The Enterprise Approach: Building Trusted Teams To Scale Multi-Unit Franchises

For most franchisees, making the decision to explore entrepreneurship through franchising is an opportunity filled with rewards. Many franchisees begin with a single unit but soon aspire to expand, exploring multi-unit franchising opportunities. Others enter the industry with a plan to own multiple locations from the beginning. But if your dreams will be fulfilled by owning multiple franchise units, then it doesn’t really matter how you get there.

If you’re among those wishing to expand to multiple locations, one of the most important considerations should be whether you’re ready to manage on a higher level and be less hands-on. Putting a stellar team in place for each location can save time and a lot of money, but you must be committed to trusting them to do what’s best for your business. Before expanding, you must also consider your team’s capacity for sharing responsibility.

Do you have an executive-level mentality?

Sometimes ambitious goals can leave you wondering, “Is this too much to handle?” If you are considering multi-unit franchising, you need to carefully evaluate whether you are prepared to delegate greater responsibilities to location-level management teams.

To build an enterprise-level management team you can trust, you must adopt an executive-level mentality. This mindset requires several key skills.

• Developing a strategic vision focused on achieving a long-term goal through a clear plan.
• Emotional intelligence to effectively manage and develop a trustworthy operations team at each location. Strong relationships and consistent motivation are essential.
• Proficiency in communication to simplify complex ideas and empower teams to execute successfully.

Ultimately, as a multi-unit franchisee who embodies an executive leadership mentality, you must build empowered and inspired teams to execute your strategic plan successfully. You must also trust location management teams to lead initiatives without immediate guidance, enabling you to take a step back and focus on sustained growth. Setting up regular check-ins with team members so that everyone remains on the same page keeps the business synchronized and moving forward.

Empowering the team

Leveraging key leadership skills to empower your team can be the difference between struggle and success when pursuing multiple-location franchising. Your key employees must feel ownership over the tasks at hand as well as the trust of their leader to succeed. Achieve this by clearly defining roles, maintaining timely communication, and providing necessary resources. With this strong support system in place, your locations will flourish under empowered management.

Multi-unit franchising success with a great support team

For franchisees seeking financial independence and freedom, expanding into multiple franchise units can provide greater rewards. Those rewards require having a trusted team backing you up, so knowing how to build a reliable team is paramount. Not everyone can embrace delegation, but to succeed with multiple locations, you must figure it out.

Remember, owning a single franchise location can often require ongoing direct involvement in daily operations, while owning multiple locations enables a focus on strategic, higher-level executive vision. With a trusted enterprise management team in place, you’re well-positioned on your way to living the life you desire.

Charles Bonfiglio is president and CEO of Tint World, a provider of automotive, residential, commercial, and marine window tinting and security film services.