When you buy a franchise you may think that you know who your customer will be, "women, between the age of 22 and 44".  However, if you want to have a really successful franchise business you have to go a lot further then that. You have to know your Core Customer, and then you have to Zero in on them. 

Create a vivid picture in your head of what your most valuable customer looks like and keep this virtual person clearly in your mind. Define that customer in a "who" statement, a who statement is designed to create a clear, defined and definitive picture of who your core customer is. 

As an example if you were wanting to own a chain of high end tanning salons your who statement may read something like; An image-conscious single women who wants to look and feel better with little investment in time and money. 

By clearly defining Who your core customer is, you can now turn to the all important subject of What your business does.  Knowing your Core Customer and zeroing in on them is the real difference between owning an average location or one that sets the pace for the system! 

When you open your franchise there are three things that are going to happen. I have done it myself, and have talked to a lot of others who have opened franchises. I can't tell exactly how long each one of these three things is going to take, only that they are going to happen. They are going to happen a little differently depending on your franchisors training and the concept that you bought into. But they are going to happen. 

- Phase One: People - You’re going to spend a lot of time looking for the right people. In today's tight labor market finding the right people is a big challenge. It can take six to nine months to get a set staff, and sometimes longer. The people that you think are going to stay don't, and the ones you may not see potential at first may be the ones who rise to the top. As they say, can't "pull the wagon" without the right team. And your team delivers your product. 

- Phase Two: Learning - The second month should be focused on a better understanding of the systems and processes. Yes, I know what you’re thinking; the franchisor taught me all the systems during training! The best analogy I can give you is the Astronauts that went up in Apollo 13 trained for two years for their mission. They had prepared for every type of scenario except for the type of explosion that happened and how to replace the oxygen filter to get back to earth. But together with mission control (your franchisor) they figured it out and got home safely. In business we call that "mission accomplished"

- Phase Three: Implementation - After the first 60 to 90 days you will have the real world knowledge of running your franchise. You will begin to find out why the franchisor does things the way they do and why they taught you to do it that way during training.  Over time you will start to see your momentum building and the future you are building start to come into focus. 

Building a successful business takes time and a franchise is no exception to that. However your ramp up time should be a lot faster with a franchise, and having "Mission Control" to guide you is a big reason why franchising has become such a successful avenue to business ownership!

 I was recently looking through a research report about what types of people make the best franchisees. The answer may surprise you, although intelligence, business skill, and former experience as a business owner are highly valuable characteristics. However, the fact that you have an MBA did not get you to the top. Neither did the fact that you may have been a CEO of a fortune 500 company. Instead, the report listed Sales Executives as the top candidates to become successful franchisees. 

As I began to examine their reasoning, I saw that Sales Executives have the following traits:

• In a way Sales Executives are already small business owners. They believe in their product and have to go out everyday and sell it. In addition they understand that they are paid to produce, unlike people who have been on a salary there whole life. 
• Sales Executives don't cower when times get tough. To anyone who has lived on commission you know the sales cycle can be brutal. However, you conquer these cycles by working harder when needed - always believing that things will get better. 
• Most of all, Sales Executives relish the thought of unlimited earnings potential. It's what motivates them to get out of bed everyday. 

What the article failed to mention was one other thing that is consistent with all great franchise owners. Great franchisees understand that they are not in the product or service business; they are in the Relationship business. Building a relationship with your customers where they understand the purpose of your business, and building relationships with your employees so that they can deliver that good or service to those customers, is the key to great franchisee success!

Many of you may have seen a show on TV called Shark Tank. If you haven't, entrepreneurs attempt to convince 6 highly successful business people as to why they should invest their money in the next great business idea. Most businesses start this way and unfortunately it's probably one of the biggest reasons for business failure! 

Many people start their search for a franchise without measuring the most important thing: are there customers for the franchise? More importantly - and don't miss this - is doing what you are doing so PAINFUL (so-to-speak) for the customer to do themselves, that they have to come to you?  In business we call this the Shark Bite (no correlation to the Shark Tank). If your customer can do it themselves or go to you, well that may be like a mosquito bite - and it may be a nuisance that they are willing to live with. However if the customer's pain feels something like a shark bite, then customers will be eager to pay you to ease their pain!  

Great businesses and franchises begin by solving a customer problem. This is why it's so important to try and figure out if the franchise that you are buying solves the pain your customers are feeling. For example, take our Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids salon franchise. I know that many of you reading this may be parents, and let's be honest...have you ever tried to cut your two year old's hair? Trust me, it's a shark bite, and our customers are more then happy to have one of our award winning stylist ease their pain vs. trying to do it on their own. And with our TVs and Xbox games at every station to help provide a positive distraction for their children, they end up coming back for years!

So before you select a franchise, focus on the BIG pain point. Remember that any big problem is a big opportunity, and customers will be more then happy to pay you to ease their pain.

Potential franchise candidates frequently ask me for the phone numbers of our franchise partners so they can validate our concept. If you have never seen or requested a Franchise Disclosure Document, commonly referred to as an FDD, the numbers of all current franchisees should be listed in the back of the document. I recommend that you ask the following questions as a starting point, because without the right answers to these questions you may want to look elsewhere!   

1) Tell me about your journey to find this franchise? - Everyone starts his or her search for a franchise with a journey. Remember your asking someone who was right where you are at some point! Why did they move forward? It will tell you a lot why you may or may not want to.  

2) Could you have done this alone, without being part of a franchise? If the franchisee feels like they could have done this without the franchisor, well, that defeats the purpose of buying a franchise. The franchisee should have no doubt that without the guidance of the franchisor they would have not been able to succeed to the extent that they have.

3) What does your franchisor provide you that benefits you the most? If franchisees can't tell you what benefits them the most about being part of the franchise system, then the franchisor may not be supporting the franchisees to the extent that you may need.

4) Is the Franchisor accessible when you need them the most? Every business will run into those times when you not only need an answer BUT you need it right now! Making sure that the franchisor is available during those times and responsive to the franchisees needs is critical. 

5) What is the impact been on running your business on your social life initially, and now? The most overused word in franchising is: absentee; business is hard and can cause a disruption in your personal life. You can imagine what your day-to-day life will look like, but talking to someone who is living it will give you the real picture.

6) How do you run your business, do you work in the business or do you use a manager? Some franchises you can run with a manager doing the day-to-day operations and some you can't. If you have a full time job that your planning on keeping you better find a franchise that can be run and run well with a manger.

7) What is the most challenging and what is the most rewarding part of owning your franchise? As I mentioned earlier, owning a business is not easy and you should try to find out what challenges the franchisees are facing. At the same time if there is no reward in what you are doing then what good is that? I always like to end with this question; it can go along way to fulfilling your dream or avoiding a nightmare!

These questions are a good starting point in your due diligence process. They will give you a clearer picture of the franchisors support and what your day-to-day life may look like if you buy into a particular franchise system. At Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids your success is important to us, our systems and process have been tested over a long period of time. But don't take my word on that, listen to one of our franchisees answer these questions on the attached recording, and good luck on your search!