People are requesting information about our franchise on a daily basis. The two most often asked questions I get are, “how much does it cost?” and “how much can I make?” These are questions that most interested franchise buyers have the right to know. If I may, I'd like to offer prospective buyers a question that would answer the other two and save everyone a lot of due diligence and research. You see, I think the most important question that franchise buyers should ask is, “How many of your locations have closed?”
Read MoreThe Big Red Flag of Franchising!
Written by Jim Otto
- Is there a market for the service? Without demand for the product, how will you grow?
- Can you teach someone else to do it? Scalability relies on the fact that whatever you are doing can be taught to some else who can then teach it to others.
- Standardization: Can it be repeated successfully over and over, the same way, and continue to produce more and more revenue as it grows?
- Recurring revenue: I would venture to say that very few franchise models can survive without services or products that meet a need and require customers to come back again and again to get them.
It's a fact that running a business can be hard work and encompasses many challenges that most people have never encountered. But it's arguable that when you invest into a salon franchise system, you have a greater chance of success. Plus, most salon franchises (like Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids) do offer the advantage of a successful business history and scalability. However, as implementing a salon franchise system does take effort, you'll want to make sure all your questions are answered through doing a little research. Contact salon franchises, reach out to the franchisors, and compare business models! You'll also want to take a look at the Franchise Disclosure document, the Franchise Agreement, and talk to current franchisees. Seek out a franchise business 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?
Read MoreOk, so here’s the deal, according to a recent article I read, a new franchise starts in the United States about every 8 minutes. There are several things that bother me about this trend. Number 1 is that many new concepts have no history of operating successfully, so how does a business know that their systems works and can be taught easily to franchisees? Furthermore, without going through all kinds of economic environments and all the various issues that a business can face over a long period of changing business climates, how do you know if the concept will stand the test of time? One of the biggest advantages that I see of buying into a franchise is the “benchmarking” that they are able to do for a franchisee to make sure they are on pace to succeed - and those metrics only come from watching a business over a long period of time. If a franchise can’t show you a track record of success, don’t risk trying to create one for them!
Read MoreEver 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.
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