Among the questions I get most often as a franchise consultant are “What should I expect during the first year?” and “How tough it is to get the business started?” and “How long before owning this business becomes less work and more reward?”
Over the years, I’ve answered those questions as honestly and directly as I can, discussing common experiences, expected challenges, and the shared milestones when most new franchisees realize that yes, this was a good idea and it’s going to be successful.
But this past year, I’ve been going through something at home that’s offered up an unlikely but surprisingly fitting comparison—one most potential franchisees can instantly relate to and use for context on their journey.
That comparison came to me in the form of a big, fluffy-white, sleepy-eyed bundle of trouble named Sir Wellington—Wells for short. I’m still not sure how it happened—how I got overruled in my own home and became part owner of a big, shedding, chewing, slobbering, couch-hogging puppy who arrived with no manners whatsoever and basically took over our lives.
I’m also not sure how he brought so much new energy, frequent laughter, and unexpectedly wonderful moments of family bonding to our home, but that happened too.
Some days Wells is a menace, tracking mud in the house, sitting in my favorite chair, howling while I’m trying to sleep. Other days he’s basically a furry angel, making my wife and I laugh til we cry, enticing my teenagers to come out of their rooms and join the family, getting all of us to take extra walks and spend more time outdoors, and making whoever he chooses to snuggle up to in the evenings feel like they’ve won a blue ribbon for likeability.
One thing I know for sure is that over the past year, as life with the puppy has gotten easier, I’ve realized that raising one has a lot in common with starting a franchise. More and more I’m finding myself using puppy-story shorthand to answer those questions about what to expect the first 12-18 months in the new business.
Not convinced? Consider these similarities:
It’s a giant commitment.
When you bring home a new dog, you’re making a heck of a commitment. Wells is a living, breathing, vulnerable creature, and my family has basically sworn an unbreakable vow to nurture, protect, and care for him all his life. Bringing him home was a decision we all agreed on, and not one we made lightly.
Even though a franchise investment doesn’t have a beating heart, it is a big and consequential decision. It means tying a piece of your future to the future of a business and then striving to make it successful and profitable. Most franchisees are eager to take on this commitment because they’ve wanted to be entrepreneurs for years—or even for decades.
Just like adopting a dog, buying into a franchise is both a responsibility and a privilege for the long term.
The first 12-18 months are the toughest (but you will be rewarded for your efforts).
A neighbor looked at my puppy and shook his head, saying, “Looks like as much work as a baby to me.” The comparison would be true—if babies were teenagers by the end of their first year and full-fledged adults at 18 months or so. Puppies mature quickly, and so the effort you put in during the first year is disproportionately important over the lifetime of the dog. I suspect we have told Wells “No” a collective 1000 times. I’ve nudged him out of my primo Dad-only spot on the couch more times than I can count. We’ve house-trained, crate-trained, and obedience trained to the point of exhaustion. But guess what? The puppy who came to us as basically a greedy little fur monster who didn’t know a thing about living in a house is now house-trained, crate-trained, and at least well on his way to being obedience-trained. To be honest, the family has learned quite a bit, too—especially about consistency and teamwork.
All that up-front work? Totally worth it now that we’re seeing the results.
Similarly, no matter how you approach your franchise investment, there’s up-front work involved in getting it up and running that simply can’t be avoided. You can make it easier on yourself by partnering with a great franchisor, planning ahead, and hiring capable employees, but it’s inevitable that you and your entire team will be on a learning curve during your first 12-18 months. Consider that time and labor an investment in having a business that runs smoothly and profitably for the long haul. Once you’re past the “training” stage, life as a franchisee will get easier.
Structure is the key to success.
My best non-expert advice on puppy training after my trial-by-fire with Sir Wellington is this: Establish a routine and stick to it. There’s nothing better you can do for your dog than making as many aspects of the day predictable as you possibly can. When you create a steady, reliable rhythm of waking, sleeping, walking, eating, resting and playing, your dog will learn to roll along with it, getting more comfortable and well-adjusted by the week. The first time you say Go to bed and your dog happily does it, you’ll feel like a bona-fide genius. Structure = predictability = happy puppies and happy families.
One of the greatest advantages franchise investment has over starting a business from scratch is that your franchisor will already have a slew of processes and routines to help you be successful. If you follow the program and work within those parameters, you’ll soon find your business is running smoothly and that many of the small things that might otherwise take up a disproportionate amount of your time begin to happen on automatic. It takes time, but by the end of that first year, the processes that came with your business will feel as easy and familiar as having your morning coffee. Structure = happy franchisees (and franchisors, too).
Mistakes will be made.
True confession: The first time Wells had an accident in the house, I was pretty quick to go into I-Told-You-This-Puppy-Was-a-Bad-Idea mode. After all, I’d been the last Gilfillan to get on the puppy train. This was exactly the kind of thing I’d worried about—a wild and naughty pup defiling the house!
In the moment, it was like all of my worst puppy-related fears had come true.
But within a few minutes, the floor was clean, the dog was out, house-breaking efforts were redoubled, normalcy resumed, and the puppy, miraculously, was once again adorable.
I trust your first year as a franchisee will never involve any creature piddling on the carpet, but I promise you that something will go wrong. At that point you’ll have a choice to make: wallow in the down moment and give it more significance than it deserves, or clean up the mess, get back on track, and redouble your efforts to move towards solid business practices and profitability.
Perfect business launches are like perfect kids and perfect marriages—they don’t exist. The fact is, part of what makes relationships and business endeavors (and, yes, puppies) mature into high-functioning, rewarding entities is making and learning from mistakes. Don’t beat yourself up or get bogged down by any little thing that goes wrong in that first year. Be patient and steadfast. Learn when you can, and know that you are building something far more enduring than any setback that comes up in the process.
It’s a partnership.
Try getting a puppy and then saying it only belongs to one member of the family (or to everyone except one member of the family). It doesn’t work. How do I know? Ever seen those video compilations of dads who didn’t want a dog shamelessly cuddling and cooing over their puppies? My situation is nothing like that (or maybe just a tiny bit like that), but I did use the phrase “your dog” a lot in the beginning. And let’s just say that’s counterproductive to raising a happy, well-trained puppy in a peaceful, loving household. The fact is, getting a puppy is—has to be—a family partnership. For a while, it’s all hands on deck; and over time it gets easier and less labor-intensive for everyone.
I always remind franchisee candidates that buying a business is a full-family partnership, too. In terms of money, time, and energy, franchises are most demanding in the first year, and those demands inevitably impact our families—even if they’re not directly involved in any part of operations. Family members who aren’t hands-on participants should be extra patient and supportive. Family members who are taking on active roles should remember that they’ve still got families at home that need attention. Even kids can find ways to help and be involved. The first year involves a lot of trial and error for everyone, but in the end the business you are building will reward your hard work and patience.
Whether you’re welcoming a new pet or a new business (or both!) into your family’s life, I wish you patience, perseverance, and a sense of humor in your first year—and a long, joyful and profitable partnership to follow.
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Pete Gilfillan is a leading franchise consultant, entrepreneur, and author of the best-selling book HIRE YOURSELF: Control Your Own Destiny through Franchise Ownership.
