Buying a franchise is one of the quickest, safest ways to start your own business, but a franchise is not for everyone, particularly if you’re the type of person who likes to blaze your own trail.

For starters, to be successful with a franchise — that is to maximize your potential earnings — you must be prepared to follow the franchisor’s system, the time-tested method the company has for virtually every aspect of its operations, including staffing protocols, an advertising campaign and store build-out plans.

After working with dozens of franchisees over the years, I still see new franchisees decide they can cut corners, for example, by declining to hire enough people to cover the day-to-day responsibilities of meeting the needs of customers.

The owner may decide to save money by doing some of the work himself, for example, cleaning houses or caring for seniors. As a result the owner has less time to build the business, creating a steady and growing clientele to generate earnings. While that owner may save some upfront costs, he or she loses long-term earnings potential.

So how do you know if you are a good candidate for a franchise? Answer eight easy questions:

1. Are you prepared to thoroughly research the business?

Selecting a franchise may be your first most important step, and the process requires solid research, from reading background materials to putting shoe leather to pavement and visiting franchisees.

2. Are you prepared to work hard?

Just because the business comes with a system doesn’t mean you won’t have a learning curve. Of course, once you have good employees in place and operations running smoothly, many franchise operations will allow you to take an afternoon for golf or to attend a child’s track meet. Many franchisees set a realistic goal to work 30 to 35 hours per week within three to five years of starting their business.

3. Can you call for assistance when needed?

A good franchisor wants to help you through the start-up phase, so to take full advantage of what you’re paying for, you need to be willing to ask for guidance. A good franchisor will likely offer many good suggestions, possibly a long to-do list that will require time to implement.

4. Do you have enough capital to set up the business to operate as designed?

Before you buy the franchise, your research should have told you how long it will take to operate in the black, and the Franchise Disclosure Document will tell you your upfront expenses. Getting to profitability varies by location and franchisee. You will need to be work hard and pay operating expenses for some time before earnings begin.

5. Can you accept paying the franchisor royalties and other specified fees?

These fees are the price you pay for a proven operating system, built-in research and development, a fully vetted list of suppliers, as well as an advertising campaign and ongoing support and training.

6. Will you accept structure in your business?

If you would rather create your own approach to a unique business that reflects your particular vision for a product line or service, you don’t want a franchise.

7. Can you accept advice from authority?

When you buy into a franchise system, you are part of a team, and the franchisor needs each of its franchisees to present a consistent image to the buying public. No reinventing the system.

8. And, most importantly, can you trust the system to work?

If the answer is no, then don’t buy the franchise.

Ideally, you will answer yes to each of these questions. If you answered no to more than two, then you might want to consider an independent business. I also suggest you consult a franchise coach, who is in the business to help you make the best decision to ensure success.

After all, what you want most is to have a business you enjoy in which you can excel and which will also earn a tidy profit.

Ready to make your dream of becoming an entrepreneur come true?

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*This post was written by Career Confidential Expert Dan Citrenbaum of The Entrepreneur Option. Contact Dan Citrenbaum to help you create the career you’ve always wanted. As a franchise coach, Dan brings years of experience helping people select and buy a franchise or existing business. You can reach Dan at [email protected] or at (48)278-4589.

Discovery Day presents a make-or-break moment for many would-be franchisees.  For Megan Yu, a visit to the franchise parent company of Signarama, United Franchise Group, in West Palm Beach, Fla., helped seal her decision. Of course, by this time, she and her partner, Andy Yu, her father, had already spent almost six months researching businesses they might open in Ann Arbor, Mich. Casting a wide net at first, they looked at all options, including purchasing an independent business. They chose a franchise because they liked all the support and training offered as part of the deal. “For me it was the one-on-one interactions with the owners that was huge,” Megan said. Meeting other franchisees who shared their own experiences and offered a ready support network raised Megan’s comfort level with this new business. During a carefully choreographed Discovery Day, Megan was greeted by her “host” at her hotel and taken to company headquarters, where she met with current franchisees, technology, and financial support staff. She toured a “brand new, state-of-the-art training facility,” all of which convinced Megan this was the business for her. Franchise Discovery Day will either reel you in with a display of stellar services and support staff or you’ll discover something about the franchisor that sends you to the exit with a feeling of doubt. For example, you may find the CEO has recently changed and you’re not sure about the transition. Or perhaps, you’ll discover you don’t like the support staff. For Megan and Andy, the advantage of a franchise, with all the systems in place to help them through the start-up phase, eventually won out over other options. Megan, 29, who had been working as a manager of a retail store, gave her month’s notice soon after the Franchise Discovery Day. “It boils down to having a world-recognized name and, of course, corporate support,” said Andy Yu, 56, a retired engineer. “We don’t want to get into all these miscellaneous details that will consume all our time and effort.” So, instead of figuring out how to negotiate the best lease agreement, select office furnishings, stationery, and myriad other necessities of their new operation, Yu said, they could spend their time on activities, like sales and marketing, that have more direct impact on the bottom line. They hope to open their new sign-making business by late September. So, how do you prepare? Said Yu: “Do your homework.” Before you even arrive for Franchise Discovery Day, you should:

Do A Comparison Study

Look at a multitude of business types that might suit your experience, interests, and lifestyle.

Read The Franchise Disclosure Document

Federal law requires franchise companies to disclose much useful data, from a list of all their franchises to detailed financial information. Read through this carefully.

Research The Market

You should be confident this business type will work in your location.

Talk To Franchisees

Interview as many as possible to hear about the franchise company’s support systems and how helpful these are. Then, when you get to Franchise Discovery Day, you’re armed with highly educated questions that will enable you to learn if this really is the team you want behind your new business.

Ready to make your dream of becoming an entrepreneur come true? Get your free evaluation today! Contact Dan Citrenbaum to help you create the career you’ve always wanted. As a business coach, Dan brings years of experience helping people select and buy a franchise or existing business. You can reach Dan at [email protected] or at (484) 278-4589.

When it comes to choosing a franchise, it’s not just your perspective that matters. The franchise company has a clear point of view, as well: They want to see if you can follow their system.  While you go through your research, winnowing down your list of possibilities to one, the culmination of the process brings you to Franchise Discovery Day, where you get an up-close immersion with the franchise company —and you find you’re ready to sign on the dotted line or not. The franchiser has a strong interest in making a good match, as well, since franchising ties you together for the long haul. Both of you have a vested interest in the franchise succeeding —you to make a good living and the franchise company to protect its brand name and maximize its own profitability. While we always recommend in-depth research of your own, once you start to focus on a single business, you’ll find the franchiser has a specific process to prepare you, as well. As Troy Thomas, regional vice president mid-Atlantic region of United Franchise Group (UFG) said, Discovery Day “allows the executives with the franchisor a chance to meet and spend a little time with the franchisees to see if it’s a good fit.” And, on the flip side, he said, Discovery Day “allows the franchisee to gain a complete picture of the support network and the value that is typically unseen by a typical franchisee in the field.” The West Palm Beach, Fla.-based firm owns a range of franchises, including Signarama, SuperGreen Solutions and EmbroidMe. By the time Franchise Discovery Day arrives, Thomas said, a UFG executive will have already had meetings with the prospective franchisee, preferably in person, and taken that person through a “four step process.” If it’s not likely to be a good fit, he said, people discover this as they go through the steps. “If you can’t follow the steps, you probably won’t be a good candidate for following the franchise system,” he added. Explained Thomas: “To be successful, it’s not about reinventing the wheel, but rather following the model.” “The best franchisees come from a corporate background so they understand structure, but they have an entrepreneurial spirit and they want to control their own destiny,” he said. “Of course, entrepreneurial types can also be successful franchisees.” Bottom line: It’s about the system. Thomas said they see hundreds of people a year at a Discovery Day, and everyone who comes through gets individual attention. By the time they arrive, they tend to be very interested. “And the vast majority purchase with us,” he added. As a result of this process, Thomas said most of their franchisees are successful. Thomas, who himself as a career-changer, having spent years in newspaper publishing, believes the advantage of a franchise is that it allows people completely new to a business to hit the ground running. “With an independent business, you have to find all your own equipment, vendors, location, hire employees, learn how it all works, figure out your pricing, and that’s before you even sell a thing —a lot of expense and time,”Thomas said. “A good franchise can take you through that a lot faster and give a head start.” So, while you have your checklist, it’s good to remember so does a franchisor —reassurance that the company is working to create the best possible conditions for success.

Ready to make your dream of becoming an entrepreneur come true? Get your free evaluation today! Contact Dan Citrenbaum to help you create the career you’ve always wanted. As a business coach, Dan brings years of experience helping people select and buy a franchise or existing business. You can reach Dan at [email protected] or at (484) 278-4589.  

If you’re one of the 90% of Americans employed full-time by someone else, chances are you’re not feeling much satisfaction at work. Some of you are stuck with a boss who makes your lives miserable, while others may be merely bored or vastly under appreciated. Maybe you should become your own boss and start a business. Only 30% of Americans are actively engaged in their jobs, according to a recent Gallup report, State of the American Workplace. Not only does being unhappy at work lead to a whole range of obvious complaints, it can also take a toll on your health, the survey reported. One way to improve your situation is to strike out on your own. So, how do you know if you’ve got what it takes to run your own business? Just like most things in life, what separates the whizzes from the rans is preparation. Do your research, write a realistic business plan, raise sufficient capital, and your odds for success go way up. Even before you pinpoint your business, you’ll need to start by asking yourself key questions to determine whether you’re ready to leave a sure paycheck for the chance to take charge of your career for life.

Entrepreneur’s Checklist: 7 Things You Need To Start A Business

Here’s the entrepreneur’s checklist. In order to start a business successfully, you will need the following:

1. Support from your family

When undertaking such a major life change, it’s critical you have your family behind your decision to give up your job to follow your dream. As you may go through a financial fallow period, their support can help you persevere.

2. Commitment and dedication to making your business succeed

You’ve heard the phrase: You’ve gotta want it more than anything else. Or how about: Hungry for success. The point is you have to believe in yourself even when faced by setbacks. Sometimes that means aggressively courting clients or revising your business plan. Surround yourself with critical support, including a good attorney, accountant, and business coach.

3. Sufficient capitalization or willingness to take on debt

While you will likely need to finance some of your startup costs, you should have sufficient resources set aside to get you through the startup period until revenue begins to exceed costs and the profits start rolling in.

4. Management skills

If this is one of your strengths, bravo, but if not, you may need to investigate what it takes to manage employees. If you choose a franchise, you’ll get ongoing training to help you learn the art of hiring, retaining and getting the most out of your workers. Alternatively, you could purchase one of the many franchises that do not have any employees other than the owner.

5. Marketing

How do you see yourself getting customers? The answer to this question will dictate which businesses best suit your style. If you’re an expert at networking, you’ll likely find it easy to develop a clientele. For those who prefer that customers find them, either due to a good location or national advertising campaign, you might want to try a retail operation.

6. Desire to develop your own or follow someone else’s system

You may be well suited to a franchise if you like the idea of following a system that’s been perfected over time and working well for franchisees around the country. Or you may prefer to control every aspect of your business and make your own unique contribution to the marketplace.

7. Tolerance for risk

Even in today’s job market where a steady job is no sure thing, starting your own business requires you to be comfortable with risk. If you believe in your vision and have the moxy to push through the learning phase, you greatly improve your odds. If you’ve checked most of the items above and you’re ready to move forward, we recommend you consult a coach to help you decide on a business that suits your skills and experience. Once you turn the tables and occupy the boss’s chair yourself, don’t forget you still want to make your employees feel valued, help develop their strengths so they, too, can feel satisfied and engaged at work. After all, you’ve already walked in those shoes. And happier employees can go a long way toward helping you make your business a success. Ready to make your dream of becoming an entrepreneur come true?

Get your free evaluation today!

Ready to make your dream of becoming an entrepreneur come true? Get your free evaluation today! Contact Dan Citrenbaum to help you create the career you’ve always wanted. As a business coach, Dan brings years of experience helping people select and buy a franchise or existing business. You can reach Dan at [email protected] or at (484) 278-4589. 

Tired of having little control over your work life? You may be ready to take the leap and become your own boss. Before you balk, owning your own business isn’t as risky as it sounds. In fact, if you look before you leap, the potential upside should outweigh the risk. Related: Are You Crazy To Start A Business In This Economy? For one thing, you don’t have to start from scratch. You can find a tried and true method for starting your own business that comes with all the systems in place, from a marketing strategy to IT. All you have to do is choose a franchise that stands up to high-level scrutiny and meets your own business and personal criteria. And you can forever slip off the constraints of punching someone else’s time clock. The franchise business is a far cry from your father’s idea of franchising —which grew quickly along with interstate highway system in the 1950s and 1960s and primarily comprised fast food joints and hotels, notably McDonald’s and Holiday Inn. Today, the franchise business is a far bigger pie than you probably realize. Franchises operate within 75 industries and encompass far more than fast food. In fact, whatever business you started in most likely has applications in some type of franchise business. A franchise coach can help you choose from a wide array of opportunities in businesses as diverse as direct mail, maid services and senior care services. These and similar service businesses are expected to lead the growth in franchising over the next year, according to the International Franchise Association. The key to recharging your career in a franchise is to answer the question: Which franchise is right for me? First, you’ll want to assess your skills and experience, along with your interests. What do you want to spend your days doing? Or maybe you want something where you can work less than full time. All is possible in the world of franchising. How do you know it’s a good franchise? You just get the Federal Trade Commission required disclosure document from the franchisor, read it, and start calling franchisees. They’ll tell you. The more thorough your research, the better off you’ll be. Before you spend a dime on your new business, you can learn about the franchise company’s:

• Support services
• Training
• All upfront and ongoing costs
• Number, location and success rate of franchisees
• Financial condition, bankruptcy and litigation history, as well as the executives’backgrounds
• And, most importantly, firsthand testimonials from franchisees on how all this actually works

As you gain skills as a business owner, your long-range earnings potential exceeds what you will likely earn as a cog in the wheel of corporate America. Most people realize that when you work for corporate America you probably make a lot more money for your employer than you make for yourself. When you own a successful business, you can keep both of those types of profit for yourself. When you work for yourself, your risk can actually decline over time because your employees are better trained, your suppliers are more willing to give you special terms and your customer base is more established. Best of all, you control your own destiny. Certainly, franchising isn’t for everyone. If you’re the type of person who wants to make a unique impression in the market and you don’t wish to follow someone else’s system, then do not buy a franchise. You may instead want to consider buying an existing business or starting your own. But if you can follow a simple set of guidelines, you might be able to find wealth, liquidity, and success through a franchise.

Get your free evaluation today!
Contact Dan Citrenbaum to help you create the career you’ve always wanted. As a franchise coach, Dan brings years of experience helping people select and buy a franchise or existing business. You can reach Dan at [email protected] or at (484) 278-4589.
© Dan Citrenbaum 2022

So you’ve selected a franchise and have your initial investment capital saved and now you want to know: How much money will I make?

To answer the question you’ll need to weigh your costs against expected potential revenues.

The beauty of a franchise is you actually have a good shot at figuring all these numbers out. Between the financial disclosure document (FDD) and information available from existing franchisees, you can get a good feel for expenses, as well as potential revenues, so long as you factor in differences related to location, local market and, not to be forgotten, the range of talents and experience individual franchisees bring to their businesses.

Why is it so important to do this math upfront? In a phrase, operating capital.

Lots of folks eager to become entrepreneurs for all the usual reasons —to control your own schedule, achieve work-life balance, be your own boss, and make more money —may neglect to factor in all the capital requirements.

At the beginning of a new business comes the transitional stage. This means you need money to run your business until you learn your way around a new market, new procedures and customer care. During this transition, you won’t generate enough revenue to cover expenses. So it’s essential you have enough capital to keep the circuits humming.

Your first task is to get a realistic sense of how much capital you need to get started. Fortunately, the FDD will provide this view of your costs. Some companies will even provide an idea of potential earnings. A franchise coach can help guide you through the process, but it’s never too early to start your research.

Three Keys to Understanding Your Potential Earnings

Know your Timetable

Most businesses take three to 12 months to start earning profits. The slowest to become profitable are franchises with a lot of costs or ones that take longer to build a customer base. And if the margins are thinner, you need to generate more volume. For example, a document shredding franchise, which requires expensive equipment, may take as long as 18 months to run in the black but can eventually become quite lucrative. Retail franchises can be among the quickest to turn a profit because a good location will quickly draw customers.

Accurately Estimate Your Fixed Costs

The franchise disclosure document provides a list of all your costs —everything you need to open —which are far more extensive than just the initial franchise fee. Examples of the types of fees you’ll find under Items 5 and 6 in the FDD are: IT and system setup and initial marketing. Then comes ongoing fees, such as local marketing additional training, ongoing IT or software costs, costs for audits, insurance, and on and on. In short, all of the costs you would expect to encounter.

In your calculations, you should also factor in the cost of consulting an attorney and accountant, which we strongly recommend.

Estimate Potential Income

Flip now to Item 19 of the FDD to read if the franchisor has made any earnings claims. Only about one-third of franchisors make earnings claims, and how franchise companies address this issue varies.

To fill out the picture, your most important information can be found in Item 20, where you’ll find a list of franchisees. You want to call as many franchisees as possible, preferably those operating in locations similar to yours, to verify all the information in the FDD and get an idea on profits. Word to the wise, avoid the question: How much money do you earn? Instead, try a softer approach, such as: “How long until I can expect to make $100,000.”Then try out different income amounts.

All three steps are essential to your preparation. Doing the due diligence required to choose the right franchise upfront will help you experience the pleasure of being your own boss for years to come.

This guest post is by Dan Citrenbaum, a Franchise Coach and Entrepreneurial Consultant who helps people achieve their dreams as small business owners.  He offers free evaluations to find out what option might be the best for you.  Find Dan at www.EntrepreneurOption.com.