What makes the longest-running franchises so successful?
What makes a franchise successful, and how can you grow...
While many franchises, such as food, beauty and cleaning businesses, operate year round, there are others that are seasonal and therefore ideally suited to entrepreneurs who only want to work for part of the year or have an existing business that routinely experiences quiet periods during which they wish to increase their income.
There are many seasonal franchises on offer, so whether you wish to work only during the summer, winter, or the Christmas season, there is sure to be a suitable franchise for you. Before launching into joining a seasonal franchise, it is important to consider the advantages and disadvantages of doing so.
Pros
1. A seasonal franchise, by its very nature, is only busy at certain points of the year. If these points coincide with a point at which you are typically looking for work, this represents an ideal opportunity to improve your overall earnings.
2. The franchisor will support their franchisees in obtaining all marketing materials, promotional merchandise and stock, leaving the franchisee to find their customers. For those wishing to only work for part of the year, this model relieves the pressure to maintain regular customer communications and allows franchisees to pursue other avenues of interest for the rest of the year.
3. Seasonal franchises support a lifestyle choice. Whether you wish to spend your winters overseas and only work over the summer or need to increase your earnings in the run-up to Christmas, a seasonal franchise allows you the opportunity to supplement your earnings, be your own boss and run your own business at a time and in a way that suits you.
Cons
1. It is essential to understand that you will not earn any money from your franchise during the "off-season" yet may still need to hold stock and maintain communications with your franchisor, so you will need to remain contactable and make adequate provisions for this.
2. Although the franchise will supply your marketing and promotional materials, you will need to attract and retain your customers. To ensure maximum profitability from your seasonal franchise, consumer loyalty will be important. This means you will need to deliver extremely high levels of customer service and begin your communications early each year so your previous customers return when you re-open.
3. If you begin a seasonal franchise as a side hustle and discover that you are good at working for yourself and wish to do it full time, you will either need to give up your seasonal franchise or find a second seasonal franchise that operates at a different time of the year to maintain a year-round income. This can be a difficult decision to make and requires considerable investment and effort.
Seasonal franchises are a good choice for many people, but it is important to choose the one that best suits your individual circumstances and to work hard to develop and maintain a loyal customer base to ensure maximum profitability each year.
