SA Franchise Brands welcomes Marco Freitas Franchisee for Cartridge Hyper for Johannesburg, Roodepoort and Radiokop to share some aspects on being a Franchisee.
What questions should prospective franchisees ask themselves before buying a franchise?
1. Am I going to be committed to my business on a daily basis?
2. Am I going to be involved in my business on a daily basis?
3. Am I going to follow and adhere to the Franchisors Rules and Recommendations?
What made you decide to buy a franchise?
What made me buy into a franchise was that I wanted to be involved in a business that has strong brand values and proven success track record so that I could be successful. I also wanted a business model that was established and successful.
How important is it to investigate a franchise and what criteria did you use?
It is very important to investigate a Franchise as they need to have a proven track record and I looked at the following:
Time in the Market – How long has the franchise been operational?
Profitability – What is the profit margin on the goods sold?
Ease of Operation – Is it a difficult business to operate?
Saturation of the market – Checked to see if there were too many businesses doing the same thing already.
What made you buy a Cartridge Hyper franchise?
What made me buy a Cartridge Hyper Franchise was that I knew of people who were involved in the Franchise and that allowed me to feel confident and comfortable with the business model and offering. Secondly I have an IT background and it therefore made it a lot easier for me to understand the business model and offering.
What early challenges did you face?
One of the early challenges we faced was to find the correct staff for the business.
What training and support does the Franchisor provide you with?
The Franchisor provided us with product knowledge and operations training for me as an owner and my staff which included on the ground training at multiple franchise stores.
The Franchisor provides us with the following support:
1. Marketing material: Flyers, business cards, stickers, mugs, rulers, etc.
2. Marketing props and merchandise on store openings and launches: Banners, gazebos, tables, chairs, giveaways for competitions and promotions.
3. Advertising campaigns: Quarterly specials flyerand radio advertisements.
4. Specials and promotions: Arranging stock at special prices .
5. Operational support and guidance on the products, Customer Relationship Management and Point Of Sale systems.
How important is the Franchisee’s relationship with the Franchisor?
Very important, there needs to be an open and trustworthy relationship between the two.
What advice would you give to prospective franchisees?
Advice I would give a prospective franchise is the following:
1. Don’t get into any franchise if you don’t understand the business offering.
2. Don’t just get into a Franchise because of the money that you could make but rather the fact that you are passionate about the industry you will operate in.
3. Do your research, and understand what you are getting yourself into as it is not a nine to five job but an everyday commitment where the hours can be long.