JULY 1999 ISSUE

Home Sweet Home Do You Have What It Takes to be Successful
in a Homebased Franchise?

By Reneé Ayer

A homebased or mobile franchise is a different undertaking than a franchise which is operated from a storefront, office or other location. Take into consideration such things as: How many distractions are there at home and how well are you able to manage the distractions so that they don’t detract from your business responsibilities? Even within the structure of a franchise system, the home or mobile franchisee must be a little bit more self-motivated. Unlike other types of franchises, the home or mobile franchisee most often must go out and get their business.

Yet your discovery work should go further than simply asking yourself a few questions. If you are considering investing in a franchise, there is quite a lot at stake in time and money. How can you improve your chances of making the right decision about where you fit in the business world – whether it is as an employee, a franchise owner and, in particular, whether a home-based or mobile franchise is right for you?

It is worthwhile to make an up-front investment in yourself by undergoing profiling independent of any particular business interest. One possibility, offered by Dynamic Performance Systems, Inc., is the Personal FranchiZe Profile™;. The Personal FranchiZe Profile compares your attitudes and characteristics to other successful franchisees in a variety of franchise systems and will tell you: what to look for in a franchise that is right for you; questions to ask a specific franchisor and franchisees; and provides a 33-point checklist to help you make your decision.

Dynamic’s President, Fred Berni, notes that a franchise candidate’s profile will also indicate whether that person will be happier in a mature franchise system, an evolving system, or a new system.

Getting back to that oft-misused word, entrepreneur, it is often assumed there is no place for the entrepreneurial personality in the franchise environment, however, that may not necessarily be so. An entrepreneurial person willing to work within a system may very well fit into an early-stage franchise system and/or an out-service franchise such as a mobile franchise because they tend to be aggressive sellers. Yet, “to be a successful franchisee doesn’t mean you have to have brilliant selling skills,” says Berni. “What you do need is tremendous self-motivation…and a limited interest in independence.”

More typically, however, a franchise system works out better for the intrapreneur, according to Berni. “The intrapreneur can be creative within a structure and is a self manager,” says Berni, “but they like to work within guidelines in concert with other people.” Making the investment in a profile is something that isn’t only done by the individual. Potential franchisees should gauge the selection process of franchisors. An organized selection system with a franchisee assessment tool in place is more likely to become an all-around successful venture.