> A Balanced Life
> Business Management
> Customer Service
> Finance
> Marketing
> Recruiting & Training
> Franchising

> Franchising Video
> Photo Gallery

> Candidate Qualification Form

Invest Time Managing Your Business, Not Reinventing It

Written by Heidi Heck

You could spend a lifetime learning the nuances of your business, building a customer base, and becoming an exceptional manager, and still end up with a failing business. The upside of owning a franchise is that you don’t have to do any of that alone. It’s almost completely done for you. So why reinvent the wheel when you can have access to established systems? Below are five reasons why a franchise is the most efficient path to a successful small business.

ESTABLISHED SYSTEMS: An established business model minimizes the risk on your investment. A franchise has already been successful for others. Mark and Tracy Brownstein of Mr. Electric couldn’t agree more: “If you have the inkling to be a business owner, that’s the first decision you have to make. Once you decide that you want to be a business owner, ask yourself, ‘What’s the best way to go?’ Buying into an established system is a no-brainer in my mind. Going the franchise route with The Dwyer Group and all the concepts they’ve raised successfully will allow success—the history is there.”

BRAND RECOGNITION: A successful franchise has already developed market awareness and established a defined customer base for you. You save a great deal of time and money by not having to develop a customer base and reputation on your own. “The best selling feature of this franchise is the name Glass Doctor. It’s a household name. It’s easy to remember,” says Michael Eby a Glass Doctor owner in St. Louis, Missouri.

CORPORATE ACCESS: A major benefit of owning a franchise is that you are running a small business, but you have access to the know-how and expertise of a large corporation. This leads to a wealth of information at your fingertips. When Sarah McNelly of Sacramento, California, bought a Rainbow International® Restoration and Cleaning franchise not long ago, after being in business on her own for 17 years, she was thrilled to have access to new technology, and more importantly, someone to call when questions arose. “The technical support I get from Rainbow International is awesome, and they are only a phone call away,” says McNelly.

GROWTH: If you currently own an independent business, you may not have the knowledge to grow it on your own. With a franchise, you gain that ability through training programs and materials that are already in place and have worked for other business owners. “I’m getting to the age where I need to plan for removing myself from the company, and I didn’t want to just let it lie. I don’t have family members who are willing to take it somewhere, so I needed to find resources to train either from within or to attract someone from the outside to transition my company, and I believe I found them,” says Steve Lauber, Aire Serv franchise owner in Gillette, New Jersey.

ONGOING DEVELOPMENT: Corporate is doing the research and development to keep your business growing strong. This gives you access to the latest technology and business strategies that help you build a more successful business. Mark Miller says joining Mr. Rooter opened his eyes to new technology used in the industry. “Before we had tractors—the regular equipment that plumbers have—but when we got into the Mr. Rooter system, we were made aware of the cameras, the locating equipment, the jetters, things like that, which we probably wouldn’t have done for a few years. So it helped us become instantly up to date with the technology of the plumbing business.”

Owning your own business is rewarding and risky. Purchasing a franchise can help you reduce risk while still providing the benefits that comes with being a small-business owner.

< Back