In today’s time, a franchise business seems to be the most profitable approach for many restauranteurs and hoteliers. It is the best solution to give control and rights to other people while reaping the benefits in the form of percentage shares or royalties. Franchising allows budding entrepreneurs to work with a business which has its process and branding in place already.
A lot of restaurateurs put the cost of the investment for the franchise business on their website itself so the research time on the company is reduced drastically. There are many factors to establish when you wish to start a franchise business. This involves the process of finding out the competitors, track record of the sales, opportunities of down selling and upselling, branding, repeat business and most importantly the budget to start investing into the business.
One thing to note is that a franchise agreement works a lot like a lease or a rental agreement and this doesn’t guarantee the ownership of the franchise business as a whole. There are three components or pillars to a good franchise business which are People, Process & Workflow.
There are a few key points to note while setting up a new franchise business:
- Franchise business opportunities – Depending on the type of business and the area that you are present in. It is important to establish the business based on the opportunity the area entails. If there are similar businesses in your area, we recommend you opt out of them or change the area to somewhere where the business doesn’t exist.
- Research about legal proceedings – Franchises require legal formalities and permits which are needed to establish the business, without these any legalities for the business can’t be carried out. Remember to get all the necessary forms and permits from your city council so that you are prepared to go through the necessary red tape. Restaurateurs and hoteliers have to go through different formalities and proceedings.
- Evaluating costs and budget – Always have a budget planned for this, you will be taking a big step and to have everything go smoothly you must have a budget set aside for the franchise business fees and also for all other formalities such as real estate and permits.
- Drafting a Business Plan – This is one of the primary steps, even if the franchise has a brand and process in place. It is very important to have a business plan which identifies all the projected profits and growth for the system. This will help you to plan all overhead expenses and other ancillary expenses that are essential for the starting of the business.
- Franchise License Agreement – Before signing the contract please check all the compliances and conditions properly. We recommend having an attorney or a legal consultant who can guide you with the know-how of everything contractual for a franchise business.
- Forming a business entity – It is mandatory thing to form a legal entity for the franchisor. This will help you to categorize the business and the expenditure that will be required for this.
- Real estate – The franchisor will provide you with the guidelines for the kind of space that will be required for the business. It has to fit as per the guidelines of the existing franchise or has to be close to it because all systems have to align in place. Depending on whether it is a restaurant or a hotel, you will have to look for a space that best suits the business plan.
- Hiring employees – You will need people to keep the system moving in every place. It is important to have this in place as soon as you decide on the space. A lot of restaurateurs and hotelier franchise owners are often looking to transfer to other locations so you can also ask the owners for help.
In conclusion, being a part of the franchise business in itself is like starting your own business, but the franchise helps you to focus on other important aspects. Having a franchise business saves you a lot of money as well whereas establishing a new business means double the capital amount which is needed to invest in the business.