franchising feature
EXPERT ADVICE: Brian Keen | Founder | Franchise Simply
New franchising post COVID Just when I thought business had reached a peak in transforming from old fashioned face-to-face delivery to a sleek digital model, I found I was wrong. In the past year or so, there’s been another significant jump in the number of potential franchises which have upped their game, not only in the way they are structured as digital businesses but also in the kind of business involved – slick, simpler niched businesses seem to be the way to go. Having been involved with franchised businesses since the 80s, I have seen how businesses passing my door reflect the latest changes. And the latest I see are not really new, they simply reflect the increased pace of change generated by COVID. Over the past few months, I have seen business people who have long had a traditional service business suddenly realise they’re ready to take the step into franchising simply because they’re also ready to simplify and take the step into becoming a sleek digital business. Previously, these business owners were buried in the day to day running of the business and they just couldn’t see how they could step away. Nearly two years of COVID though, has brought the realisation that it is possible to step up and leave others to get on with the job.
46 business franchise MAGAZINE
Three mindset changes are involved.
The first involves the boss giving away control Lockdowns have meant that staff have had to go out alone, only connected to the boss through Zoom or phone and often quickly cobbled together, difficult to use operations showing what is to be done and how. So, getting good, cloud-based systems up and running or upgraded into something efficiently usable by staff in tricky situations has been an essential part of this transition. Systems like this are an essential foundation for successful delegation and it is well managed delegation that allows the business owner to step away from the day to day and live a more fruitful life. A franchisor with a gutter business comes to mind. Installing, cleaning, and maintaining gutters can be a dangerous job. And, as a service business, it involves the tradies doing the job also having to deal with the client. It is essential every step, from customer relations, including converting the sale, to climbing onto the roof and fixing gutters and roof plumbing, that the job is carried out with care for safety, professionalism, and a smile. Not something often associated with trades-based service businesses in the past. The franchisor involved here originally held his 10-year-old database with thousands of
contacts on an excel sheet. His marketing was based on word-of-mouth referrals and text messages. His training and operations were held in his head. So, although he and his staff provided an excellent service, his franchise journey has also involved a journey into automating many parts of the business. Most loved by the franchisor, his staff and franchisees are the cloud-based operations systems he created with our help. This has meant he no longer needs to be directly involved with every job because his systems provide answers to questions on how to get stuff done. We have examples of so many similar tradebased service businesses (garden maintenance, cleaning and roof restorations and so on) with long held dreams to franchise, suddenly coming to us post COVID and saying, ‘I am now ready to franchise. COVID has given me the time and exposure to digital business methods to be confident about making the change from day-to-day management of my staff to delegating responsibly with the expectation they can do the job my way without me’. This realisation may never have come without lockdown time and forced exposure to the digital world and the need to let staff get on with the job without helicopter management given by the changed environment associated with COVID.
