Running a franchise is hard work, but it’s rewarding work, and for the right sort of person it can feel like the missing link that they’ve been searching for all their working lives. Anyone can take on a franchise, but it takes a special kind of person to make it a success; you need ambition, determination, and drive. Here are a few important skills:
1) Communication Skills
Running a successful franchise is about being a people person above all else. No matter how high-powered you are, you can’t do all that work yourself, and there won’t be any work to do if you can’t attract the right customers. Being able to persuade and motivate swings both ways, with your clients and your employees, and a good communicator can get the most out of both.
2) You Need To Know How To Learn
Most people who work with us at Time For You start off without any experience at all of the cleaning industry, and many have never run their own business before, so it can be a bit of a learning curve – albeit one that’s very rewarding to master. Your team may be experienced cleaners who know their stuff, so talking to them, listening and gleaning what knowledge you can will make the difference between success and failure.
3) Be A Team Player
You might be running a cleaning company, but at the end of the day, your real job is marketing your service to people within your territory who don’t know they need your service yet. You depend on your team, and they depend on you, so they need to feel like you’re on the same side. It’s vital you take the time to get to know your team, listen to their thoughts and suggestions and get stuck in with them if necessary. Ensuring you contact them on a regular basis is key to ensuring they feel valued and know that they are an important member of the team!
4) Know How To Adapt
Knowing how to be a successful franchise owner is knowing how to adapt. It’s not all going to be plain sailing – you’re going to face competition, peaks and troughs in business, and challenging clients, so knowing how to change course and meet a problem head-on is very important. It’s a good idea to have contingency plans in place, even if you don’t use them, so that you’ll never be caught off guard when things go less than perfectly!
Call Time For You today for a chat about owning your own franchise and all the amazing ways it can transform your life!
