Our Franchising Blog

Nervous about starting your own business?

Description

Hoping this will help you a little....

We really do get it! I think everyone who is considering a franchise is of course looking for a change, but with that comes inevitable apprehension! Why wouldn't you be a bit nervous? After all running a business is all new to you, it feels risky and the amount of unknowns are big. We have heard it all....

  • What if I'm not cut out for being my own boss?
  • What if I give up my job and I don't like running my own business?
  • What if I fail and waste my money?
  • How do I think I can start my own business? I know nothing about running a business!
  • How do I know if a franchise is a 'good' one and I can trust them?
  • Should I do it, it feels like a risk....

Of course starting your own business feels scary! Actually, starting anything new is often quite nerve wracking. So if you're considering your own business, you want to be absolutely sure that you're doing the right thing.

A franchise is a great half-way house between being your own boss but not being alone and being part of a team. Running a franchise is still hard work (being self-employed is, and anyone who tells you otherwise is fibbing!) but the beauty is you don't have to start from scratch. For anyone who wants to venture into self-employment, but doesn't know how - looking into franchising is therefore a smart move.

There are lots of different franchises out there so knowing where to start is your first hurdle! I would advise you find something that fills you with excitement. You're going to be working for yourself and the drive you need is soooo different to employment. It is a totally different way of life and loving what you do and wanting to do it well is what will incentivise you each day. You need to choose something you really love the thought of and can imagine yourself doing.

The passion you will feel for the brand you choose is what will motivate you, excite you, enthuse your customers and keep you striving forward. It very much needs to be both a heart and head decision. All of our franchisees REALLY love cooking. It really should be that simple as a starting point. Find something you love...a lot!

Next a good franchise should work with you to help you figure out if their particular franchise is a good fit for you (and you for them). They should answer all your questions so you are comfortable that you know EVERYTHING you need to know to make a decision. You will be asked to complete an NDA, but after that they should be very open with you. They should invite you to meet and chat to franchisees and give you opportunity to see a franchisee at work so you can see in reality what the role is like.

At Cook Stars we run discovery days where we invite people who are interested in us to see a live Saturday class in action. There is opportunity to chat to the franchisee owner and we invite any questions at all. Be wary if a franchise doesn't have an open door... there should be nothing to hide. In fact they should be proud to showcase what they do.

They should help guide you to work out if it's right for you. Our duty of care to prospects starts right at the start - even at the first stage someone makes an enquiry. We know what it takes and we know who we are looking for to grow our team. We know who will be a good fit.

We have an amazing team made up of people who are passionate, dedicated, hard working and completely love what we do. They make our Cook Stars brand a success and so finding the right people is everything.

You should ask lots of questions of any franchise you are interested in. One of the biggest questions being 'what would I actually get as a franchisee with your company'? Typically, you will get an answer that lists equipment and specific tools you need for the job.... blar blar. Although this is of course all useful information, what you really need to know is what will they do for you.

Can they alleviate all those worries you have? How will they make sure you don't fail, how will they teach you how to run a business, how will they look after you until you're confident to go it alone? In short - how will they help you to succeed? Supporting you should be their number one goal.

At Cook Stars we take our support really seriously. You can take a look at the list of things we offer as part of our package (it's a long list!), but one thing we are really proud of is our support and especially our monthly 'support reports' and 1-2-1 calls. We have a franchise support manager (Faye) dedicated to mentoring and looking after our team. Each month, our franchisees receive a 10+ page report which details what they have achieved through each service they offer in the last month. Faye then discusses with them in a 1-2-1 call what they want to achieve for the coming months. The franchisee sets the goals they want to achieve and we offer advice and recommendations to get them there. A plan is built month on month with a list of actions to help each franchisee get to where they want to be. It's pretty unique and is hand holding to the max.

We offer this service, because to me supporting our team needs to be the priority. So when I said at the beginning we get it, we really do! We take people with no experience of running their own business and mentor them to become successful business owners loving what they do each day.

Cook Stars may not be for you, you may hate cooking and have no patience with children...in which case our opportunity isn't going to float your boat! But there will be something out there that is right for you. You'll know it when you find it. Your apprehension will turn more into excitement as you explore further into it and the possibilities will thrill you.

Good luck on your journey, I hope you find something that fills you with excitement. I love the quote 'choose a job you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life'. Isn't that just a brilliant thing to aim for?!

Thanks for reading,

Cathy (Founder of Cook Stars) x

Tel: 07805 080208

If you'd like to find out more about a Cook Stars franchise, please get in touch with us.