“It’s good to talk.” That simple line from a 90s BT ad, delivered in Bob Hoskins’ voice, stuck with me over the years. But lately, it’s become more than a nostalgic tagline, it’s become a bit of a mantra for me.
If you’re thinking about becoming a franchisee, it should be yours too.
See I’ve learnt more about franchising, business, and people through real conversations than I ever did reading brochures or pitch decks. Working with experts across the industry and hosting my own podcast has given me the opportunity to speak with franchisors, founders, franchisees, and support teams.
I’ve found that the insights from these people who have lived it are invaluable and while it’s been an amazing journey over the last 7 years for me in franchising, one thing has become absolutely crystal clear to me.
The best decisions in franchising start with open and honest conversations.
So, if you’re exploring a franchise opportunity right now, here’s what I would be looking to do beyond the financials and the legal elements (these are very important of course!).
Don’t just research—talk
Yes, do your homework. But Google or ChatGPT won’t tell you how it feels to be part of a brand. That insight comes from talking to people who’ve lived it—franchisees, support staff, even the founder if you can.
Franchisees will give you the raw, unfiltered view of what day-to-day life is really like, what support looks like in action, and whether the opportunity delivers on its promises. If you’re not speaking with at least two or three current franchisees, you’re not getting the full picture.
Speak to the people who’ll actually be supporting you
This one’s huge and often overlooked. Don’t just speak to the sales team, they’re great, but probably won’t be supporting you on a day to day basis.
Ask to chat with the ops manager, the training lead, or the person who’ll be on the other end of the phone when you need help. That’s the real heartbeat of the franchise.
Just like any other business model you are going to face challenges and so you need to be confident that the support team can help you to overcome these hurdles to build your business successfully.
Ask the awkward questions.
What’s been tough? What support really looks like. What they’d do differently. If a franchisor’s cagey about transparency, that’s a red flag. Great brands don’t hide from the hard stuff they lean into it.
Listen for more than just answers.
How someone responds tells you a lot. Are they passionate? Defensive? Reading from a script? Transactional? By investing in a franchise you’re entering a long term partnership. Relationships and culture matters.
Don’t forget – It’s good to talk.
The more conversations you have, the clearer your decision will become. Franchising is about more than systems and structures, they’re still very important, but it’s about finding the right relationships too. The right opportunity won’t just make sense on paper, it’ll feel right in your gut.
By the way, if you’re a franchisor reading this and you’re serious about attracting the right people, make it easy for them to talk. Don’t just offer a slick pitch. Offer access.
Let prospects speak to the people who’ll actually be supporting them. Let them hear from real franchisees. Let them feel the culture.
If you want help designing what that looks like feel free to give me a shout. That’s exactly what we do at The Franchised.
