Would you rather be an entrepreneur or an employee? Why franchising isn’t just buying a job

Becoming a franchisee gives people the chance to own a business in which they are invested and passionate – a stark contrast to working for someone and not reaping the rewards for all your hard work

For those outside of franchising, it’s a common notion that becoming a franchisee is essentially just paying for a job. However, this simply isn’t true. Becoming a franchisee gives people the chance to own a business in which they are invested and passionate – a stark contrast to working for someone and not reaping the rewards for all your hard work. Alistair Glaze, chairman of Business Partnership, believes that franchising can benefit people looking for work in 2021 and gives his advice on why franchising is not just buying a job.

With the most recent survey results from ‘Investors in People’ showing people at work are 10 per cent more unhappy in their jobs since the previous survey in 2015, it’s clear that franchising and all the benefits that come with it could be the answer to many people’s problems. Having a job often makes it difficult for people to realise their true potential and can lead to people becoming stagnant due to the lack of career progression. In turn, this leads to unhappiness at work. However, franchising provides you with job security, a flexible work-life balance and access to training materials that help you improve professionally. So, here are my three top reasons why franchising is not just buying a job:

1. You can be your own boss
When you buy a franchise, you’re essentially tasked with running a branch of an existing company, managing every aspect of its daily operations yourself. You’ll get many of the benefits of becoming your own boss, as well as the use of proven strategies and ongoing business support from the franchisor.

For many, becoming a franchisee is an appealing proposition compared to becoming an employee because it essentially allows them to take back control of the direction that their life is heading in. What exactly do I mean by this? Well, as soon as you’re a franchisee, you decide how you’d like to work. And as long as you still meet the agreed standards set by the franchisor, the day-to-day operations are very much in your hands. For example, instead of working a nine-to-five, Monday to Friday, you can now decide your own hours. When you own a franchise, even if you have a job within your business, you still get to choose when you work, how you work, and how much time you put into it. Want to play golf on Tuesdays and Thursdays and start working around noon? Your call.

Another benefit of being your own boss is that the more you put in, the more you get out, which will feel far more rewarding and empowering to most. If we are being honest, we have all felt like we are not being credited enough for the hard work we put in whilst working for someone else, right? With a franchise, you are self-employed, so any effort you put into running your own business will impact you directly rather than benefiting someone else.

2. You can scale up a franchise but not a job
The harsh reality is when you’re an employee your wage is all you get, despite how skilled or experienced you are. So, even if you master your job and want to create more income for yourself, all you can do is ask for a raise or take a job at a different company that pays better. However, getting either of these things is far easier said than done.

Becoming a franchisee gives you the option to become a multi-unit owner and really scale up your business and, therefore, your income. This is where a franchisee owns more than one franchise outlet. Most franchisors encourage this because if you’re successful in mastering the operations of one location, you are very likely to succeed in replicating this success again and again. Picture this: your franchise business is thriving. You’ve fulfilled your dream of owning a successful business and you’re proud to be making a difference in your local community. Now, you’re ready to take the next step and scale up your income and business. Being an employee doesn’t give you this option.

Becoming a franchisee does. And even if you’re working 40-plus hours per week to run your franchise, you can always hire someone to take on some of your responsibilities to free up your time to open additional franchises.

3. You will feel valued and supported
Another common motivation for people wanting to become a franchisee is that they don’t feel fulfilled in their current job. People could be unhappy at work for several reasons. It could be that they don’t like their boss, they could feel unmotivated and bored, they could feel undervalued, or they might feel like they should be doing something more meaningful. And with a survey from Totaljobs finding that 89 per cent of workers in the UK are looking for a new job in 2021, it is clear to see people’s discontent in their current jobs. Becoming a franchisee is an excellent solution to feeling discontent at work because it gives people the chance to own a business they are invested in and passionate about. Although franchisees do have to follow the franchisor’s systems, it is their business to drive forward.

Another concern for employees is the lack of training and career progression on offer, which often leads to people feeling stagnant. The lack of professional development for employees is shown by the same survey from Totaljobs, which shows that only 1 in 10 employees received training from their employer in 2020. This is a stark contrast to franchising, where franchisors offer their franchisees training and support programmes to educate them on how to run their business successfully. These skills are transferable and are tried-and-tested training techniques that are essential to any job, not just franchising.

The author
Alistair Glaze is chairman of Business Partnership. With over 20 years of experience helping businesses sell quickly at maximum value, Alistair understands the practical and personal issues involved in selling a business, and Business Partnership provides a personal, professional and confidential service to buyers and sellers alike.