Is a Franchise Right For Me? Take a Self-Test

Franchising 101

By KELLIE R. FOWLER

Sure, working for yourself sounds like a dream come true. But, how do you know if you'll "make the grade" when going at it alone? While you may find some reassurance in knowing that franchising provides you with support and you are never really alone, there are some important questions you need to ask yourself to better understand if you are cut out to be the boss.

When using this test to evaluate yourself, you may find it useful to have supplemental information and a more in-depth look at the choices/factors, so let's take a look at what additional information you need to ensure you assess yourself accurately.

Franchise Aptitude Test

Are You Service Oriented?

As a franchisee, you will set the tone for customer service, making your unwavering commitment to effective service delivery absolutely paramount. But, to ensure your employees deliver this service optimally, you must continually focus on customer's expectations (which are consistently very, very high) regarding this delivery and set examples that clearly demonstrate to your team exactly how to exceed customer's expectations every time.

You must continually seek to improve the delivery of your products or services while keeping a very close eye on your customer service strategy. Can you be a strong coach and an effective leader in this area? Are you completely committed to providing and ensuring your products or services are delivered on time, within budget, and with a good attitude every time?

Are You Customer Focused?

Take a look at your past experiences and successes in this area. For instance, have you been in roles or had jobs that required you to focus on the customer? And, if so, how did you perform? Do you understand what customers are looking for and how to deliver it? Can you set the bar high when demonstrating customer service to your team? Do you know how to handle customers when conflict occurs? How do you feel about the old saying that the customer is always right?

Are You a Goal-Setter?

As a franchisee, you will set goals for yourself and your franchise and work diligently to meet these. Is this something you have proven to be able to do in the past? Take a minute to consider goals you have previously set for yourself. Did you have difficulty obtaining these goals? If so, was this difficulty the result of setting your goals too high or perhaps the result of not being able to accomplish everything needed to reach the goal. Keep in mind that as a franchisee, you will absolutely have to set goals and you will absolutely have to meet them. And, many of the goals you will be striving to reach will be set by your franchisor. Considering this, now ask yourself about how well you perform when others set your goals.

Are You a Decision Maker?

As a franchisee, you will be the leader of your team. Do you have the decision-making skills needed to lead your team to success? Do you make decisions and stand by them? Do you have the ability to explain your decisions to others, all the while complying by your decision? If not, you can learn to be a more effective decision maker, but this will take a strong commitment and some time. For the sake of this test, be honest with yourself about your ability to make decisions in the past. Consider how much time it took you to make a decision, how you implemented the decision amongst your team (or coworkers) and how this all played out to ensure you achieved optimal results.

Do You Have a Basic Need to Control and Direct?

This can be a bit tricky. As a franchisee, your franchisor will direct you in most areas; however, you will be in control of carrying out these directions and overseeing your team on a day-to-day basis, which requires a delicate balance of give and take. Are you up to the task? Are you comfortable with the parent company having control while, as the "front person" or person in charge of your own franchise, acting out the directions of the parent company within your own team? Are you confident you can maintain control over your team to successfully live up to the directions and expectations o f your parent company? How have you done in similar situations in the past, both personally and professionally?

Do You Thrive on Achieving Results?

Once you or your parent company have outlined your goals, you will get to work achieving these. Surely, you have had other goals in your life, either set by you, your boss, your spouse, etc. Think back about working to achieve these goals and the feelings you had when you met the goals (and hopefully exceeded them). Do these feelings help keep you motivated when working toward achieving your goals? Will you be able to flourish and be at your very best when working to achieve your goals, even when they may temporarily seem out of reach? Can you convey this to your team? Do you delight in a job well done?

Do You Have High Confidence and Self Esteem?

When you become a franchisee, you will need to project a strong self-image, one that exudes confidence and capability. There will be days when you are challenged. Even in the face of controversy, can you continue to project a high level of confidence? Take the time to ask those closest to you how they perceive your confidence level before answering this question.

Can You Follow Business Procedures?

Consider other jobs or tasks you have taken on. Are you capable of following outlined procedures exactly as they are presented? Do you struggle with following directions? Have you encountered conflict in the past because you could not or did not follow directions or procedures?

Do You Fit Within the Organization?

Of course, you will want to choose a franchise opportunity that you believe in and that you feel strongly will be a good fit for you. Past this, you may want to take a long, hard look at how you have fit in with other organizations in the past. Is there room for improvement here? Are you capable of fitting in without creating conflict or disturbances? Do you require nurturing or handholding to ensure you can thrive within an organization or as a member of a large team?

Do You Get Along Well With Others?

Take a look at both your professional and personal relationships here. Do you generally get along well with others? Can you work as a member of a team to reach common goals? Can you help others through conflict without getting deeply involved in it yourself?

Are You Coachable?

Can you take direction? How do you respond to criticism? Can you learn from other's successes and failures? Are you respectful of the fact that others may have more knowledge and experience in areas where you are still learning and growing? Can you work with them to better understand how to improve yourself or a situation?

After completing the test you should have a better understanding of your own strengths and weaknesses and how these fit in with your ability to succeed as a franchisee .

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