True confessions: what it's really like to be a franchisee - includes related quiz - Franchise 500

Entrepreneur, Jan, 1996 by Heather Page

You've been talking about buying a franchise for years. Your spouse, family and friends have heard it allufrom last year's plans to purchase a sandwich shop to your latest interest in mobile auto detailing. But this year you're really seriousuwhether it's because your boss is getting on your nerves or because you're just feeling the urge to be your own boss.

Whatever your reason, if you're considering becoming a franchisee, chances are you're wondering, Will owning a franchise be all it's cracked up to be?

"It was scary," says Dick Shea, describing his first few nerve- racking months of franchise ownership. After 23 unfulfilling years in real estate sales, a recent divorce, and the realization that he was quickly nearing age 50, Shea decided to purchase a franchise from McLean, Virginia-based Chesapeake Bagel Bakery. "It was a major undertaking," he acknowledges, "but I finally decided I was going to do something that made me happy."

It's this yearning to take control and head toward the future with something you've built that's yoursuall yoursuthat leads many entrepreneurs into franchise ownership. When Shea and his 46-year- old partner, Tim Parker, opened the doors to their Richmond, Virginia, bagel store on March 17, 1994, they joined a long history of entrepreneurs who, just like them, decided being a franchisee was exactly what they wanted. But what actually happens after you buy a franchise?

Hats For Every Occasion

For most, being a franchisee means rolling up your sleeves and getting down to business. It means setting that alarm for 5 a.m. to get the store ready for the morning rush, cracking open the phone book and making cold calls for five hours straight, and skipping dinner with your family to pull together a last-minute proposal for a crucial client.

"Probably the most important characteristic of a franchisee is a [strong] work ethic," says Calvin Haskell Jr., president of Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based franchise advisory company Franchise Solutions. "It's the ability to get up and, day after day, work harder than you've ever worked before."

As a franchisee, you'll need to put your entrepreneurial drive to work to grow your business. And at no time will a franchisee work harder than during start-up. It's not unusual for new franchisees to pull 16-hour days, including weekends. Often, new franchisees handle sales, marketing, accounting, hiring and much more all by themselves. And for those who mistakenly think buying a franchise means customers will just roll in with little to no effort on their part, the harsh reality often kicks inuquickly.

After working in an office job for just over one year, 25-year-old computer science graduate John Brown was yearning to be out on his own. So in 1994, he purchased a franchise from Union, New Jersey- based Oil Butler. Today, Brown's Charleston, West Virginia, homebased mobile oil-changing business services about 70 accounts with the help of one part-time and two full-time employees as well as three family members who provide part-time assistance. While changing oil and checking tire pressure isn't something he relishes, Brown says he knows that's what it takes to succeeduand he plans to continue the grueling routine.

"It's really tough some days," Brown admits. "You're on call 24 hours a day, and sometimes you wake up early in the morning, it's pouring rain, and you really wonder why you're doing this. But I know that in the end, it will all pay off."

Balancing Act

Indeed, along with the hard work, sweat and tears a franchisee puts in can come some invaluable rewards: recognition, success, rewarding friendships, increased income and a feeling of self- respect. But long hours and pressure from the daily grind can also place a strain on family relationships, say many franchisees.

Ann and Jerry Swanson, franchisees of Bradenton, Florida-based sign-making franchise Signs Now, worked many 12-hour days when they opened their first Tulsa, Oklahoma, store in 1989. Since then, they've added two more Signs Now stores, one in Tulsa and the other in Wichita, Kansas. But with the addition of a well-trained staff, improved computer equipment and stronger customer service, Ann, 52, and Jerry, 53, only spend eight hours per day running their business. "The knowledge we've gained from running our prior stores, plus the new equipment we've purchased, have helped our business tremendously," says Ann.

Like the Swansons, most franchisees find there is a learning curve before operations begin to run smoothly. "When I started my business, I saw an opportunity to be very creative," remembers David Hotle, a franchisee with Stevenson, Maryland-based Sandler Systems Inc., a sales and management training franchise. "But I discovered very quickly that all my creative juices and time were being [wasted on] things that weren't making me a penny."

After purchasing his franchise in 1992, the former marketing executive spent most of his working hours coming up with new marketing ideas instead of getting out of his St. Louis office and selling his services. When he realized this was hurting his business, Hotle changed his focus and now spends more time hosting seminars and attending networking events. He also hired people to handle the long-ignored filing, record-keeping and bookkeeping.