People often talk about franchising as if it’s all about the brand, the marketing, or the model.
It is not.
Those things matter, of course they do. But when you strip it all back, the real value in a franchise sits in the support. That is the bit that turns a good idea into a business that works in the real world, on a wet Tuesday, when someone’s diary has fallen apart, leads have gone quiet, they are not converting the ones they have got, and they need help from someone who knows what they are doing.
Too many support setups look good on paper rather than work properly in practice. One support person trying to cover a huge number of franchisees might sound efficient, but in reality it often means support becomes rushed, generic, and watered down. That is when people start feeling like a number rather than a business partner.
In my view, a good support ratio depends on the type of franchise, how hands-on the model is, and how experienced the network is. But generally, if one person is trying to properly support much more than 10 franchisees in an operationally active network, cracks will start to show. And if those franchisees are newer, growing fast, or need regular commercial guidance, that ratio needs to be tighter still.
Support is not just answering the phone when something goes wrong. It is coaching. It is accountability. It is problem-solving. It is helping someone interpret their numbers, improve conversion, deal with staffing issues, tighten up compliance, or simply make better decisions faster. That takes time. It takes knowledge. And it takes people.
At More Than Loft Ladders, we have expanded our support team because we believe this is one of the most important investments we can make in the network. Not because it sounds nice in the prospectus, but because franchisees need solid one-to-one support if they are going to grow well and grow profitably.
We have also learned that not one approach fits all. One franchisee might need help with structure, planning, and financial discipline. Another might be brilliant operationally but need support around recruitment or local marketing. Another may just need confidence, a nudge in the right direction, and someone to challenge them a bit when they stagnate. We all have different learning styles as well, so any support needs to be tailored to the franchisee.
That is the job of a good franchisor. Not to force every franchisee through the same process and hope for the best, but to understand where each person is, what they need, and how to help them move forward.
Franchisees do not all join at the same stage of life, with the same background, or with the same strengths. So why would support be identical for all of them?
For me, good support is personal, practical, and available. It should feel like someone has got your back, not just sat behind a desk sending generic reminders.
The best franchise networks are not built by accident. They are built by giving people the right support at the right time, from the right people.
That is not a cost, it’s an investment.
