Topfranchise Award Winners

For most people looking at buying franchises for sale, Brand is King. For existing franchisees brand remains an important element and the winners of this award have been rated highly in a number of areas by their franchisees. It is worthwhile keeping in mind that a strong brand helps when you are starting out as a franchisee. The public already know the name and if care has been taken to be consistent in advertising and marketing, the public will have a very clear picture about what you will offer and what makes the brand different to other offers.

A strong brand will not only help in converting potential customers to buying from you as a franchisee, but will also be effective in driving sales to your business whether that is through advertising or through a strong and well thought out website.

If you are looking at various franchises for sale ask about the pulling power of their brand.

When looking at franchises for sale, you need to think both about the short-term and long-term potential success of a franchise business. Much of that success will be tied to the ability to adapt to changing situations.

The Innovation award is based on the level of innovation a franchise business shows towards products, services, and business systems in the eyes of their franchisees.

The challenges of covid have created an environment which encourages and rewards innovation. The franchise businesses who have excelled in our Topfranchise innovation awards top 10 have adapted, survived and thrived, building new revenue streams, meeting consumer demand and driving efficiencies for their franchisees.

When considering franchise opportunities look to see if the franchise's products or services have stayed up to date with the times. Also ask the franchisor how they have innovated behind the scenes. All this is critical, because the franchise business you buy into today will have a far greater chance of being strong in the future if it continues to innovate to meet changing times.

The lifestyle category looks at how positively franchisees perceive the balance between their work and home lives as an indicator of their satisfaction with their choice of franchise. Franchise companies who cater for a good lifestyle according to their franchisees create an environment and an efficient operating system where a good work life balance is very achievable.

When reviewing franchise opportunities it is important to consider the lifestyle that you want to have and to select a model that fits your expectations. When you are doing your due diligence ask the franchisor and existing franchisees about the time you need to put in to achieve your goals. Also ask the franchisor about how they have engineered the business to be as simple and streamlined to operate as possible, such that you will be efficient in the hours you spend in the business.

When considering franchise opportunities if you are weighing up the number of hours you will need to work also consider your family and friends in your support network and what affect the hours you put in will have upon them and your relationships with them. If you create the right expectations with family and friends from the start they are more likely to be understanding and supportive if you need to put in a few extra hours every now and then.

When looking at franchises for sale, one of the most important considerations is the strength of the franchises marketing. In a franchise marketing is not just the responsibility of the franchisor but a collective effort. This marketing award combines elements that look at the strength of the marketing strategy; how well franchisors understand the consumer; how well campaigns are explained and tracked; and the guidance and support you will get in implementing your own campaigns as a franchisee on a local level with your target audience.

When you are looking at franchises for sale, ask the franchisor and existing franchisees about the research they have done of the end consumer, and the training and support you will get to be able to take the great marketing ideas of the franchisor and turn them into a reality.

Be passionate. When you are looking at franchise opportunities it is important to be able to get passionate about what you will be doing, as for most franchise opportunities your involvement with the franchise will take up the majority of your waking hours during the week. When it comes to running your own business, being passionate about the brand, customers, service or product is essential.

Luckily when it comes to being passionate most franchisees across the industry have passion in bucket loads. In the tightly contested category of passion, when it comes to being passionate and the category of passion we asked questions in relation to franchisees' passion about their customers, and the products they are selling or the services they are offering.

One of the other elements in Passion is how your business will look to family and friends. Consider how the franchise' s business model and branding is presented and how well other franchisees represent the brand, this is an important element as when you step into a franchise and own a business which is highly visible you will quickly want to be proud of your business and happy to tell friends of the career choice you have made.

Franchise companies who perform well in this area will most certainly have a culture of caring for the customers' needs. Passion is contagious and starts with the franchisor being passionate about their products and services, and this passion filters through to the franchisee. The franchisee then needs to pass this passion on to the end customer. If the franchisee feels passionate about their customers, products and/or services, this is a good indicator that the franchise company successfully communicates a positive vision about the company' s brand internally and externally.

To see if you can get passionate about the customer experience, take yourself mystery shopping and go through the experience yourself.

The support category looks at how effectively franchisors support the franchisees who represent their brand to the public with a range of support networks including training, assistance in setting up, availability of expert help and maintenance of a network amongst franchisees. Franchise companies that have a solid support network for their franchisees create a strong safety net for the people taking their product to the public.

When reviewing franchise opportunities it is important to consider the support network you feel you will require, and to select a model that fulfils your needs. When you are doing your due diligence ask the franchisor and existing franchisees about the support provided both in the start-up period, and once you are an established franchisee.

When considering franchise opportunities it is important to take into consideration how much training and support you believe you will need. Be honest about your current capabilities, and honest about your assessment of what help you feel you will need.