Franchising is a huge and exciting opportunity, but do you have the skills needed to be successful in it? Read on for the 5 most important skills you’ll need on your journey to buy a franchise UK.
Passionate
It doesn’t need saying that when you start a business, you need to want it to succeed and believe in what you’re selling. This makes passion an incredibly important skill when it comes to any business venture, but especially in franchising. The franchisor wants to know that when you buy their franchise, you’re willing to fight for it and put all you’ve got into it so that you’ll not only be successful but represent their business and what it stands for.
Proving that you’re passionate also means franchisors can be sure you’ll be providing good customer service and have what’s best for the business at heart. Rather than investing in someone who is only bothered about making money, they can invest in someone who wants the business to grow and offer customers a valuable experience.
Risk-Taking
Taking risks is a huge part of business, and there’s very little room for hesitating and indecisiveness. You need to be able to make decisions quickly – but it’s important to make sure the franchisor can trust you to take wise risks and not stupid ones. There are many ways to show this – for example, putting yourself out there and applying directly to them is an example of a risk that shows that you’re interested in their company, and want to put yourself out there to become part of it. A way you can do this is through Franchise Local – they list hundreds of franchises for sale, meaning you can find something that works for you. Once you’ve discovered these franchise opportunities, you can take the leap of faith and put yourself out there and prove to them that they need you as a franchisee, showing your dedication and ability to take well-informed risks.
Patience
As much as it’s important to take risks, you have to make sure they’re well-timed. Businesses don’t grow quickly – they take a lot of time and dedication and often need a lot of input before you can start to reap the benefits. Franchisors are therefore going to be looking for someone who can take the heat and be willing to wait without getting frustrated – they need to be able to deal with delayed gratification in order to do what’s best for the business.
Patience is also important in terms of customer service – you’ve got to be able to deal with difficult customers or orders that go wrong, without losing your temper. Being able to offer a smile to a worried customer is a valuable skill and something a lot of franchisees will need!
Good Listener
This goes hand in hand with patience but deserves its own place on this list. As a franchisee, it’s essential to be a good listener for a plethora of reasons. Working with customers is a large part of this, being able to understand their issues and tackle them properly, as well as listen to what consumers want or are looking to get from your business.
It’s also important, however, to be able to listen to colleagues, employees, and your franchisor. You need to be able to take advice on the chin and be able to use it to grow your business rather than take it personally. Although you have a lot of independence in being your own boss as a franchisee, that doesn’t mean to say you should ignore input from your franchisor on the best way to move the business forward – they know their company better than you, and so you should always be willing to listen.
Creativity
There is a certain path to follow as a franchisee – often, there’s a lot of rules and a system in place to follow, one that has been tried and tested and can offer the best chances of success. However, most franchisors aren’t looking for a robot to run things for them; they’re looking for someone with a spark and a willingness to offer new ideas. With no creativity, the business may move forward, but it’ll end up becoming stagnant. A little spark is all it takes to pique your franchisor’s interest, and an ounce of creativity is more important thank you may think.
With the right mindset, you can give it the push it needs to head in the right direction and perhaps even offer ideas that are implemented throughout the company! You never know – often, a good idea is exactly what you need to get yourself noticed by your franchisor and give you a good boost!
These are the most important skills you’ll need if you’re planning on becoming a franchisee and want to appeal to potential franchisors. Opportunity is only an application away, so use these skills to be confident and you’re bound to succeed!