OMG Digital Magazine OMG Issue 281 19th October 2017 | Page 18

OMG Digital Magazine | 281 | Thursday 19, October, 2017 • PAGE 18
Business
5 Professionals Who Make
Great Franchise Candidates
by: Jim Judy
Franchising is designed to help people make the jump
from traditional employment to entrepreneurship. From
proven models of success to unmatched support systems,
franchise businesses can turn aspiring entrepreneurs into
successful business owners.
However, there are certain professional backgrounds
that have an advantage when it comes to the franchise
business. I’m not talking about industry or sector
experience. That’s often irrelevant. However, there are
specific skills acquired through decades of work in certain
careers that give certain candidates an edge.
Though there are more than 3,000 franchise brands
available today, they all look for a similar set of developed
skills from candidates before awarding them a franchise
unit. Skills such as sales ability, employee relations,
financial intelligence and ability to follow and execute a
plan are all in high demand among franchisors.
Whereas there are many different professions that allow a
candidate to develop those skills, here are five that stand
out.
Sales executives.
Whether they realize it or not, most salespeople are already
small-business owners. That’s because sales is more about
selling yourself than selling a product, so they learn early
in their careers that their personal brand is important.
Not only that, but huge percentages of their income are
determined by their sales output, so they are already
familiar with the concept of being paid for production, not
just for their time.
Team leaders and managers.
Sure, there are franchise concepts that don’t involve
managing staff, but most brands will require owners
to hire one or more employees in order to successfully
run the business. People who have never managed
others before will quickly learn that it’s one of the most
challenging aspects of running a business. Advertising for
positions, reviewing applications, interviews, background
checks, drug screenings, referral interviews, training and
maintaining employees are just a few of the jobs that co