Be Available

You’ve sold a franchise to the ideal candidate. In a matter of months a new site is going to be up and running. All of a sudden, your time is not your own. Your franchisee is going to have hundreds of questions, and some of them are going to require immediate responses. You can’t put your answering machine on and catch up on calls once a day. If you don’t have staff dedicated to franchisee support you’re going to have to make yourself available at all times. Eventually the franchisee will become more confident and independent, but in the start-up phase this is all new and you’re the expert. Invest in a cellular phone or a pager. And keep it on and with you. Respond as quickly and completely as possible. This is going to be a change for you since you’re used to working on your own. Anticipate the need and you’ll be able to manage it just fine.