Ever heard the saying, slow and steady wins the race? It applies a lot to franchising. When I was a stockbroker, guys in the office were always coming up with a “hot” stock pick. Most of the hot stock picks my clients and I invested in never worked out. Sure, they may have gone like gangbusters for a while, but they usually flamed out after a while and plummeted back to earth - and took my money with them! Meanwhile, the older guys in my office were always buying Blue Chip stocks, which means that these were stocks with steady companies in steady industries that did well in any environment. This is why I think there's an interesting comparison here between franchising and buying stocks.
Because when you're out there researching franchises - it's a good idea to start with the following question: What do people consider a necessity rather than a luxury? Or put another way, if the economy slows down or even goes into a recession, will my franchise business survive? One example of this is how haircuts are something that most people consider a necessity and not an option, and no matter what the economy is doing hair is always growing - and it always needs to be cut! Child care is another one. People will always have a strong desire to have a family. If people spend money on anything in good times or bad, they will ALWAYS spend money on their kids. We can probably all think of companies whose products have either gone out of style or are no longer relevant. The most recent example is Blockbuster entertainment. The video rental store has been replaced by Netflix and other on demand movie services. Another example is Borders. Borders book stores unfortunately didn't keep up with Amazon's on line book stores, and recently closed most of its locations as well. Again, it's hard to imagine a time when hair care is no longer a need - no matter what happens with technology.
Additionally, be sure to take a little time to determine if the business model you are looking at makes money. Seek out a reliable franchise system that currently has a long track record of success. Keep in mind that the franchise system itself may be younger than the actual concept itself. Find out how long the franchisor has had a history with the concept itself. Have they really figured it out before offering the franchise? As we live in an ever changing and fast paced world, consumers demands change by the minute and are greatly influenced by technology! Look for businesses that are being done the same way today as yesterday, and will be done the same way tomorrow. Luckily haircuts (and hair care in general) is a pretty hard industry to imagine being completely taken over by technology! This is why over the last decade more and more salon concepts have begun to franchise.
The bottom line is, just like those Blue Chip stocks, when it comes to franchising, those long established businesses that have stood the test of time are usually the best place to start looking for a business. That's why when it comes to searching out a reliable and successful franchise system, sometimes the steady concepts that do well in any environment are a more reliable investment over those that claim to be smoking hot!
Interested in learning more about how you can become an owner of your own exciting Shear Madness location? As one of the best kids salon franchise systems out there, we're also one of the fastest growing kids hair salons in the industry today! And we're always working hard to share our many great resources, small business marketing strategies and business tips so that our franchisees will have the tools to succeed! If you're interested in learning how to become a successful owner of your own childrens salon franchise business, please click below or call 1-888-98 GONE MAD!
