Running a retail franchise business: the importance of employing a quality team

Alan Payne| General Manager | Mr Rental 

In a recent 10 THOUSAND FEET Webinar on how to improve the work-life balance of franchise business owners, Alan Payne, General Manager of Mr Rental, shared his experience about the importance of employing quality team as a means to provide crucial support to franchise business owners in their daily operations.

The role of a quality team in supporting retail franchise business owners

One of the key areas to ensure a good work-life balance in a franchise business is to get human resources right.

Hiring quality employees is extremely important for franchisees as they provide support and help to complete everyday tasks (customer service, stock inventory, accounts etc.). The ability to delegate tasks means the franchise business owner can concentrate on using their own time on the tasks in the business that will deliver the most to the business as a whole. The ability to delegate tasks to employees also means that franchisees can take time off every now and then so they don't get burned out in running their franchise business.

Having a good long term team also provides the benefit of business stability and peace of mind to the franchise business owner. Stability assists in providing a consistent service to existing customers. Stability means that the franchise business owner does not get dragged back into doing various tasks that come when there is a high turnover in team. Stability is also critical in most franchise businesses to smooth out the revenue and cash flow cycle by allowing the franchise business owner to be continually working on bringing in new business.

"Having a good long term team also provides the benefit of business stability and peace of mind to the franchise business owner. Stability assists in providing a consistent service to existing customers. Stability means that the franchise business owner does not get dragged back into doing various tasks that come when there is a high turnover in team." 

Franchisors play a critical role in assisting franchisees develop the right recruitment practices

My experience in the franchising industry has shown me the negative effects of poor recruitment.

Poor recruitment leads to additional costs and poor service in businesses. With this in mind, the Mr Rental franchise business has structured its approach to HR by focusing on assisting franchisees in team recruitment. We concentrate on each franchisee business and the individual career paths of their team.

Mr Rental coaches and external consultants are employed for conferences and training events, as well as for the recruitment process. We have customised systems of recruitment, selection, induction, training and performance management and profile all sales and managerial team. These systems have enabled our franchisees to improve team retention and enhance the stability of their businesses.

Franchisor support in taking tasks off franchisees' hands

In your search for franchise business opportunities examine the training programs and support that will be provided by the Franchisor.

Mr Rental has a nationally recognised training program for franchisees team which, upon completion, provides certificates and diplomas to franchisees and team alike. On top of this, web based training is utilised to make sure skills are regularly updated.

Coaches are also available to help our franchisees recognise when the work-life balance of their operations is out of balance, and if it is, to help identify changes that need to be implemented to restore it.

Another way the Mr Rental Franchise assists franchisees in running their retail franchise business is through the availability of a temporary replacement team ready to chip in when some franchisees are in need of extra team.

These team members are usually ex-franchisees capable of stepping in to help out others in the Mr Rental community. Because these team are familiar with the franchise business, their presence can relieve pressures on overloaded franchisees.

In your due diligence as a potential franchisee, it is important to evaluate each franchise opportunity by examining the relationship between the franchisor and the franchisee.

In particular, if you're looking into running a retail franchise or a store franchise but at the same time you do not want to forgo your work-life balance, then consider the degree to which franchisors are actively supporting franchisees with recruitment strategies and team management. Having trustworthy employees to whom you can delegate tasks will offer you that extra support that will enable you to run a lifestyle friendly franchise business.