Is a franchise worth it?

So, you’ve decided you want to give the office politics and the commute the flick, and work for yourself. Congrats! That’s a huge decision, and it takes guts to make, especially if you’ve never owned your own business before.

Speaking of never having owned your own business before… your probably now busy researching how you get your own business started. You’re probably weighing up starting from scratch yourself, with the option of a franchise.

And no doubt, the question, is a franchise worth it… is on your mind.

So let’s answer it!

Let’s talk about costs first. Typically, it costs anywhere between $20,000 and $60,000 to buy a cleaning or lawn mowing franchise. This may or may not include your equipment, and what is included for your purchase can vary significant across different franchise networks. So make sure you do your homework on the cost, and what it includes.

But what does it cost to start a business with the James Home Services network? We recognise that $20 – $60K is A LOT of money. And most people don’t have that kind of cash just laying around. So, we offer a subscription model instead. You pay just $1,000 + GST upfront, and then from just $100 per week + GST for say a cleaning franchise; and if you need equipment, we can provide that and your subscription fee increases slightly to $125 + GST per week.

So now you know what it costs… is it really worth it?

We could write a 20-page book on why buying a franchise is a really smart way to accelerate your business start-up, and minimise the headaches you’ll experience along the way… but we know you don’t have time for that… so here’s our top 10 reasons why a franchise is totally worth it, especially our super affordable subscription offer:

1. Not sure how to register for an ABN or a business name, or whether you need to register for GST? We help!
2. We provide a brand, and all your marketing assets and stationary.
3. We have a national website, that your business will be featured on. We also operate a national call centre so customers can get in touch with you easily.
4. We’ve done all the hard work in knowing and sourcing all the equipment you’ll need in your business… and we only provide the best quality that helps you get the job done quicker!
5. We provide powerful software to run your business, and full training in how to use it.
6. We train you fully in both doing the job, as well as business management. And you can call your trainers at any time after training for more advice and guidance, or for help on a particular scenario.
7. Not sure what to quote for a job? We train you in that to! And we have specialised tools that identify your profit goals, and work backward to determine what you need to charge to pay your business expenses and ensure your also making a profit.
8. We find customers for you! And we also provide endless training and resources so that you are also empowered to find your business customers and grow it.
9. We run marketing campaigns in your area, specifically to promote your business.
10. Any questions you have… from being compliant with legislation to how to work through a challenging customer situation… you have your own business coach who you can call anytime for guidance and advice and who will roll up their sleeves with you to help you grow your business.

So, there’s our top 10 reasons why a franchise is totally worth it! Going it alone can be a hard slog, particularly if this is your first time. Being part of a franchise network means you’re never on your own, and there’s always multiple people you can reach out to for very practical and hands on help in your business.

And finally, here’s another visual summary of what you can expect from a franchise network, vs going it alone.