FCA on franchising

According to the Franchise Council of Australia , there’s a saying in franchising circles: “Once a pickle, your days as a cucumber are over”.

The meaning is that once franchisees have been in business for themselves, they rarely slot back comfortably into a traditional workforce role. But this doesn’t mean all end up on cloud nine. Much depends on how well they match themselves to their system of choice.

If it’s dog washing you had better get on well with dogs (or have a decent medical plan). If you have a moral objection to junk food then you’re not going to feel good about selling doughnuts. If you want weekends off, stay away from real estate.

The Franchise Council of Australia suggests that if you want to enjoy your work, choose something that fits your self-image and gives you a sense of purpose, or success might prove elusive. In fact it’s not unusual to see franchisees swap systems when they discover they’re personally uncomfortable with a particular product or service.

“Success in franchised business is mostly about having a passion for what you do,” says SafetyQuip franchise principal Gary Shearer. “You can be trained and equipped to do just about anything but you have to believe it’s worthwhile or you’re going to end up miserable, unmotivated and unfulfilled – and probably blame everyone else for it.”

At its recent conference, SafetyQuip conducted a poll of franchisees and without exception, ‘pride in delivering safety’ ranked highest in terms of job satisfaction. As one might expect, financial success also ranked highly, however it was not the primary driver. Later, several franchisees said that it started out that way but that their priorities had changed as they came to understand the importance of what they deliver.

“Our customers look to us to give them guidance and assistance in keeping their staff safe,” says SafetyQuip franchisee, Eve Cook. “All want to send their employees home safely to their families. Workplace accidents take a bigger toll on individuals, families and the community than road accidents do and we’re at the leading edge of prevention. We count. Pride in your work - knowing it’s valuable - is just so important.”

The sentiment is echoed by another franchisee, Mark Bartlett:

“SafetyQuip provides me with a feeling of helping small to medium-sized business that the monoliths tend to ignore – when I finish each day, I know I have made a difference,” he says.

Read more on buying a franchise and running a franchise.