It usually only takes a few minutes of conversation with a prospective franchisee for me to form an opinion about the net result: fate or destiny? Sometimes the word fate and destiny are interchangeable; however, I have always been partial to the thought that where fate provides no choice, destiny provides a window of hope and a level of control of the outcome. In other words – your business or franchise should be your destiny; and if it feels more like fate, maybe you should walk away.
I talk to so many people everyday who are looking for a franchise opportunity. The reasons may be slightly different, but generally most believe they want to build something and control their own destiny.
Self-assessment is really all about the process of knowing yourself and understanding your tendencies. It is more then just taking an inventory of your likes and dislikes. It is too easy to rationalize and justify your weaknesses, or to let yourself believe that those weaknesses are overshadowed by your strengths. Example, “I really don’t like talking to people I don’t know, but I am extremely organized.” Unfortunately, if you purchase a franchise which requires the franchisee to be the rainmaker, and you don’t like talking to people you don’t know, it won’t matter how organized you are because you won’t have any customers to organize.
Frankly, I don’t know of many franchise opportunities where the owner doesn’t need to be a people person and enjoy sales (regardless if it is selling a product, service or motivating your staff). So, before you begin taking an inventory and assessing your interests, work values, lifestyle considerations, skills and abilities, first determine if your personality fits the type of franchise opportunity you are evaluating.
Buying a franchise should put you into a position to control your destiny and not be an unfortunate fait accompli.
If you know someone looking for some emerging franchise opportunities, check out the brand new www.bigfranchisingopportunities.com.