Surreal Entrepreneur

It seems that in this uncertain market people cling to the idea of a franchise simply because it is a proven model. Every innovative idea is capitalized upon and the footprint is lifted then copied. One specific example of franchising that has interested me is Tupelo Honey restaurant in Asheville, NC. If you’ve had a chance to visit then you know that it is a great idea. Not only is the atmosphere of the tiny cafe perfect, but the location in downtown Asheville offers a melange of sights and sounds providing for the perfect experience. The food is amazing, mixing southern charm and quirky organic-local-grown-farm-raised-vegan-vegetarian-gluten-free ingredients. Now once the word started spreading about Tupelo’s successful equation what do you think happened? Of course, now there are 3 Tupelo Honey cafe’s (that I know of) and the number is growing.

This means that in American business, once you have created a solid business plan and moved forward with implementing it, someone will most likely want to emulate you and learn your formula for success. Well, in case the reasons aren’t clear, we’ll discuss them.

The most daunting task to becoming an entrepreneur is the great unknown, it is that mist in front that contains all of the questions, answers, risks and rewards we could ever want. Now by daunting I also mean tantalizing. Buying into a franchise destroys the unknown. You know that when you pull this franchise product out of the box, put the batteries in, it will work. People have already proven that there is a method, and by applying your energy to the method, you can succeed as well.

A franchise like McDonald’s will include training, equipment, inventory, payroll software, newsletters, phone support, internet, marketing support, along with another list of options you can add on. As you can see, someone has already done the hard work for you. McDonald’s knows that the key to their business is keeping their product the same across the board. If you didn’t know how good the burger would be from one store to the next, you most likely wouldn’t support a business as you strayed away from your town on work or vacation. This means that McD’s pushes it’s franchise owners to fit into the mold by offering them lots of help.

This could be a great place for a young entrepreneur to start. If someone was looking into learning the art of running a business, there really is only one better way to get the ground up perspective, starting your own business. But I won’t step onto the soap box as a purest and endorse the bootstrapping ways of my forefathers. Simply put, a franchise can be a great breeding ground for entrepreneurship and lead into independent ownership and management of original businesses.

It’s easy to see why there are so many Starbucks around the world, the coffee is above average, the atmosphere is comforting and modern, and it is conveniently located (two to every street corner). The same principles as discussed earlier apply. You can expect the same exact product in every store, the same decor, the same customer service, and the same experience. It is something that you can count on verses walking into a random coffee shop, paying way too much for a poor cup of coffee and waiting in line for 2 hours while staring at abstract art made from kitchen utensils and junkyard parts. Now of course you might find that one shop that is cheaper and better, but the odds aren’t in your favor, so you resort to your less risky caffeine fix. This is the rule of franchising, and this is why the franchising system works.

You should know that franchising is a strong business choice by now. Keep in mind that while gaining financial solidarity in your investment you also jeopardize innovation, creativity, independence, and higher margin for reward. Quite frankly, these are the characteristics that we all became interested in entrepreneurship to begin with.

Source: http://www.entrepreneur.com/franchises/mcdonalds/282570-0.html#