We all probably know someone who can be described as a “control freak”. Control freaks are typically people who need to manage every part of what is going on around them. For example, a parent who wants to know if a child has finished their assigned homework is not a control freak. However, a parent going over their child’s homework, checking all the answers, rewriting answers that he/she thinks that the child didn’t do right, then organizing the child’s backpack so that their child can find everything, now that is a control freak.
What is a Control Freak?
As a business owner, chances are you may have been labeled a control freak at some point while running your business, especially when you first started your business. This is usually because new business owners are so caught up in their business that others may perceive that they come across as control freaks (remember what it was like when you first started your business). And this is not necessarily a bad thing! Usually it is your passion that might be mistaken as a bit controlling. However, if you are like most business owners, as you gained more momentum and experience in the marketplace your desire to have your hand in everything diminishes and instead is replaced with a strong desire to grow. If you are passionate about your business, want to maintain some level of control so there is consistency, and, at the same time, want to grow, then franchising may be for you! So how do you know where you fall on the control freak spectrum and how does this help determine if franchising makes sense for you (learn why business owners franchise out their business)? Let’s go into this a bit further.
You Need to Control Consistency and Quality
When you want to grow, expanding usually means duplicating your business. Regardless of how you grow, maintaining consistency and quality in the execution of your services and/or products is usually a number one priority (check out our frequently asked questions to learn more about how franchising helps you maintain consistency). After all, these characteristics are some of the qualities that have made your business successful. And this type of passion about your business is important when franchising, because you are going to want each franchise location to operate the same way that you do.
Once you take the leap into franchising and become a franchisor, you now take on the role of a teacher and mentor, packaging everything you have learned into an easy-to-follow (fool-proof) business model. Your hands-on control freak days lessen and now your focus becomes more about teaching others how to follow your magic formula of success (more on your role as a franchisor). So your control freak tendencies still need to be there it is just the focus that changes while in growth mode. These are the type of control freak characteristics we like to see if you are thinking about franchising your business.
On the flip side, if you say, “I have to do everything all by myself, because no one else can do it the way I do it,” then this level of control falls at the opposite end of the growth spectrum. If this sounds like you, most likely you will have difficulty growing your business through franchising simply because your grip is too tight around daily operations. These are the type of control freak characteristics we do NOT want when franchising. If this is you, it is best that you continue to run your own company-owned locations rather than franchising out your business (read some additional information to help you determine if you should franchise your business).
You Can Maintain Control and Franchise
As you are thinking about franchising your business, we encourage you ask yourself how much control you really want. Do the following statements sound familiar:
“Yep, I have it all figured out. I can teach someone how to run this business, EASY!”
“I really need to think about the future. It’s time for me to show other people how to do what I am doing before someone tries to copy my concept!” (see this article on how franchising can help you stay ahead of your competition.)
“I have been working at it hard. I need to back off and let others do it. I really want to grow my brand and can easily teach someone my business!”
If you answered, “YES! This sounds like me!” to any of the above statements, then you may want to consider franchising your business as a method of growth while maintaining an element of control. Call us directly at 1-877-615-5177 and we can help you determine if franchising is really right for you, putting to good use your control freak characteristics!
- Things to Consider When Starting to Franchise
- Franchising is for Big Picture Thinkers
- Franchising a Restaurant
- Can You be a Franchisor
- Benefits of Franchising
- How to Franchise
- About The Franchise Maker
- Thinking About Starting a Restaurant Chain
