Why franchisees can’t take their foot off the accelerator

Before you commit to investing in a franchise, it is very important to be totally honest with yourself, especially when it comes to one key question: “Why do you want to be your own boss?”

If your response is that you have a burning desire to be successful, take charge of your own future, earn more money and develop a highly valuable, sustainable business, then you are heading in the right direction. However, if the reason you’re doing it is so you can clock off work whenever you feel like it, take long holidays, give yourself a couple of ‘duvet days’ a month and spend lots more quality time with your family, you might be in for a bit of a shock once you embark on running your own franchise.

Owning a franchise isn’t like working for someone else’s business. If you were on another person’s payroll and during the summer months your workload got lighter, you might clock off a bit earlier, spend a leisurely lunchtime basking out in the sunshine or surfing the net for a last minute mini-break. Naturally, you might feel a bit guilty that you are not giving your employer your all but everyone does it, right?”

Well, if you are building your own business, you cannot afford the luxury of taking it easy during the quiet times. Instead you have to seize every opportunity to rev up you sales or market your venture – and what’s more, you have to relish the challenge.

In my experience, two of the biggest opposing drivers that fuel most people are the thrill of success, counterbalanced with the fear of failure. With your own business, you get out of it what you put in. From engaging with customers via social media to handing out leaflets, there’s a great deal you can do to drive more business to your door.

You can lessen this to a degree by choosing a franchise for all seasons, one that does not experience massive weather-related peaks and troughs. In the tyre business, seasonality can actually be a selling tool but whether we are promoting caravan tyres or winter tyres, we are always marketing.

Moreover, a dip in sales should not equate to a drop in business activity. If orders are slow, this should not be seen as an opportunity to sit back and take it easy but instead make a concerted surge forward to attract new business. Owning a franchise is not a ‘do less, earn more’ scenario but if you are prepared to invest your time, effort and hard work – as well as your money – into your new venture, you will be rewarded with a great return.