Passion and attitude: do you have both in spades? Because when any franchisor is asked what he or she looks for in a franchisee, these two attributes come top of mind every time. Add in some business skills and that’s a dream package. Of course you might need technical skills for certain roles, and that’s where training comes into play. But whether franchisors are seeking operators with existing knowledge and experience in their field of business or individuals changing careers and in need of technical assistance, they are all searching for the traits that cannot be learned.

The importance of a passion for what you do as a franchisee cannot be overstated: how else will you motivate yourself and enjoy the challenge of running your own business if you don’t love it? It doesn’t matter what the passion is for – it could be customer service, solving problems, working with children, repairing vehicles, being your own boss – what counts is having the desire to turn up every day and do the job.

And attitude goes hand in hand with passion – how will you face the tough times if you don’t have a positive approach and a willingness to go to any lengths to fix problems and make your business work? A great attitude builds and boosts relationships with customers, staff, the franchisor and other franchisees in the network.

Gavin Culmsee, general manager at Bedshed, highlights aspects he believes are essential for franchisee success:

Although franchisees are a diverse bunch from a variety of different backgrounds, there are three qualities most successful franchisees regularly share.

Franchisees need to be driven by a clear sense of purpose and passion in order to achieve success. A belief for the company’s specific mission is the vital first step to a franchise succeeding. The second step is having the drive to build the business and achieve an end result.

Starting a franchise will never be easy, there will almost certainly be long hours and hard work. Without a passion for the business the prospect of succeeding may not be enough, franchisees need to be driven by something intrinsic.

A franchisee needs to be enthusiastic and resilient, even when it seems hard. This attitude will encourage staff to act in a similar manner as they will find you approachable and be willing to work hard for the business.

The right attitude will help franchisees to deal with not only staff, but also managing customer and other business relationships. Loyalty and trust are important characteristics which make these relation-ships last.

There are a number of skills that contribute to success, however two main areas not yet touched on here are time management and decision-making.

To run a successful franchise, a franchisee must demonstrate a strong sense of organisation and structure. This includes knowing when to prioritise tasks and when to delegate work. No skill is more important than being a practical problem solver. This is something that cannot be learned from a book, it has to be learned through experience, common sense and accumulated knowledge.