It’s not easy to run a business. There are so many things that need to be done, and running your franchise can add even more stress. You have to worry about marketing strategies, personnel management, and other facets of running a successful business. It’s no wonder why so many people choose franchising as their way of building a reliable business for themselves.
1) Ask for Help
It’s okay to ask for help. Don’t be afraid of asking your franchisor if any resources are available that will help you save money or run your business more efficiently. Asking for help is one thing but knowing what questions to ask takes some preparation on your part. Perform research before approaching anyone because if they feel like you haven’t done enough work yet, then they probably won’t be willing to give advice either way, which doesn’t do much good for either side. Consulting with professionals can be the most effective approach for seeking help, but it’s vital to conduct thorough research on the types of franchises available. For instance, if you have a passion for education and related subjects, exploring tutoring franchise opportunities like language tutoring, coding tutoring, test preparation, educational support, math tutoring, and more can not only lead to a profitable business but also educate the community
2) Utilize Your Resources
Your franchisor has a lot of experience in this business and probably has tons of advice to offer you on how to run your own franchise. You should take advantage of any knowledge they have because they are your team. Make sure you take advantage of the resources available to you. You can read books or attend seminars that will help teach you things about running a business and managing employees, thus saving yourself money in the long run. It’s okay to step out of your comfort zone when it comes to learning how to grow as a small business owner.
3) Communication is Key
When you have employees, communication becomes a very important thing to master. You don’t want to assume that they know what’s going on or completely micromanage every move your employee makes but at the same time, you need them all on the same page. Try setting aside some dedicated “employee meetings” where everyone can come together and discuss things about their role in this business venture. This way, there are no misunderstandings later down the road, which would make for an extremely uncomfortable work environment.
4) Track Your Work Time
If you’re not completely sure how much time you spend on each task, then it’s going to be very difficult for you to see which areas need more attention and which ones don’t really matter so much. Take a week or two in order to track exactly how long tasks take, whether they are big projects or small daily activities that have been taking up too much of your valuable free time. Set goals for yourself based on the information you collect from this experiment, and try to stick with them as best as possible. For example, if you are running a work-from-home franchise, you need to set limits on the hours you work. Though there are several perks of working from home, a drawback is that it is sometimes difficult to separate the two. You might find out that there is a lot less work involved than expected once everything has been broken down into numbers.
5) Keep Your Employees Happy
If you have unhappy team members, then it’s going to be nearly impossible for them to complete their work efficiently. They aren’t machines, and they are humans. Humans need positive encouragement in order to perform well, and if they’re not getting that from the top-down, then there will probably be some problems.
Make sure everyone feels appreciated at all times, even when things don’t go as planned or expected, because this is usually where most of the issues start seeping into a business relationship. Your teammates want nothing more than to feel like they belong, so make sure you foster those relationships with positivity.
6) Know Your Limits
This is probably the most important tip on this list. Know when to say no! Don’t be afraid to turn down projects if you think it will take away from the time they should spend on other things, or worse yet, if you don’t have enough resources available to handle that kind of workload at all.
You need some time for yourself, too, especially when running a franchise. It’s okay for business owners to take vacations every now and then, so make sure everyone knows their role while you’re gone, plus how long of an absence is acceptable before someone else steps in temporarily until your return. Remember though…this isn’t always realistic, but try your best anyway because happy employees are productive employees, which means more revenue coming into the company.
7) Keep Things Fresh
If you’re not changing up the daily schedule or introducing new tasks, then your team members are going to get bored really quickly. Employees need new challenges in order for them to feel fulfilled. Otherwise, they might seek employment elsewhere where their skills will be better utilized!
Try setting some deadlines on certain projects so that everyone feels like there is a purpose behind what they are doing and can see how it ties back into the business as a whole instead of just being another task on an impossibly long list…unless this happens to be your specialty of course! I would highly recommend finding someone who excels at keeping people motivated without breaking too much sweat because these employees tend to stick around longer than anyone else.
If you follow these tips, then it will be very easy to manage your own franchise without breaking the bank. Franchising is a great business venture, but only if you are willing to put in hard work. Just remember that they aren’t going to hand out success, so don’t get discouraged and keep pushing forward. Good luck with everything, and thanks for reading this article, everyone.
