A common complaint from franchisees is that their franchisor doesn’t listen, the corporate office is out of touch, and they don’t feel part of the larger brand. There are a lot of big picture things you can do to change this, but there’s also one seemingly small thing that can make all the difference: A handwritten note.
In running, it’s not about what sneakers do for you in those first few miles. The first 5k isn’t nearly as important as Mile 25 of a marathon. The ultimate question is will the shoes get me through the long haul? The same is true in franchising.
There’s no doubt we’ve all worked with a complainer or two—that person who spends all his time griping about a situation rather than doing something to improve it. Complainers may hurt your brand in more ways than you know.
Ten years ago, franchisors spent more time looking at their bottom line than that of their franchisees—thinking as long as their numbers looked good, individual units would follow. Today, we know that’s not true.
We hear it time and time again: Franchisees learn better from each other. So, when a franchisor has a best practice to share, an improvement to make, or a new process to implement, they get better results when the news is delivered by franchisees.
Being a runner from Boston, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what I’d have done if I’d been crossing the finish line at 2:50 p.m. on 4/15/13.
The passion of Jimmy Liautuad is palpable. He’s got a big personality, and as he shared at Franchise Time’s Finance and Growth Conference in March, he’s had a great ride as CEO of Jimmy John’s Gourmet Subs—a brand he started back in 1983. But it hasn’t all been roses.
Our team spent most of last week in New Orleans at the IFA Convention, so I asked them to dig out from their beads and give me the best tip they took away from being there. Just like the conference itself, there’s something for everyone in their responses.
You may be able to come up with lots of excuses not to include an Item 19 in your FDD, but the reality is your competitors include it and so should you.
Local efforts can have a big impact on a franchise system as a whole, including its unit profitability, storewide sales, and overall brand growth. If you’re not already, you may want to consider what (or who) is actually driving your local efforts.
It’s no secret that the Item 19 is a hot-button issue in franchising. While the majority of experts vote in favor of it, there are still many who argue that an Item 19 is not absolutely necessary. Who's right?
The best conference tip I’ve ever gotten was from Susan Black-Beth at the IFA Leadership Luncheon in February. I always walk away from conferences with a few (soon-to-be-forgotten) great ideas, but Susan’s hit home and I’ve been thinking about it—and working on it—ever since.
If by some unlikely twist of fate, you were instantly transplanted from the home office to ownership of your own franchise unit, how would you feel about the direction of the company? What thoughts would be crossing your mind as you read the latest memo from the executives? Would you trust you?
A few months ago, I wrote about complainers and their negative effect on a franchise brand. Since then, I’ve been [...]
Catherine Monson and Mark Jameson of FASTSIGNS discuss the benefits of surveying franchisees with a third party. Did you use [...]
MOOYAH CEO Alan Hixon discusses his franchisee satisfaction survey and the importance of treating franchisees like customers. Did you use [...]
It’s no secret that good franchisee relations lead to franchisee satisfaction, which leads to generally strong businesses. Satisfied and engaged [...]
