Choosing a Franchise Part 1 - Core Values

You want to buy a franchise, but which one? There are over 4,000 different franchises in the United States. Why is one of the hardest decisions to make in life deciding what you want? There are lots of reasons to be undecided.
• You are afraid of what you might miss out on if you choose one option over another.
• You are trying to make the decision that others will find most acceptable.
• All choices involve an element of the unknown, and that scares you.
• You are still collecting information and analyzing your choices.
All of the above reasons have one thing in common – fear. People are afraid of missing out, afraid of being embarrassed, or afraid of making a mistake.
Or, perhaps, you tell me that you have no problem at all deciding what you want. You know exactly what you want. Of course, what you want today is different from what you wanted last week, which was different from what you wanted last month, which was different from what you wanted last year. If that is you, then your issue is not making a decision, but making decisions too quickly without thorough thought and commitment. Your decisions aren’t really decisions at all. You are just sampling.
First, let me make everyone comfortable. None of the above behaviors are wrong. They are just expressions of our personality. Our personalities engender both positive behaviors and negative behaviors, better expressed as supportive and non-supportive behaviors.
A key way to reduce the stress of making the decision is to choose the business model that supports your core values. What are your core values? Have you ever stopped to think about it? Are you a people person? Is money your only objective? Do you like to serve others? Do you want to be the boss? Knowing yourself can make the decision much easier. I’ll talk more about this in my next blog.
Ed Wills
WFA Franchise Consultants