A note about training

When you decide to franchise your business and you get your first franchisee, it’s important that you go through the proper steps to ensure everyone is trained correctly. Be sure to set up training programs for your employees and your franchisee. If you don’t, you could end up with a problem on your hands, including a confused business owner representing your brand.

The first thing you should keep in mind is that your employees are typically considered the “veterans.” This means they should be trained in a way that they are experts in a flawless plan, so that each business unit that opens will run as a carbon-copy of your original model. Make sure your current employees are the example – nay, the standard – by which your franchisees will train their own employees.  

Next, get the franchisee fluent in your brand language. That means they should know what your brand represents, the culture of your business, and how they should get started. However, it is important to recognize that they are an independent business owner, and there are some things you cannot control. Therefore, it’s vital that they have a solid foundation on which to build their business, in conjunction with your vision for your brand as a whole.

The following is a (non-comprehensive) list of areas in which your franchisee may need trained. Talk with a business consultant to determine your specific training strategy to ensure a seamless transition into a franchise-based business model.
•    Financial management
•    Hiring and firing
•    Motivating employees
•    Training employees
•    Equipment and inventory management
•    Setting up a bank account for the business
•    Business insurance
•    Selling strategies
•    Advertising/marketing plans

The best way to ensure proper training is to put everything together into a start-up manual to give to franchisees. Determine what they will need to start their business, and have it all together for them so that they can launch their location with the tools necessary to carry your name and your brand with the personality and character that you defined.