Top Five Buying Factors
When Buying a Franchise
A question I hear often is, “If you were in my shoes, what franchise would you buy, or what is the hottest franchise right now?” I repeatedly come back to them with the statement that it does not matter what I think, it matters what you think, since you are the one that will be signing the franchise agreement and ultimately affected by the outcome of the business. Therefore, it only matters what you think. Here are the buying factors that you should think about when buying a franchise:
1. Safety
2. Affordability
3. Success
4. Fitting Your Image
5. Prestige
Those are the 5 buying factors of purchasing a franchise or any business of any kind. The secret is, every one of them must be met and answered in your satisfaction in order for to select the right franchise or business. Let’s discuss each one.
SAFETY - Safety is the number one buying factor in anything and everything you purchase and is especially true in buying a franchise. Buying a franchise is a very serious decision and sometimes a life changing one. You need to feel safe about the decision that you are making, otherwise you should not and will not do it. How do you answer the question of feeling safe about the decision that you are making you ask? Simple, research, research, research.
Research is the key to safety. You need to use all the help you can find to help you with your decision. Many people use a free service such as FranNet to help them out but you should also consider using a franchise attorney and also an accountant. More importantly, you need to do a lot of the research yourself.
Another important step to safety is talking to those who recently purchased in the franchise (known as franchisees) that you are considering. Since they were recently in your situation and now run a franchise, they will tell you exactly what the process is like. Now, some will be more willing to talk to you than others, but usually they will sit down with you and answer most if not all of your questions. They were once in your shoes and they did their research at one time as well, if they did it right.
You also need to talk to the franchisees that are doing very well and some that are not doing so well. We usually also find it helpful if you also talk to some franchisees that come from a similar background and demographics that you have. If they are succeeding, then you have a good chance as well, but if they are not, then stay away from that particular franchise. While not everything is a given, it will certainly help out in your decision process. You need to talk to as many franchisees as necessary for you to feel that you have answered all your questions and concerns. Keep in mind, the answer to safety is in the research.
AFFORDABILITY – Having affordability listed as the second most import factor usually surprises people. Unfortunately, some people feel safe about the decision that they are making, but sadly they end up not being able to afford it. This is where your CPA comes in very handy. We usually use the typical rule of thumb that you should have 1/3 in liquid capital of the total amount of the franchise. You should also have some extra reserves just in case.
Here is an example. The average franchise according to the International Franchise Association costs approximately $150,000. Therefore the average person should have about $50,000 in liquid assets that they are willing to invest. Most people can get the financing for the remaining two-thirds from a SBA approved bank or other financing sources. There are many services available to roll over money from 401k’s and IRA’s to help with the expenses.
The number one reason that franchisees and business owners go out of business is lack of funds. Whether it is a Fortune 500 company or a brand new business, if you cannot pay your bills, then you are done. Do not over extend yourself financially. It is unfair to you and your family. If you take the rule of thumb into account above, you should be all right. But please, consult with your CPA or financial advisor so you can make an educated decision.
The other nice thing about purchasing a franchise is that there is no correlation between the cost of the franchise and how much you can make. Franchises range from approximately $20,000 to over $3 million. The ones that have the large price tags, have large price tags because they have a lot of build out expenses, needed working capital, equipment, etc. Just because they have the large upfront fees, does not mean that it is going to be more successful compared to one that does not. Some of the most successful franchises that I know of are in the $75,000 range or less.
Remember, do not overextend yourself financially and you do not have to spend a lot to make a lot.
SUCCESS – Most people get into franchising to be successful. They usually have a dream and are trying to fulfill that dream. Success is in the eyes of the beholder and it means different thing to different people.
In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, 95% of franchises are still in business after five years. Compare that to less than half of traditional start-ups are reportedly still in business five years later. Due to the high satisfaction ratings, it is not surprising that nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of the franchise owners said they would purchase the same franchise again.
As you can see, most feel that they are successful but you have to determine what success means to you. Your next step is determine the franchisees in the franchise that you are researching are achieving the goals that you would set for yourself and living the lifestyle that you would like to lead. If you find that only the top franchisees are successful in your mind, then take the advice of putting the franchise to the side and start looking at others. Chances are you are not going to be the top franchisee in that system. I certainly hope you are, but it is better to be conservative and play it safe.
Remember, define success and make sure the franchisees are achieving the success that you have defined for yourself.
FITTING YOUR IMAGE – Is the franchise you are researching fit your image and will you feel good about what you will be doing?
Sometimes you need to slow down and ask yourself, will you be happy with the franchise? Only you can answer this question. If you are not sure about something, then make a list of questions and concerns and do some more research. If you come to the same conclusion that is not what you are looking for then move on to another franchise. You definitely need to be happy with yourself and the franchise that you are considering, otherwise just the opposite will most likely happen. You will be doing things you do not want to do and therefore you will not do them and the business will suffer.
Do yourself a favor and ask yourself if you will be happy and do you have a good self-image of yourself in that franchise.
PRESTIGE – For some people this is a big category and for others it is not.
Some people could care less about what other people think about them and others it is a big factor. Others are easily influenced by what others think. This is what we call peer affirmation. People seeking affirmation from their peers will talk to anyone about what they are thinking about and planning to do. If the others agree and go along with it, then they will keep moving forward. If not, then that business is most likely going to the wayside.
There are definitely some very “sexy”, “white-collar” franchises out there. We are always on the hunt for them, since they can be very affordable and can do quite well for the right people. However, they sell very quickly.
Some franchises do not look very prestigious from the outside. After investigating them and seeing the growth opportunities that can exist, they can become very prestigious.
Almost all clients who come to FranNet are thinking that they know the business that they want to buy. They will most always end up buying something totally different and one that they never even knew was out there. It still needs to meet their prestige factor though, whether the factor exists for them or not.
So, safety, affordability, success, fitting your image, and prestige are the top 5 buying factors of buying a franchise. All of them must be answered to your satisfaction to say yes to that business. Jot them down on a piece of paper and weigh them against the franchise(s) that you are researching. If you can come up with answers to all of them, you are most likely making a well-informed and educated decision.
Now that you are experts, go out there and do your research. More importantly go after your dream!
To learn more about the franchise services FranNet can offer you, contact Jania Bailey, President and COO of FranNet at 502-753-2380.
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