I would tend to agree with Mark Cuban, who says that some of the worst advice out there is to follow your passion as a career. After all, there are lots of people who love coffee and think the next logical step is to open a coffee house. But rarely does that person realize real mechanics of running this kind of business. In our last post, we highlighted a few of the benefits of partnership when considering opening a new store. These partnerships tend to lean strongly towards less risk and higher reward. Today we’ll look at a couple more reasons why franchising may be a good option for the business minded enthusiast who wants a solid chance at success.

Franchising is really about aligning your interests with a proven model. Yes, there is cost in terms of fees that you wouldn’t normally have with an independent store. But, there may be more cost in both time and money while trying to strike out and learn the ropes while trying to run a profitable company. One of the ways that you are evaluate a strong franchise owner is to evaluate how much time and effort they put into the success of their franchisees. This comes in the form of training, documentations and basically working out most of the trouble spots that any new store might face.

To add to what we talked about earlier, here are a few more considerations in weighing the options to go independent or to become a franchise.

1. Day to day support structures. Know what you want and knowing how to get there are two different things. Support structures for franchise locations come in the form of very detailed “how to’s”, complete manuals, hands on training, and constant access to experts. It’s the different between living on an island and working with a team.
2. Protected locations. One of the strengths of franchising is being able to secure a geographical location that is protected for you. Once you decide on the strongest brand you can find, you no longer have to worry about someone else from that brand setting up shop next to you. Locations are determined not only by geographical area, but also by population density, so there are many considerations that are in place to ensure your success.
3. Proprietary Network. Access to other owners like yourself gives deeper perspectives on your business. Its invaluable to have access to the franchisor and the training, but having access to others who are working as your peers is significant. Asking questions, discussing problem situations and sharing wins is healthy and can help your business grown quicker and with less stress.
4. Your Success as Priority. Isolation is a terrible thing, especially in business. Success in running a coffee house requires bragging customers, great ideas and momentum. Having a franchisor that is constantly strategizing for your success could mean the difference between keeping your doors open or closing down. Can you imagine how expensive it would be to not only run your new store, but to have to hire marketing teams, administrative teams, PR teams, etc? With a franchisor on your site, you have these types of systems built in for you.

Opening an independent coffee shop may work for some, but evaluating the pros and cons of franchising is a wise part of the process that may be the solution for longevity in this business.

Have you ever spoken to a franchise owner to see how they work with their franchisees?