What Franchise - Issue 21.2

curve’. Almost everyone, he says, goes through it. The initial excitement of starting out often gives way to disappointment or self-doubt when things don’t immediately click, before confidence returns as discipline and consistency start to pay off. “Preparing people for that emotional dip is a key part of our support,” Joe insists. “Otherwise it’s easy for someone to think, ‘It’s just me – maybe I’m not cut out for this’, when in fact it’s completely normal.” For Joe, the importance of regular, personalised support for franchisees as they set out on their business journey can’t be overstated. “When I work with franchisors, one of the biggest mistakes I see is assuming that the model and the initial training are enough,” he observes. “Support has to be front-loaded. If franchisees are getting the right guidance early on, and actually using it, those core activities will start to compound – and that’s when everything should fall into place.” Home care can bring its own pressures in the first 100 days – but at Home Instead, those early months are shaped as much by the maturity of the brand as by the nature of the work itself.With every UK territory now mapped and trading, resales are the only way into the network, with new franchisees stepping into businesses that have often been built up over many years. “That changes the dynamic immediately,” explains Imogen Clarke, Head of Franchise Development at Home Instead - who has been with the company for over 12 years. “You’re not launching a new operation. You’re taking responsibility for an existing one, with established staff, clients and expectations.” For Imogen, the biggest mistake new owners can make in those early months is assuming that ownership means they want nad need to make rapid changes. In reality, she says, continuity matters more than momentum at the outset. “The most successful franchisees don’t arrive with a long list of fixes,” she explains. “They spend the first 90 to 100 days understanding the business they’ve inherited – how the team works, what clients value, and where the real pressure points are.” In a people-led sector, that listening phase is critical. Staff retention, safeguarding and trust sit at the heart of performance, and unsettling those too quickly can have far-reaching consequences. “This isn’t just a commercial transaction,” Imogen points out. “You’re responsible for real people’s lives, and that carries weight from day one.” Her most consistent piece of advice to new Home Instead franchisees is to resist the urge to prove themselves too fast. “Ownership and leadership aren’t the same thing,” she says. “Early success comes from earning trust first, with your team, your clients and the wider network. Then you can start investing in growth.” So there we have it: three perspectives, which, taken together, point to a shared truth. Whatever your motivation, and whether you are building your business from scratch or taking on an established operation, choosing a franchise requires a different entrepreneurial approach from bringing a brand- new idea to commercial life. It’s not about bold moves and innovative action at the start. Instead, the first 100 days reward discipline over drama, listening over proving a point, and consistency over confidence. Do the unglamorous work, use the support on offer and understand the system you’ve bought into before trying to inject your own innovation. Get all that right, and you’ll be laying the solid foundations that will enable your real business brilliance to shine. 1. Making changes too early - you’ve bought something that works; take the time to find out why. 2. Getting sucked into office politics - whether it’s the previous owner staying involved, or employees’ past issues, keep it all at arm’s length. 3. Avoiding the franchisor - just because the business is established, it doesn’t mean you won’t need advice and support in the early days. S T E E R C L E A R : 3 P I T F A L L S T O A V O I D W I T H R E S A L E S HOME CARE: FRANCHISOR Imogen Clarke, Head of Franchise Development, Home Instead homeinstead.co.uk 63 WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM Interv iew | FEATURE