Transitioning from seasoned businessperson to franchise owner is often a natural evolution; a strategic leap that is more substantial than a mere professional pivot. Franchise ownership is an opportunity to leverage a career’s worth of knowledge, passion, and personal drive to build one’s own thriving business.
Many successful professionals dream of owning their own business. And that just makes sense. After years of flexing their business acumen working on someone else’s payroll, these seasoned professionals have learned a thing or two about not just their own job, but also have honed a level of expertise in navigating the business sector at large. However, even the most illustrious professional careers don’t teach the art of building a business. So while many would-be business owners are at a point in their journeys where they are yearning to hang their own shingle, they simply don’t have the knowledge base, nor frankly the desire, to reinvent the entrepreneurial wheel. And they have a point, as the prospect of figuring out the nuances and necessities of launching a new business can be nothing short of overwhelming.
This is why so many professionals who are ready to transition into business ownership decide to purchase a franchise. Franchising provides an established system and proven success model, so new franchise owners are not left to build their businesses from scratch. And this makes a huge difference. Embarking on a business opportunity devoid of guesswork is both reassuring and thrilling for those transitioning from a professional position to the dynamic role of a franchise owner.
Visualize owning your own business without needing to worry about the infrastructure involved in building it from the ground up. From day one, you have a proven accounting process. A proven lead generation process. A proven marketing process. A franchise provides you access to a multitude of established systems and a team of people there to ensure your success. Imagine if everyone from your former job were on hand solely to see you win.
“Purchasing a TAB franchise allowed me to easily expand my marketing consulting services to business coaching and consulting. It gave me a proven system and processes to grow and run my business. And being part of a community of like-minded business owners supports me on my journey. The TAB community has exceeded my expectations.” ~ John Mousseau, Owner of TAB Jersey Shore North
Transferable Skills That Make You an Ideal Franchisee
Everyone enters franchise ownership with their own unique sets of skills, experiences, and successes. While many franchisees come from sales backgrounds, others enjoyed careers in consultative, operations and executive roles.
Regardless of industry or job title, high-achieving franchisees often share some common traits and talents acquired from their successful former careers which help them seamlessly transition into business ownership. Here are six top transferable skills from business professional to franchise owner.
1. Leadership Skills
Having leadership experience is a big plus when embarking on franchise ownership. While a franchise system provides organizational foundation, the heartbeat of your new franchise business is your ability to lead, connect, and inspire those around you.
2. Strong Communicator
You didn’t achieve all your career accolades by sitting in a corner and keeping to yourself. When you talk, people listen and are moved to take action. Likely, a lot of your career success was dependent on your ability to communicate and connect with your team, your leadership, and your customers. Being a strong, transparent communicator is a universal skill that will help propel you as a franchise owner.
3. Agility & Adaptability
As a business professional, you likely had to pivot your attention depending on organizational or customer needs. Your ability to do so was likely one key to your success. As a new franchise owner, your initial ability to adopt the franchise model and then introduce new products or services is essential to your success. Your willingness to adapt to and implement new processes will help keep your business buzzing.
“I started out working for companies like IBM and General Motors and spent years in the corporate and executive world. And to be honest, I learned a lot about how not to do things! When I subsequently decided I wanted to own my own business, I leveraged all that knowledge into my new role of franchise owner.” ~Blair Koch, Owner of TAB Denver West
4. Financial Acumen
While you may not have come from a career in the financial sector, you likely dealt with budgets, cost-saving strategies, and other financial matters in your former career. While most franchise systems include very strong financial infrastructure, understanding concepts like cash flow, budgets, and profitability will enhance your capacity to make decisions in your new business.
5. Customer Relationships
Particularly if you come from a sales or customer service background, your ability to connect and maintain strong relationships with your customer base was likely the one of the cornerstones of your accomplishments. While franchises provide all the foundation and processes needed for success, your interpersonal skills and ability to foster customer loyalty is an invaluable personal asset.
6. Smart Time Management
In your successful career, you likely conquered the art of efficient time management. You met deadlines, turned in deliverables, and set meetings in a timely fashion. Your ability to transfer those time management skills to franchise ownership will empower you to navigate your new diverse responsibilities, and not let tasks and activities fall between the cracks. Time management skills are essential to maximizing your productivity and achieving even the loftiest goals you set for yourself and your franchise business.
The exciting transition from business professional to franchise owner is truly a culmination of all your years of professional experience and success. With a franchise, you have all the systems and processes in place that you need to succeed. Couple that with your history of performance and excellence. Now that is a winning formula for success.