“Support”: What does it mean? What does it look like?

“We provide great support”.

“We provide ongoing training and support”.

“Joining a franchise network, guarantees you the support you need”.

“The biggest benefit of a franchise network is the support”.

I bet if you had a dollar for every time, you’ve heard one of these phrases, then you’d probably have enough money in the bank to retire on, and you definitely wouldn’t need to start your own business to provide for your family.

So, let’s cut the talk.

In this article, we’re going to do a deep dive on what ‘support’ means in our network, and exactly what a business owner can expect from us, so you can make up your own mind.

So, what is ‘support’?

In a franchise network, one of the most significant advantages for business owners is the support offered from the Franchisor. In our network this support covers a variety of things including one-on-one business coaching, tools, articles and resources to help and guide you in operating your business, we stay on top of legislation changes and keep you updated when something changes that impacts you. We organise group events, ongoing training and social occasions, we help you and your business stay compliant with the legal expectations on business owners and we are entirely available to you for just about any question or query you may have… and if we don’t know the answer, we’ll go away and find it for you.

What support is NOT.

This is just as important to get your head around. Our support is not us doing it for you. We don’t run your business for you. We don’t do your admin. We aren’t your bookkeeper, or your accountant, or your only source of leads. It’s your business. The reason so many choose to own their own business is the control, if we did it all for you, then you’re not in control. We will guide you, inform you, teach and show you, step through new things with you, and remind you. But we don’t do it for you because we want you to stay in control of your business.

So now you’ve got a little bit of a picture of what support is, and what it’s not, I want to demonstrate, very practically, what you can expect during the different stages of your business with James.

 

Business Set Up

Maybe one of the reasons you’re considering joining a franchise network is because the thought of this phase alone is daunting enough. Do you need to register your business name, do you need to be registered for GST? Do you need to be First Aid qualified? What is GBP?

Our ‘New Business Set Up’ process has almost 100 individual tasks that must be completed to take your business from ‘idea’ to ‘reality’; before you can start trading! Most of these tasks, we complete for you. But there are some that we can’t do on your behalf, so we support you in understanding what you must do, when, and how to do it. We step you through anything you’re finding tricky, and we ensure you and your business are compliant with legislation from day one. We’ve got this process down to a fine art, and our support means we guide you through it as smoothly and quickly as possible, so you can get started faster!

 

Training

Before you can start trading, you will complete two training weeks. In the first week, we’ll train you in how to ‘run your business’, and in the second week, you’ll be trained by one of our existing business owners, in their own business, in how to ‘do the job’. This hands-on training is practical and will have you feeling like a pro in your industry in no time.

During your training weeks, we continue to work behind the scenes to complete your business set-up, and to work through any tasks we still need you to complete with you. We also start to guide you on what activities you can start doing in anticipation of your first trading week, so you’re hitting the ground as fast as you can as soon as you can. You can expect calls from your Business Coach and the Franchisee Support Coordinator. There will be lots to do, but these calls are also a ‘check-in’… how are you feeling? There’s a lot of information to absorb in your training weeks, but we don’t want you to feel overwhelmed by it. There’s nothing we can’t circle back to and refresh you on if you forget it.

In your training weeks you’ll also begin to receive emails regularly that we call our ‘new franchisee email journey’. These emails are short and sharp, but include super practical hints and tips, real examples from other business owners in our network, reminders of what tasks to be working on that day, as well as tips to manage any stress you’re feeling and keep your mental health in balance.

 

Initial Trading Weeks

This is take off!

We will meet face-to-face (in person or online) AT LEAST once per week, maybe more.

In between those ongoing training sessions each week, we’ll likely talk daily!

We’ll problem solve with you. Remind you of the things to focus on. We’ll work through your real scenarios and help you to figure out the best way to navigate them.

We’ll be your loudest cheerleader when you have a win, and your most pragmatic supporter when things don’t go your way.

We’ll help you with quoting. With tips for time management. With your marketing. With your communication techniques with customers to help you secure more work… and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

We also spend a lot of time understanding what’s driving you, to own your own business… and the reason for this comes a little later.

These weeks are intense support… the best way to describe what we do… ‘we’ve got you’. Whatever you need, we’ve got you!

 

Months 2-6

If you’re following our system, your Eight Steps Training and Jo’s Four C’s… then months 2-6 is all about building, and consolidation of all your efforts in those initial months.

We will continue to meet weekly for ongoing training and talk regularly throughout the weeks.

But it’s here that our support changes gear a little… by now, you’ll likely have the basics nailed. So, our conversations will take on a slightly different emphasis… now it will be focused on getting your business to the point you want it.

This will depend on your financial goals, your lifestyle goals, your family commitments, and other priorities. This is where our genuine understanding of what drives you and why you started your own business, really makes a difference. A business owner with goals related purely to financial success, will be coached by us very differently, to a business owner who wants to prioritise time with family and a healthy work life balance.

We do a lot of work to understand your business expenses, as well as what you need to earn to support yourself or your family, so that we can work backward and design a pathway to your goals that is wholly relevant to your situation and is sustainable.

We have a lot of ‘tools’ we use to determine how much you need to be making each year, each week, each hour to meet your goals.

We have tools that help you to see at what point your business can sustain staff, and what that will cost.

We have tools to help you define your ideal customer, and where you should be increasing your prices to maximise your profitability.

We have tools to help you with your cashflow.

We also do a lot of work to determine what barriers are standing in your way and come up with a plan to break them up, or take an alternative route around them, so you can still achieve your goals.

Our support isn’t just a ‘check-in’ call every now and then. We really roll our sleeves up to help you get to your goals.

 

Months 6 +

Our support continues to be strategically focused on your goals.

Depending on how you’re feeling we may choose with you, to move our ongoing training/coaching sessions to fortnightly or monthly. Our sessions will probably focus on any challenges you’re having and working on solutions to overcome them.

We will still maintain regular contact via phone calls, emails, and text messages – but we’ll probably change pace and work in with your schedule, and if you prefer a few quick texts every now and then, then that’s what we’ll do.

Once a year, we have a Business Health Checklist that we’ll review with you to ensure your business is maintaining compliance with the legal expectations of small business owners, and to holistically assess how you’re tracking.

Generally, at this point you’ve either reached a happy capacity and are in a ‘maintain’ stage where contact isn’t needed quite so regularly, or you might be gearing up to employ more staff or start to chase larger contract work – in which case, our support would change gears with you and help you plan for and consolidate on the growth you want in your business.

Phew! That was a lot of information. If you’ve made it this far, then I sincerely hope that’s been a helpful demonstration of what ‘support’ in our network looks like. I think the mark of any good franchise network is that they can walk the walk when it comes to support. Otherwise, it just becomes nothing more than a convenient sales slogan.

I hope your takeout from this article, is that our support is anything but vanilla.

We really do roll up our sleeves. We really do care about you, and the outcomes you want out of your business.