Before You Buy a Franchise, Make Sure You Check These 5 Boxes

Posted by Briana Hall on Mon, Aug 26, 2019 @ 12:08 PM

There is so much that goes into finding the right franchise for you. After all, it is going to be your baby and you want it to succeed. Still, there are a few things you need to consider heavily when looking into a franchise.

Before-You-buy-a-Franchise

You have done your research and decided that buying into a franchise system is the right course of action for you and your family. Franchising is a proven business model that offers the chance to be in business for yourself - but not by yourself! But before you sign on the dotted line, let me offer you a final check list of things that may make or break your franchise:
 
* Strong Demographics - It sounds almost elementary, but make sure there are enough customers in your protected territory. Depending on what franchise system it is that you own, it takes a lot of customers to make a profitable location. 
 
* Recurring Revenue - Don't try and reinvent the wheel, or be talked into something that is not proven. Look at the top franchises over a long period of time. They almost all have one thing in common: customers that come back again and again. Franchises that have a high Customer Long Term Value (also referred to as CLV) have sustainable business models. 
 
* Competition -  Make sure that you are bringing a new and exciting franchise business into your market. Creating the pre-opening buzz will get you off to a strong start. If there are already lots of businesses doing what you are doing in your market, then you're banking on the fact that your franchise differentiates itself enough to steal loyal customers from those other businesses. And that may be harder then you think! 
 
  • High ASI Ratio - Simply put, you want to own a franchise with a high Average Sales to Investment Ratio. The higher this ratio, the higher the return on sales. Look for a ratio of at least 2 to 1. So if Your build out cost is $200K, then this would be  $400K in revenue.  
 
  • * High ROI - You will want a good return on investment.  If you can determine what the average Net Income is then divide that by the your investment ($50,000 Net Income/ $200,000 Cost) - this gives you a return on investment (ROI) - if this is really high, it may be that although you may have a low ASI ration - the investment is still worth it.  And Vice Verso - if the ASI is high - looking at the ROI is important as this could still be low even with a high ASI.  Normally higher return on investment means that you will need to be more involved with your business.  So when evaluating your ROI make sure and take into consideration the amount of work you the owner will have to do.
 
If you have a passion  for business, franchising is an exciting way to create income and accumulate wealth for yourself and your family.  Additionally, if your franchise has these four business metrics you should be well on your way to owning a successful business! 
 

Your Future is Bright!

francomparesmfawardShear Madness Franchising franchises our award-winning Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids salons  (FranCompare™ Best in Child Hair Care 2018). We have worked with franchise stores in providing franchisee support (in order to encourage continual growth and business success), and have sometimes seen the unexpected happen! When it does, we help by identifying and helping with challenges that might arise for franchisees. Additionally, we work to present options that can help prevent these events as well. As many franchise owners may not have opened a business before, having someone who can advise them is a significant advantage of franchise ownership!

Are you interested in learning how YOU can join the Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids family and run your own successful small business? We are one of the fastest growing kids hair salons in the industry today! If you would like to learn more about this franchise opportunity or small business marketing, great marketing strategies, resources for small businesses, franchise success, how to grow your small business or how to become a successful owner of your own kids hair salon franchise business, please click below or call 1-888-98 GONE MAD

Would you like to sign up for our Monthly newsletter? If so, click HERE

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Topics: franchise opportunity, how to buy into a franchise, employee, employee loyalty, business growth, franchising, franchise growth, business success, kids hair salon, multiunit franchise, best kids hair salon, building relationships, business, kidshaircuts, franchise investment, profitability

Your Employees Have To Have These Two Things!

Posted by Briana Hall on Mon, Aug 19, 2019 @ 09:08 AM

Today there are two things as employer you want your staff to have: a great work ethic and a great attitude. Neither of these are things that can be taught, but are essential when having a great team of people at work.

Essentails-for-your-employees

When you buy a franchise there are lots of things that the franchisor will teach you. The systems that a franchise has and how well you follow those systems may ultimately be the difference between your success or failure. One area that you will have the most control over is your staff and employees. Your franchisor will help you with build-out, initial and on-going training support, marketing, even guidance on getting to break even and beyond, but you will have to manage your staff. Your Human capital is one of the most vital parts of your franchise operations for a number of reasons. Your employees deliver your product, they are the face of your business, they create the fabulous experience that brings your customers coming back, they create those little interactions that make your customers think, " Wow, this company really gets me". Developing a great staff doesn't happen over night, it takes time. Additionally, if your new hires don't have the following two attributes, getting your franchise to where you want it to be is going to take longer than planned. 

 

* A Work EthicYou can't teach someone to have a work ethic. Work ethic is a tricky thing, some people have it out of need, they have a family and need to support and provide for their family. Some people learned it from there parents and are modeling it. But one thing is for sure, if you are going to put together a great team, having employees with a good work ethic is critical. 

 

* AttitudeI have heard people say, "That person needs an attitude adjustment", and you know I have seen that work, but only on a temporary basis. You know what behavioral psychologists will tell you, past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior. Companies spend a great deal of time and money working with and trying to fix people with bad attitudes. Find people with a good attitude about your company right from the beginning, nurture and train them, show them there valued, and your people will work together as a team. 

 

Getting your staff to work together as a team to create a fantastic customer experience is crucial to your franchises success. During the interview process you can ask questions that will give you clues on whether your candidate has these two important attributes. You are going get to where you want to go a lot faster if you can find candidates that have these two attributes. 

 

Building a better future TOGETHER!

francomparesmfawardShear Madness Franchising franchises our award-winning Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids salons  (FranCompare™ Best in Child Hair Care 2018). We have worked with franchise stores in providing franchisee support (in order to encourage continual growth and business success), and have sometimes seen the unexpected happen! When it does, we help by identifying and helping with challenges that might arise for franchisees. Additionally, we work to present options that can help prevent these events as well. As many franchise owners may not have opened a business before, having someone who can advise them is a significant advantage of franchise ownership!

Are you interested in learning how YOU can join the Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids family and run your own successful small business? We are one of the fastest growing kids hair salons in the industry today! If you would like to learn more about this franchise opportunity or small business marketing, great marketing strategies, resources for small businesses, franchise success, how to grow your small business or how to become a successful owner of your own kids hair salon franchise business, please click below or call 1-888-98 GONE MAD

Would you like to sign up for our Monthly newsletter? If so, click HERE

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Topics: franchise opportunity, how to buy into a franchise, employee, employee loyalty, business growth, franchising, franchise growth, business success, kids hair salon, multiunit franchise, best kids hair salon, building relationships, business, kidshaircuts, franchise investment, profitability

Why Do People Miss This When Looking For a Franchise?

Posted by Briana Hall on Wed, Aug 7, 2019 @ 15:08 PM

The moving parts of creating a successful business all stem from one important factor. While there are a lot of key components that go into creating a successful business, if you forget about this one, your structure is going to come crashing down.

What-are-you-missing

There are lots of moving parts to a franchise, including your franchisors opening assistance, training and ongoing support. All of the aforementioned are important to your success as a franchisee, and the best way to measure these are to talk to current franchisees. 

 
As important as all these factors are, many people looking to buy a franchise fail to look at what is arguably the most important component of all: the customer. More specifically, how many customers are there for your concept where you want to open? Or, how many times will they come back in a given year, and how long can you hold on to them? This is called customer long term value, or CLV, and it can be the difference between your success or failure. 
 
Think about this, would you rather own a business where your customer comes back twice a year, or 8 times a year? Will they come back for the next 2 years, or the next 8? Will you be able to create a loyal customer or one that only needs your service once or twice per year?
 
Customers are fickle! Make sure that you have lots of them in your trade area, and that the franchise you are looking at can hold on to them for a long time.
 

Building a better future TOGETHER!

francomparesmfawardShear Madness Franchising franchises our award-winning Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids salons  (FranCompare™ Best in Child Hair Care 2018). We have worked with franchise stores in providing franchisee support (in order to encourage continual growth and business success), and have sometimes seen the unexpected happen! When it does, we help by identifying and helping with challenges that might arise for franchisees. Additionally, we work to present options that can help prevent these events as well. As many franchise owners may not have opened a business before, having someone who can advise them is a significant advantage of franchise ownership!

Are you interested in learning how YOU can join the Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids family and run your own successful small business? We are one of the fastest growing kids hair salons in the industry today! If you would like to learn more about this franchise opportunity or small business marketing, great marketing strategies, resources for small businesses, franchise success, how to grow your small business or how to become a successful owner of your own kids hair salon franchise business, please click below or call 1-888-98 GONE MAD

Would you like to sign up for our Monthly newsletter? If so, click HERE

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Topics: franchise opportunity, how to buy into a franchise, business growth, franchising, franchise growth, business success, kids hair salon, multiunit franchise, best kids hair salon, building relationships, business, franchise investment, profitability

Every Successful Franchise Has ONE Thing In Common

Posted by Briana Hall on Wed, Jul 31, 2019 @ 09:07 AM

There is a difference between doing well and succeeding. Not every franchise is going to be the same when it comes to making that perfect formula either, but there are 3 things you can do to ensure that you are off to a good start!

Determination-to-Succeed

I was recently reading a Franchise Times magazine and stumbled across an article about someone who had built up several franchise systems. He had grown to where between the two he had over 700 Units! As I continued to read, it just so happened that he was a neighbor of mine in Overland Park Kansas.  I connected with him on LinkedIn and was not surprised to learn that he had the one trait that EVERY single successful franchisee I have every talked to has, a Determination To Succeed. You can buy into the greatest franchise concept ever invented but without the determination to succeed it may not be enough. Some other pearls of wisdom that he shared with me. 

- You may not get it right the first time 

- Focus on the one thing that you can change - the customer experience 

- Keep learning as you go along 

Franchising is a proven business model and the amount of money spent at franchises every year is staggering. But it's still hard work, and there will be times when the only thing that will push you through and get you over the hump is that one thing that all successful franchisees have, the Determination to Succeed 

 

Success is yours TODAY!

francomparesmfawardShear Madness Franchising franchises our award-winning Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids salons  (FranCompare™ Best in Child Hair Care 2018). We have worked with franchise stores in providing franchisee support (in order to encourage continual growth and business success), and have sometimes seen the unexpected happen! When it does, we help by identifying and helping with challenges that might arise for franchisees. Additionally, we work to present options that can help prevent these events as well. As many franchise owners may not have opened a business before, having someone who can advise them is a significant advantage of franchise ownership!

Are you interested in learning how YOU can join the Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids family and run your own successful small business? We are one of the fastest growing kids hair salons in the industry today! If you would like to learn more about this franchise opportunity or small business marketing, great marketing strategies, resources for small businesses, franchise success, how to grow your small business or how to become a successful owner of your own kids hair salon franchise business, please click below or call 1-888-98 GONE MAD

Would you like to sign up for our Monthly newsletter? If so, click HERE

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Topics: franchise opportunity, business growth, franchising, franchise growth, business success, kids hair salon, multiunit franchise, best kids hair salon, franchise investment

5 Reasons NOT To Grow Your Franchise

Posted by Briana Hall on Fri, Jul 26, 2019 @ 09:07 AM

Quality over Quantity when trying to build a business. There are many reasons to grow and expand, but here are some things to think about before you take the next step in expansion.

5 Reasons NOT to Grow your Franchise-01 I know this sounds counter intuitive to every thing that you have heard about building franchise systems. Last week I wrote about my neighbor who had grown his two franchise systems to over 700 units. But there are times to step back and NOT grow your franchise  business, here are the 5 top reasons

* Increased Risk - With growth becomes more financial obligations to both your businesses and your team. Build a cash flow model and make sure that your revenue can support the additional obligations that you will be taking on. 

* Increased Workload and Stress - Growing a business is tough, on you, your teams, your family. It means working longer hours, bigger responsibilities, more complicated structure, more supervision and more complicated operations. 

* Drop in Quality -  Growth unfortunately can come with a drop off in service quality. You have worked hard to build up an A team, can you keep finding those A players while you grow that deliver that fantastic customer experience? 

* Increased Cost - More revenue is almost always accompanied by increased expenses. Whether in time or money, growing a business will cost you. Financial planning is crucial.

* Loss of Direct Control - Taking on more staff, growing your customer base, extending your network of suppliers, will all put additional stress on your systems and processes.  Being able to delegate duties to the right people and having them follow through may prove challenging. 

Here's the bottom line, if you like to control every aspect of your business, have trouble delegating responsibility or you are not consistent in following your franchisors system's. It may be best to step back and NOT grow your franchise, at least until you feel comfortable that you understand what it's going to take to grow successfully! 

Your Journey, Your Success!

francomparesmfawardShear Madness Franchising franchises our award-winning Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids salons  (FranCompare™ Best in Child Hair Care 2018). We have worked with franchise stores in providing franchisee support (in order to encourage continual growth and business success), and have sometimes seen the unexpected happen! When it does, we help by identifying and helping with challenges that might arise for franchisees. Additionally, we work to present options that can help prevent these events as well. As many franchise owners may not have opened a business before, having someone who can advise them is a significant advantage of franchise ownership!

Are you interested in learning how YOU can join the Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids family and run your own successful small business? We are one of the fastest growing kids hair salons in the industry today! If you would like to learn more about this franchise opportunity or small business marketing, great marketing strategies, resources for small businesses, franchise success, how to grow your small business or how to become a successful owner of your own kids hair salon franchise business, please click below or call 1-888-98 GONE MAD

Would you like to sign up for our Monthly newsletter? If so, click HERE

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Topics: franchise opportunity, business growth, franchising, franchise growth, business success, kids hair salon, multiunit franchise, best kids hair salon, franchise investment

5 Questions to Ask before Opening a Second Location

Posted by Jim Otto on Mon, Aug 13, 2018 @ 12:08 PM

5guidelines.jpgThe idea of owning multiple stores when you buy into a franchise is appealing. So why do so many people fail at it? Here are some guidelines for economy of scale that we use in our children's salons:

  • Never open multiple stores at one time: Your steepest learning curve will be at your first location. If that location is successful, number two, three and four become easier.
  • Find the right people and trust them: At Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids we call these people “charismatic connectors”. They have the organizational skills, leadership skills and understand numbers - and the ability to manage multiple locations for you!
  • Make sure the numbers work: At our children's salons we have a number that tells us how many services a day you should do before you even think about opening another Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids salon. You should never move forward to opening another salon until you hit those metrics.
  • Know your customer: After your first location you should have a rock solid idea of who your customer is: where they live, how much money they have and WHY they are your customer. This should give you a blue print for your second location.
  • Never stop learning: They say in business that the only constant is change. Now more than ever that holds true. Ways of marketing change daily, customers are fickle, and brand awareness is vital. If you like a challenge, you should do well!

Owning multiple locations is an exciting way to build a future income stream for yourself and your family. Just remember one thing, business is a marathon and not a sprint!

The Shear Madness Franchise Advantage!

francomparesmfaward

Shear Madness Franchising franchises Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids salons. We have worked with franchise stores in providing franchisee support (in order to encourage continual growth and business success), and have sometimes seen the unexpected happen! When it does, we help by identifying and helping with challengean help prevent these events as well. As many franchise owners may not have opened a business before, having someone who can advise them is a significant advantage of franchise ownership!

Are you interested in learning how YOU can join the Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids family and run your own successful small business? We are one of the fastest growing kids hair salons in the industry today! If you would like to learn more about this franchise opportunity or small business marketing, great marketing strategies, resources for small businesses, franchise success, how to grow your small business or how to become a successful owner of your own kids hair salon franchise business, please click below or call 1-888-98 GONE MAD!

Would you like to sign up for our Monthly newsletter? If so, click HERE

Exploring a Children's Salon Franchise

Topics: franchise opportunity, Shear Madness Haircuts for kids, business growth, franchising, business success, franchise success, business ownership, multiunit franchise, franchise location, best kids hair salon, small business success, hair salon business

When owning one franchise just isn't enough!

Posted by Matthew S on Wed, Jul 12, 2017 @ 12:07 PM

BenefitsMultiunits.jpgFor many franchise business owners who love what they do and want to continue building their story of success - sometimes owning a single store just isn't enough! And while there are certainly important considerations to think about before embarking on a journey towards multi-unit franchise ownership (which you can read about here in our article, Tips on Becoming a Multi-Unit Franchisee), there's also a number of great benefits in owning more than one store too!
 
Profitability: Possibly one of the most attractive benefits of owning more than one store is the potential boost in profits through multi-unit development. For example, multiple ownership of stores might improve vendor discounts and savings through the sharing of resources between locations. Plus, when building a new location, a business owner will have the skills and knowledge they gained through opening a prior location, which could facilitate a more efficient (and potentially less costly) build-out. However, careful research of communities before building a new location must be done in order to understand when the break-even point for each store might be reached. 
 
Working Smarter: As mentioned in the paragraph above, a business owner who already has opened and successfully run a store should understand what it takes to ensure business success. They're usually able to work smarter and with more efficiency! Plus, when opening multiple stores in a franchise model, you already have the advantage of understanding how the franchise system works - which means that opening a new store shoudn't take as much time as it might have back when your very first store was opened!
 
Geographic Advantages: With multiple units, not only could there be savings through marketing campaigns (as marketing could be just as effective with many stores in the same region, as opposed to just one), but a franchisee could also see benefits through staffing. For example, if a new store is opened, a business owner might want to shift several seasoned employees to the new location to help with training. Or, if one store finds that it needs additional help, employees could temporarily be moved from one location to the next. Additionally, some staff could be assigned to cover multiple locations as well. An employee who works 15 hours a week may agree to help out 20 hours a week in order to help with an extra store or two.
 
Increasing Brand Awareness: Through opening a new store in a new area, you're increasing the amount of recognition your brand has, and it potentially opens up the products and services your store offers to thousands of new customers. Also, a new store located within a community may be more effective in being involved as a positive presence in that community, such as participating in local events (parades, festivals or clubs). Having a trusted brand that is seen by customers as beneficial to the community may give your business an edge over a competitor!
 
Shear Madness Franchising franchises Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids salons. We have worked with multi-unit franchisees in providing excellent support and service (in order to encourage continual growth and franchise success), and have sometimes seen the unexpected happen!  When it does, we help by identifying and helping with challenges that might arise for franchisees. Additionally, we work to present options that can help prevent these events as well. Having a knowledgable support base who can help guide and advise you through your business journey is a significant advantage of franchise ownership!

Would you like to sign up for our Monthly newsletter? If so, click HERE!

Are you interested in learning how YOU can join the Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids family and run your own successful small business? We are one of the fastest growing kids hair salons in the industry today! If you would like to learn more about this franchise opportunity or small business marketing, great marketing strategies, resources for small businesses, how to grow your small business or how to become a successful owner of your own kids hair salon franchise business, please click below or call 1-888-98 GONE MAD

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Topics: franchise buyers, buying a franchise, Small Business Franchise Information, Business Tips, Free Resources for Businesses, business growth, evaluating a franchise, business ownership, multiunit franchise

Tips on Becoming a Multi-Unit Franchisee!

Posted by Matthew S on Thu, May 11, 2017 @ 14:05 PM

multiunit.jpgAsk almost anyone who has opened their own franchise business, and they'll tell you that success rarely happens overnight! Building your store into a thriving business sometimes takes a healthy financial commitment, as well as patience, perseverance and of course - hard work! But after you've opened your first store, should you consider opening another? What about three or four? Or 25? In the world of franchising, with hard work and setting goals, you can achieve these dreams. But understandably, you have to make sure you don't bite off more than you can chew! 

While many franchisees may be perfectly happy with achieving success through opening one franchise location, opening multiple units requires certain abilities which may catch some people by surprise. For example, a franchisee will find that it's a completely different ball game managing multiple units. It's not like it was when they only had one store to worry about! Now, with many moving parts and employees to manage, a franchisee will need to step into a role more like that of a CEO (with managers, human resources and accounting staff to help grow the business). In other words, it'll be a lot more difficult and stressful to try to micro-manage every detail when multiple units are owned. This is where hiring the right people and trusting them to help you grow with multiple units is extremely important when pursuing this path. And sure, under a multi-unit model your employees might not do it exactly the way you would have done it, but as long as it's delivering the results, don't sweat it.  If you can get an employee to do it 80% of the way you would have - you have a great employee!

Additionally, a franchisee considering opening another store should make sure that they're not just falling prey to a "bigger is better" mentality. Because if a franchisee has opened 4 locations and 2 are losing money, it may end up being less profitable than having one or two stores that they're much more able to capably manage and grow - and ultimately make even more money than they would have made with 4 locations. Without the right systems in place for multi-unit ownership, it can become really difficult for one person to manage the growth of numerous locations, and the great customer service or experience that was once provided with just one or two stores might be an unfortunate casualty.

Location is another factor to consider when owning multiple units. Of course establishing a business in the right area to maximize profits is always key. But it's also good to be aware that the farther apart your franchise locations are from each other, the more challenging it might become to manage properly. Not only that, but distance might impact how much shipping or delivery of retail from your warehouse costs, which could cut into profit margins as well. 

And then there's those unexpected emergencies that might happen when you own more than one store. For example, what happens if one of the stores you've opened is located in a great area, but road construction for several months impacts the flow of customers? Because of this, it's sometimes a good idea to make sure that you have multiple ways to support the business in case of those scenarios that temporarily causes a dip in your profits. To illustrate this concept, consider a business owner who owns several book stores. In order to diversify incomes for unexpected financial situations, this owner also sells books online, hosts school book fairs, and perhaps works as a small publisher for local authors.

In the end, there's sure to be a lot of other valuable decisions to think about before investing the time, energy and monetary resources into multi-unit development. But with careful research, networking with other multiunit franchisees, and attending workshops or conferences, those business owners interested in the potential that this exciting avenue of franchising represents will be better equipped for whatever comes down the road!

Would you like to sign up for our Monthly newsletter? If so, click HERE!

Are you interested in learning how YOU can join the Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids family and run your own successful small business? We are one of the fastest growing kids hair salons in the industry today! If you would like to learn more about this franchise opportunity or small business marketing, great marketing strategies, franchise development, resources for small businesses, how to grow your small business or how to become a successful owner of your own kids hair salon franchise business, please click below or call 1-888-98 GONE MAD

Exploring a Children's Salon Franchise

Topics: franchise buyers, Small Business Franchise Information, Business Tips, successful franchisees, business growth, franchising, franchisee support, franchise research, franchise growth, franchise, franchise success, franchising, franchise success, business ownership, multiunit franchise