Getting a head-start: Initial training for your franchise business opportunities

James Child | Managing Director | Wet-seal 

When investigating your franchise business opportunities, it is important to find out what training programs are in place because it will familiarise you with the systems and business processes of the particular franchise system. We caught up with James Child, Managing Director of Wet-seal, professionals in waterproofing and underfloor heating solutions to discuss the importance of initial training.

Training Programs are important for the success of franchise businesses

For anybody thinking about entering a particular area of franchising that they have no industry experience in, getting the right information on how the training programs will prepare you is extremely important.

Taking a wider perspective, as a franchisee you will be up against other competitors - independent businesses as well as franchised business - that have been in the industry for years. Having the right training to bring you up to speed is instrumental for the long-term success of your franchise business.

One of the big strengths of franchising is the industry-specific training franchisees receive when purchasing a franchise. In the Wet-seal franchise, having our franchisees go through detailed and comprehensive training is of chief importance, because without it they would not have the skills and competency levels required for the job involving technical competences of waterproofing. It has become clear to us that the training programs made available by franchisors are an important research tool for franchisees when evaluating franchise business opportunities.

"The depth and consistency of training programs provided by a franchisor gives a fair indication of the level of support you will receive as a franchisee. " 

Use training programs as a sign of the support you'll receive for your franchise business

The depth and consistency of training programs provided by a franchisor gives a fair indication of the level of support you will receive as a franchisee. The frequency of training events and the level of training feedback are good ways of benchmarking whether or not the franchisor will provide ongoing support especially in the area of up-skilling not only yourself as a franchise business owner, but also your employees.

The Wet-seal franchise system operates in a trades and services environment as opposed to a retail or mobile format like many other franchise systems. For this reason, we are constantly updating the extensive practical skills needed for our franchisees to succeed in their franchise business, because the quality of franchisees work will weigh heavily on whether they get ongoing business from the builders and architects they work with. Further we have customised our training programs to satisfy the different building code regulations in every state in Australia. We also train our franchisees through all areas of business management such as human resource, administration, cash flow and invoicing. We have a partnership with TAFE who provides courses in business management and plan reading at our on-site training facility.

Because first impressions last, the Wet-seal franchise believes that the initial training provided by the franchisor to the franchisee sets the standard for the relationship between the two parties. By setting the highest standards in our training programs we allow our franchisees to gain the greatest benefits from our systems.

Areas to look for in a training program within franchise business opportunities

When investigating any franchise, ask yourself how well the training program offered will prepare you to run the business successfully. What areas should a solid training program cover? Ideally, areas such as product knowledge, customer service, complying with local government regulations, bookkeeping and accounting practices and managing staff and sourcing supplies should be covered as they are important for running a successful franchise business.

There are an array of factors involved in the start-up and operation of a new franchise business and they should be addressed by a good training program. By asking existing franchisees their thoughts on the training programs offered by their system, you will be given a good idea of whether the franchisor has training at the forefront of their businesses or not.