Searching for Opportunities in Times of Obstacles
Sir Winston Churchill once said that, “a pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” Despite the misfortune that the business world has experienced this past year, many are finding opportunities to build their business in this downward economy.
At Five Star we work hard with our franchisees to help them bootstrap their operations and keep costs under control. Critical to this success is the use of technology to help owners zero in on the most cost effective spend for their marketing dollars. Information systems are becoming more and more critical to any business to be able to monitor and create key performance indicators (KPI’s) regularly. Every business has these leading indicators (call volume for the painting industry) and lagging indicators (gross revenue for the month). Make sure that when you make the decision to pursue a business opportunity you have the support necessary to start your business on a good foundation. Here is an example of a key performance indicator graph.
Buying a franchise is really forming a partnership. It is a two-way relationship where both parties bring important tools and skill sets to the table. Make sure that the partner you are going to work with is able to provide you with some of the important skill sets and tools that you need to improve your ability to take advantage of what will likely be one of the biggest opportunities in our lifetime.
Franchise companies are finding ways to fix problems by being more cost efficient, improving communication with franchisees, and launching new concepts. Integrated software is a useful concept to help your franchise grow. Most franchisors take advantage of this to manage their sales, customer service, and operational-business processes. Many franchises have to reconsider new approaches, but a tight budget shouldn’t be the reason to delete market research from your company’s planning. Technology makes marketing research costs manageable. Five Star Painting uses their own software system that benefits not only the franchisee, but the customer as well. It allows the customers to have detailed estimates that save time and money.
The franchising process hinges mostly on teamwork. This involves the corporate staff who works closely with franchisees that take pride in delivering great customer service, quality, and support. Employees are searching for opportunities to learn, grow, and perform at the highest level. Cross-training and increased exposure to new tasks and functions is one of the best ways to maximize employee potential and productivity.
























