising will quickly expose that. A great business isn’t necessarily a great franchise. There are clear steps you need to take to get your business franchise-ready if you are going to make franchising a success.
Franchising is one way to grow your business, but it’s not the only way
It’s essential you consider alternatives, like opening new locations, hiring more people, and taking on investment, to be clear about why franchising is the right route for you. Talking to a wide range of people, such as business and franchise consultants, can really help. Initially, I was attracted to the idea of franchising because it would give people the chance to run their own businesses, just like I did. But I had this image of greedy franchisors that simply took fees and didn’t support their franchisees. Working with a franchise consultant helped me understand that I could create a franchise that remained true to my values and was about people, not just profits.
Don’t underestimate what it takes to move into franchising
Just because your business works for you doesn’t mean it’s right for someone else. It’s easy to assume that other people will ‘just get it’ and work things out for themselves, just like you did. When people buy into franchises, they expect systems and processes to be in place to help them hit the ground running. Documents like a Franchisee Handbook are essential. Investing the time now to get that right will save you a lot of time in the long run.
Franchising magnifies both strengths and weaknesses. Many founders find it hard to let go and have a weakness for delegation. You need to be open and address that if you’re going to make franchising work. Whilst you have made your business great, to be a successful franchise, it needs to be a great business in its own right.
Franchising can also highlight gaps in systems. You may have always done things a certain way or used a certain tool, but it’s not readily scalable or accessible by others. Creating clear systems is essential, providing clarity and sustainability through clearer documentation, better onboarding, and structured support. This will free up your time to focus on supporting your franchisees and growing your businesses, rather than firefighting day-to-day operational issues and confusion.
Franchising too early, underinvesting in support, and overcomplicating the model are all common franchising pitfalls to avoid. Take time to build strong foundations for your franchise to create a sustainable, long-term business.
Your role has to change if you want to build a sustainable franchise
Are you ready to make a mental shift from doing everything yourself to enabling others? A successful franchisor is able to step back, observe their team, and guide them to achieve, rather than try to do it all for them. It can be surprisingly emotional and difficult to let go, but it is essential to empower your franchisees to build their own thriving businesses. Franchising isn’t right for everyone, and that’s okay. Choosing not to franchise can be the right decision for you and your business. Be honest with yourself before you start the journey.
Franchising can be fantastic when it’s approached in the right way, for the right reasons. For me, becoming a franchisor has been incredibly rewarding, even if the transition felt challenging at times. I love supporting my franchisees and watching them grow, seeing new franchisees take their first confident steps while others celebrate long-term success built over years of hard work. As a founder, your franchising journey might not be straightforward, but it may turn out to be one of the best decisions you ever made.
