How to Franchise a Business

Have an existing business, but want to turn it into a Franchise? Or… a golden idea that you think can be a great Franchise. We can help!

Looking to “Franchise your Business”?

As a business model, Franchising offers a unique and unrivalled way to scale up your business rapidly. Just a brief glimpse at the range on offer demonstrates the extraordinary adaptability that it can bring to virtually every sector. Using the power of your brand, your know-how and reputation you can tap into the passion, creativity and drive of other business owners to hit new markets.

As a concept, it’s relatively easy to understand and has proven to be incredibly successful, however starting up can be complex and daunting. Taking the time at the beginning to ensure you have all of your operations and processes set up correctly will pay off a hundred-fold in the long term. It will allow you to grow safely, reduce teething issues with your fledgling network and recruit more and better franchisees faster.

We specialise in working with emerging and new Franchisors to take their business from concept to a fully fledged Franchise. Please get in touch to learn how.

“Setting up your business to be ready to Franchise is a process. Bringing onboard your first Franchisees is an artform.”

— Andrew Walters, Founder

There are many providers that can help you franchise your business, and yes having a good Operations Manual, Franchise Agreement etc. is absolutely key but we believe the real focus is to set you up to actually start recruiting Franchisees. Too many Franchisors set up, and never get beyond that first phase. We want to change this.

“Can I franchise my Business?” Probably, but you are asking the wrong question… you need to first ask if you should Franchise!

Be under no illusions, the UK is a crowded market for Franchising, with businesses of all shapes and sizes jostling to find and secure Franchisees. Many Franchises when set up are done following the same old path and the same old methods and messaging - you have to do better than this. Are you able to explain to any prospective Franchisee…

  • Why they should buy a Franchise

  • Why they should buy a Franchise in your industry

  • Why out of all of the competitors they should pick yours

If you can’t, that’s ok - we can help. Fundamentally the most important question you should be asking at this stage is simply “why”. Why do you want to Franchise your business, and why would anyone else want to sign up as a Franchisee.

There is lot’s to consider and you are undoubtedly an expert in your field, but why would you take a risk and try to Franchise it alone. You wouldn’t build a house without an architect, and a qualified firm of builders - it’s just too risky. Building a Franchise business is much the same. Any investment in support will pay itself back many times over in the long run, just pick a company that you can trust.

What Stage are you at in becoming a Franchisor?

It’s a Vision

Do you have an idea that you believe would make a great Franchised business?

We can help you to understand the pros and cons of Franchising, what it would look like for your business and give you an honest appraisal of it’s viability.

We’ve written operations manuals, and devised processes at some of the UK’s biggest franchisors and can work with you to do this while refining your strategy for long term growth.

A Concept to Convert

You have an initial store, school, cafe etc. that you are running which is thriving. It’s making money, and is a great brand.

Turning this concept into a Franchised business could be the best way to scale up your operations and to take your brand national. There is much to consider - running a Franchised business requires skills and experience far outside of running your own concept.

We can help outline these, put in place the processes and be an invaluable part of your team as you grow.

Early Franchisor

You’ve got all of the documentation ready… the website set up, the agreement waiting for your first few franchisees but cannot seem to sign them up.

This is the most important step, and one that is often overlooked by consultants. Posting your business on a handful of sites and waiting for the enquiries to roll in is not a viable strategy anymore. The World has moved on, and so have your competition.

We help you identify who your ideal franchisees are, where they are, and how to proactively go get them.

Are you Ready to Franchise your Business?

  • So a tricky line to walk here - you need a concept that stands out in it’s own unique way, and where you can stake a claim as to why you do it better than anyone else. It needs to be tricky enough to replicate, (could be for a variety of reasons) that someone will find it much more challenging to recreate alone than via your franchise.

    However it shouldn’t be so complex that you cannot teach people to run it just as well as you run your own business. Consistent quality is crucial, but allow your franchisees to push you to be better too.

  • Anyone considering taking on your franchise, is probably looking at other options too. That may be a similar franchised business, an entirely different franchise concep,t or perhaps going it alone. You absolutely need to demonstrate that your model, and your brand is the best route for them out of the options available.

    That will encompass both the financial model - realistically if they are going to pay you fees for it, they are going to need to feel that the value you provide covers those fees at least, but also other pain points in their life. They are going to need to believe implicitly that taking a franchise with you is the best answer to the questions that they are posing about next steps.

  • How easy is it going to be to actually find candidates with the right qualifications, skillset and drive to do your business? Some franchise models are relatively straightforward, and anyone can do it - no matter their background. Others are highly specialised and therefore need candidates from a particular field.

    If yours is a franchise for anyone - that’s great, the pool of candidates is as big as it can be. But know you are then competing against every brand. Alternatively, you may be fishing in a smaller pond if your candidate profile is niche - but your concept may well resonate much more strongly with those prospects.

  • You have spent years building a business you are proud of, have an impeccable reputation and a brand that is known and loved locally. A Franchised business will quite rightly trade off of your successes and goodwill - however in doing so, you leave yourself exposed to the quality of your Franchisees.

    Take time to build a network of people that you trust and believe in. Effectively a Franchise is an affiliation of independent business owners, and your ability to control is based much more around influencing than in an employee relationship. The last thing you want is one rogue franchisee to undo all your hard work by offering an inferior product, or poor quality service.

  • The hardest franchisees to find are your first. You may well have proven the concept, but getting someone to be the first guinea pig, without proof that it can be replicated and supported, then run by someone else, can be a challenge.

    Franchisees ideally love to see that someone else other than the founder has succeeded. It’s worth therefore having a really robust plan as to how you identify your first candidates, and how you get them going as your pathfinder to lead the way for others. You really want them to succeed - so really get this bit right.

  • Ideally you want a concept that you know is going to go the distance. Franchisees will be investing significant money, and potentially decades of their lives in running their own business so will want the reassurance that it’s going to be there for the future and will not fade away as technology or fashions change. You need to roll with the punches on this one, maybe you are lucky and your business is timeless - more likely you are going to need to adapt and develop your model over the years. Remember, it’s not just your success resting on it now.

  • You absolutely want franchisees that are passionate about your business, and love what you do - don’t lose sight though that money talks. Franchising struggles when it is a marginal business financially - there has to be enough for both you and your franchise network to get fed. Focus on the smallest piece of the machine and make sure that an individual franchise owner or location can run a business that is healthy and profitable. Get that bit right and the rest is easier - get it wrong, and your franchise will never grow, no matter how nice your concept may be.

  • Do not underestimate the coming change, nor the money and resources you will need to effectively build and support a franchise network. You will fundamentally change what you do as a head office - soon you will likely cease to be at the sharp end delivering your product and service yourself - but will be tasked with servicing a growing group of independent business owners. All with different demands, needs and personalities. A large franchise network is a good snapshot of society, it’s strengths and weaknesses. Get ready for all that encompasses!

Want more info… please download our “Franchise Your Business” prospectus

Franchise Startup Services

Your business is unique - so why would you settle for using templates that don’t truly reflect your story and your vision for the future?

We strongly believe that the right way to work with our customers is to treat every client, and every business individually. We won’t work from templates in creating your manual, or your marketing collateral then simply insert company details - because we don’t believe it works.

This is how we do it…

The “Becoming a Franchisor” Workshop

For every client, whatever their background and whatever their model we always start with a face to face strategy session to gauge the concept and it’s viability as a Franchise. This is an essential component and is a deep dive into your business, how it works currently and will work as a franchise when setup. We cover every facet of your business from product or service delivery, through to marketing, bookkeeping, admin, IT etc. You name it, we will cover it.

Expect a long day, lots of honesty and coffee to keep you going. You might have to hear some truths about where your business is deficient, or where work is needed to be able to succesfully franchise - and this isn’t always easy. It’s always for the right reasons though to ensure you get honest support and the best chance of success

This initial workshop allows us to effectively decide “what goes into the box” that franchisees will get from you when they join the network, both tangible and intangible. This is where you get to draw the lines in the sand about what your business stands for, what you want your Franchisees to follow and your respective roles and responsibilities.

This then forms the basis of the Operations Manual - an absolutely crucial document that we can help you to craft.

Financial Modelling

Once we’ve worked out what goes in the box, we need to assess what it costs. We look in depth at financial viability for both yourselves and your Franchisees under a range of scenarios - if the numbers don’t stack up on either side then we need to go back to the drawing board, or to question whether the Franchise is a viable reality. This will allow us to assess respective fees, and what you can make from the venture.

We are great with numbers, but understand that not everyone, particularly Franchisees that are new to business are as comfortable. That’s why we break it down into visually pleasing, easy to understand models that both you and your prospective candidates will be happy with.

Franchise Recruitment

Once we know what the Franchise is, and what the commercial model would like - we then pivot to helping you to understand how to sell it. This comes back to getting the “why” right. We will help you craft a sales process, marketing messaging and collateral that doesn’t speak in a boring franchise language, but that truly reflects who you are, who your candidates are - what are their pain points and wishes and how can you reach them. This is where the magic happens - get this right and you have a great chance of success

The Legals

As a BFA accredited Franchise consultant, we’ve got great relationships with the best Franchise law firms across the UK. We can help you to select the right one for you at competitive prices and help to liaise with them to make the process as smooth as possible

Our Packages

We are a Full Service Franchise Consultant and can provide everything you need including;

  • Initial workshops on your business model and how best to franchise it

  • A fully bespoke Franchise Operations Manual

  • Financial forecasting for your Franchised business

  • Financial forecasting for your Franchisees to allow them to complete a business plan and raise finance if required

  • Franchisee business plan template

  • New Franchise onboarding and training planning

  • Franchise recruitment strategy planning

  • Proactive Franchise recruitment

  • Franchise recruitment brochure copywriting

  • Franchise website copywriting

  • Graphic design

  • Franchise Agreement (in association with BFA accredited Franchise solicitors)

Proactive Franchise Marketing & Recruitment

The most often overlooked, but most important part of the Franchise Startup process. We will work with you to ensure that you are not left on your own once your are set up, but are supported to actually start recruiting Franchisees. Including the following services;

  • Bespoke marketing strategy for your needs

  • Creation of Franchise marketing assets

  • Google Ads setup and support

  • Customer profiling

  • Reactive and Proactive Franchise lead generation planning

  • Dedicated Sales Lead Process creation

  • Deal negotiation to completion of agreement

Bespoke Package

All Franchisors are at a different phase of their business and we can provide any of the options in our Complete & Recruitment Package for you in a bespoke way to suit your needs.

Just not sure if your business is ready to be Franchised yet?

That’s no bad thing… it is a big decision and one that you should take great care over.

That’s why we’ve created a package specifically for clients that are considering Franchising, but feel that it may be something that they want to progress with in 6 months, or a year or two.

Working with you and your team we will demystify the process, help you to assess the viability of your business as a Franchise and then set in place concrete actions that you need to take in order to get started - crucially at a time that is right for you and your business.

What’s more - if you book this package, and then decide that you do want to Franchise in the future the cost of the work will be deducted from your future package!

Sound good? Just give us a shout and let us know you want to know more about the Franchise Assessment package

What Franchise documentation do you need?

  • For us at Kindling, the process of creating your Ops manual is the most important step on the journey. Whilst the document itself is obviously an asset, it is the journey of building it that is most powerful. The process of writing your manual is highly collaborative. We fundamentally do not believe in templates as every business is different, and so we work with you to create something that feels right for you.

    As we deconstruct and reconstruct the way you work, we will question, challenge and inspire you to make your business better. All of our clients come out of the process with a better understanding of what they do well, and changes they can make to improve things. Many of these are implemented into the core business and not just the Franchise offering.

    When complete, it is the most significant document in your toolbox, this is your business distilled into its purest form. It will take your new Franchisees on a journey from their very beginning, through to being successful operators.

    In your manual you will establish your culture, set your expectations and processes and define what it takes to run your business. It should be honed from all of your learnings on what works well, and what should be avoided. Running a full spectrum, it covers such things as legal obligations your Franchisees must undertake, sales and marketing techniques to follow, right through to day to day operations. It’s fair to say it is a highly detailed and important document.

    A good Franchise Operations manual will complement and work in synergy with your Franchise Agreement. When drafted, your legal agreement will refer throughout to “the Manual”, allowing you to evolve and improve your business over time.

  • Another crucial and comprehensive document, your Franchise agreement sets out the basis of your business model and when well drafted will be a vital tool in protecting your brand, your IP and your network.

    The franchise agreement is a legal contract between you as Franchisor and your Franchisees that outlines the terms and conditions of the franchise relationship. The agreement covers issues such as the franchisee's rights and obligations, the franchisor's obligations, trademarks and intellectual property, and the length of the franchise term.

    We are firm advocates of using Franchise specialist lawyers, and over the years have built a great relationship with some of the industries best known and most well respected lawyers. We can help to introduce you to our colleagues, or to act as liaison for you to ensure that the model that we develop with you is properly represented in legal form.

  • When done well, Franchising should be a model based on balance and mutual success between Franchisor and Franchisee. A Franchise that understands the importance of having a network that is happy, supportive and most importantly profitable will far outlast and outpace the growth of those that ignore this step.

    Once we have agreed the right way to package your business as part of drafting the Operations Manual, we will help you to understand the financial possibilities for both you and your future Franchisees. Understanding how much they can make, will help us to understand the range of fees that you should be considering putting in place.

    Taking your business as a template we will create a model outlining the likely scenarios for all of your new Franchisees both in terms of their income potential and likely costs.

    This document is one of the most important parts of your Franchise recruitment strategy. It should demonstrate the financial viability of the model, whilst giving a prospective Franchisee realistic targets to aim at and a flexibility to adapt the model to their own circumstances.

    Many Franchisees are new to running their own business, and so whilst our models are comprehensive and detailed, they are designed to be simple to use, easy on the eye and not daunting for even the least financially literate.

  • Whilst it can be tempting to just want to get a sale over the line and bring onboard a Franchisee. You should really take the time to kick the tyres and ensure that they are well suited to your business. It will be so worth it in the long run to avoid headaches.

    We would always advocate getting a prospective Franchisee to produce and present a business plan to you. A business plan can help franchisees identify potential challenges and risks that may arise in their business. By anticipating potential problems, together you can take proactive steps to mitigate risks and ensure the long-term success of their business. It will also allow you to see clear goals and objectives for their business giving you a platform to evaluate their performance over time. A good plan demonstrates skills on their part and gives them accountability for their own success going forward.

    Of course it also provides a practical purpose. Lenders and investors often require a business plan before providing financing. A well-written business plan can help franchisees secure the necessary funding to start their business.

  • Having a great webpage that really tells the story of who you are and what you are about is absolutely vital. It’s likely the first chance your prospective franchisees have had to see your business and to begin to form an opinion about your brand and how you can help change their lives. Done well it should help with the following;

    Attracting the Right Candidates: A well-designed webpage should help attract high-quality candidates who are interested in investing in your franchise. If done well it will provide a good first impression and build trust in your brand. Make sure though that you know who your audience is, and that it is presented in a style that will speak to them personally.

    Providing Information: It should provide comprehensive information about your franchise opportunity, including where approriate details on the franchise system, investment costs, support, and training offered to franchisees. This information can help potential franchisees make informed decisions about whether your franchise is a good fit for them and gives you a chance to make it clear how you differ from your competition.

    Building Credibility: Potential franchisees want to invest in a business that has a proven track record of success. By showcasing the success stories of your current franchisees, displaying industry recognition or awards, and providing a history of your brand, you can build credibility and trust with potential franchisees.

    Saving Time: A well-designed webpage can also save you time by answering potential franchisee questions before they even reach out to you. By providing detailed information about your franchise opportunity, you can eliminate the need to have lengthy conversations with candidates who may not be a good fit.

    Improving Efficiency: It’s vital that you have a great call to action and make the process of filling out an application or registering their interest online as seamless as possible. Remember at this stage you just want to ensure that they are interested enough to reach out - the rest is part of your sales strategy

  • Your franchise prospectus or brochure serves a number of functions. Fundamentally it’s a sales tool to entice prospective franchisee to take a leap of faith and to join your network.

    It needs to balance carefully both the hearts and minds of your audience. Done well it should stir emotions and get someone to believe in your brand, your business and your strategic direction - that speaks to the heart.

    It also needs to inform and educate and to reinforce that the decision to take on your Franchise will fill all of their needs be they professional, emotional and of course financial.

Digital Marketing Support

Understanding and properly utilising digital marketing is an absolute fundamental for any new or aspiring Franchisor. Used correctly it is an indispensable tool in your armoury to both help you to find and recruit prospective Franchisees, and crucially to allow you to properly support and lead your Franchise network by growing your customer base and brand awareness.

We have teamed up with the Online Marketing Shop, a hugely well known and respected digital agency in the Franchise sector, to provide advertising solutions for our clients using search, social, display and native platforms.

As a Google AdWords Certified Partner and Facebook Solution Provider, our partner agency specialise in integrating with CRM and contact centre platforms to provide end-to-end advertising solutions.

We would love to talk with you to understand how we can help you to succeed.