Career Change Advice: Buy a Business or Franchise?

Posted by Jim Otto

careerchangeBuying any business or franchise can be an exciting and rewarding adventure, but success won’t come overnight! You’ll likely spend a great deal of time, energy and financial resources in order to help ensure the success of your business. And in a way, because you’re making such an important investment, you’ll find yourself putting a little bit of “you” into your business too. Therefore, it’s good to take a step back before starting the whole process and ask yourself the following: Does the franchise you are considering really fit with who you are as a person?

Following are several tips to keep in mind when investigating a franchise.

Personality – Does the franchise you are considering fit with your personality? Do you consider yourself an introvert or an extrovert? Do you enjoy leading, or would you rather be behind the scenes? Are you outgoing, funny, regimented, or reserved? Because there are so many different kinds of franchises that provide a large variety of services, you’ll want to look at areas that suit your personality.  For example, many people who choose Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids are generally a more outgoing personality type who enjoys the fun atmosphere our stores have. They also enjoy working with kids, and like the thought of being able to provide a service that seeks to bring a little more happiness into the world!

Lifestyle – Many people consider investing into a franchise system because of the unique challenges and opportunities that running your own business represents. But it’s important to remember that the kind of lifestyle you have (or appreciate) is an important factor in considering a franchise opportunity. Forcing yourself into a system that isn’t really “you”, can quickly lead to feeling burned out and unhappy.  For example, if you enjoy getting up early and going to bed early, certain types of franchise systems that are open late hours (or 24 hours) may not be ideal for you. Or maybe you don’t really like the thought of having to wear a suit everyday, or prefer more low-key environments over fast-paced high energy work spaces. All of these are important lifestyle preferences to take into consideration.

Skills – Think of looking for the right franchise as looking for the right job. If you have 10 years of experience working as a chef, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to look for a job as an architect. You simply wouldn’t have the right skills to effectively do the job. Or, if you’re someone who really doesn’t have a lot of experience in managing people, a job that requires management of entry-level staff may not be a good fit. Similarly, when making a decision on a franchise, don’t be afraid to perform an honest look at what your skills are. You can do this through looking at your resume and seeing what you’ve demonstrated an excellence for over the course of your work history. Or you may additionally want to consider what you may enjoy doing in your free time as well. Either way, in order to help ensure success as a future franchise owner, be sure to focus on what your talents and abilities are!

Tools for Assessment - If you would like a little help in figuring out who you are and what really motivates you to get through each day, you might want to the following online resources. The Keirsey Personality Sorter is an online personality assessment that can be done for free at http://www.keirsey.com/ (more detailed reports are available for a fee). iPersonic Career Test also has an online personality test available at http://www.ipersonic.com/career/ that may help you more clearly define your work values.

Exploring a Children's Salon Franchise