I believe that there is one thing that is the best thing about a franchise. That is, as a franchisee you can see what all the other franchisees are doing and you can talk to all the other franchisees.
That being said, there is one thing that I think is the worst thing about a franchise. You can see what all the other franchisees are doing and you can talk to all the other franchisees!
Yes, they are the same thing! How can one thing be the best AND the worst thing about a franchise?
Simply put, it is the way they are used.
If you see the results of the other franchisees and it is demotivating you, then this fits in the worst thing. If you see the results of the other franchisees and it motivates you, then this fits in the best thing.
Talking to other franchisees is a fantastic element of franchising as peer to peer support is the best sort of support you can have, but if a franchisee is giving bad advice, then it is not the best thing is it.
Let’s use this example above of a franchisee giving another franchisee advice. The advice might not be bad advice. Maybe the idea or concept behind the advice is actually really good, but is being given to a say a brand new franchisee from a long term franchisee and that advice is great for another long term franchisee but simply overwhelming or one step too far for a new franchisee.
Why am I telling you this?
I’m certainly not saying that franchising is bad because the best thing about franchising as mentioned here certainly outweighs the shadow side of this item. What I am saying is that you need to take this and use it to help you, not hinder or hold you back.
Looking to other franchisees results – use it to help you. Don’t think that if you are brand new, just like a toddler learning to walk, that you should be able to run a marathon like a long term franchisee! Look at results with some common sense and use them to help you, not hold you back or to give you an excuse for why you are not where you want to be.
When taking advice from another franchisee, if you are not sure if this is the right advice for you – because it might be the right advice, just at the wrong time – then ask you head office/franchisor support team as they will know if it is right for you or not.
Two people can walk out on a sunny day and one will think it is a beautiful day and the other could think it is just too hot. Same situation, two different opinions. Just remember that not everyone will see a sunny beautiful day just as not everyone will see the positives in a business.
Use discernment and look to the positive.
Tracey
PS. If you haven’t already, why not check out my free quick guides and workbooks – you can find them on the home page of my website at www.traceyleak.com !
