A FRANCHISOR DISCUSSES FRANCHISING AND ISSUES THAT YOU SHOULD CONSIDER WHEN FRANCHISING YOUR BUSINESS: As a franchise lawyer who helps entrepreneurs "franchise their business" and‚ as a managing member of my own franchise company‚ I am always looking for "battle tested" experience and advice to share with our clients. That is‚ more than just legal advice and franchise compliance programs we look to establish a "knowledge base" to share with our clients and the overall franchise community. To this end‚ recently‚ I had the privilege of interviewing Zabi Kator‚ the founder and franchisor of guardNOW‚ a company that specializes in providing private security services to various customer/client segments.
The guardNOW business is definitely interesting and Zabi had some great insights that I believe will be helpful for both start-up and established franchisors. Some of the interesting and helpful points discussed by Zabi‚ included:
- Operations Manual – Zabi placed great emphasis on the fact that when franchising your business‚ one critical task that should not be outsourced related to the preparation of your operations manual – a point that I completely agree with. Zabi refers to his operations manual as a "living document" that he continuously reviews and updates. If you are looking to franchise your business‚ Zabi's perspective on perspective of Operations Manuals is right on point.
- Quality Control – A number of times Zabi emphasized the necessity – at the franchisor level – of implementing and maintaining a system of quality control. What was interesting‚ and a point that I firmly believe in‚ was that when Zabi discussed "quality control" he not only referred to the critical roll of franchisee training but‚ also‚ brand integrity and the need to carefully control and monitor marketing and sales materials.
- Controlled Growth – Zabi's advice‚ "don't grow your franchise too quickly". Zabi stressed controlled growth and carefully scrutinizing your franchisees. This point is right on target.
In addition to the great advice offered by Zabi‚ one marketing aspect of the guardNOW business that I was impressed with related to its niche marketing approach. guardNOW‚ in my observation‚ has taken a great service‚ branded it and markets it – not to just the general public – but niche customers‚ i.e.‚ brides looking for wedding security‚ business events‚ personal security‚ etc… The learning point here is that when you franchise your business‚ it will be important to for you to center your marketing on a targeted client base.
Personally‚ I am grateful that Zabi spent the time sharing his experience. To listen to the interview and obtain a complimentary copy of the interview on CD‚ links and a complimentary order form are listed below.
MORE:
- Listen to audio Podcast between Franchise Lawyer Charles Internicola and Franchisor Zabi Kator;
- Order a complimentary copy of the transcript and the CD of my interview with Zabi
- Order a complimentary copy of my book "The Franchise Formula: A Guide to Franchising Your Business";
- Read "How to Franchise Your Business: Part 1 – The Basics";
NOTE: Thanks to Zabi and the great staff at guardNOW. Also‚ please note that as a franchise lawyer we cannot and do not recommend franchise investments or the investment in a particular franchise opportunity. This interview and the information that we are sharing is intended to provide insights for those business owners who want information about franchising their business.
Licensing vs. Franchising