Five myths about owning a franchise

Franchising comes with a lot of assumptions, and plenty of them are wrong. If you are weighing one up, it is worth clearing a few out of the way, because the myths put some people off for the wrong reasons. Here are five we hear often.

Myth 1: "It's just buying yourself a job"

This is the big one, and it misses the point. A job pays you for your time and stops the moment you do. A franchise is a business you own: it has a system, a brand, a team, customers and value of its own, and built well it is an asset that can grow and one day be sold. You are buying a business, not a wage.

Myth 2: "You have no freedom, you just follow orders"

A franchise is not employment. You own and run your own business and make the commercial decisions in your area, from who you hire to how you build your local trade. What the system gives you is a proven way of doing the work and standards that protect the brand. There is flexibility in how you solve a problem; the one thing that does not flex is the quality customers expect. For most owners, that structure is a help, not a handcuff.

Myth 3: "You have to know the trade already"

Plenty of successful franchisees had never touched an alloy wheel before they started. The technical side is trained and supported by The Hub. What matters far more is the willingness to learn the system, look after customers and run a business properly. The skills that make it work, organisation, dealing with people, decision making, come from all sorts of backgrounds.

Myth 4: "It's only for people with a lot of money"

A franchise is a serious investment and you will need funding in place, there is no pretending otherwise. But franchisees come from all walks of life, not just the wealthy, and there are recognised routes to funding a franchise. The honest position is that it takes commitment and capital, not that it is reserved for a lucky few. This is not financial advice, and you should take your own on how to fund a franchise, but do not rule yourself out on the assumption that it is out of reach.

Myth 5: "Head Office takes a fee and leaves you to it"

Not with a good franchisor. The Hub runs the main marketing and lead generation, wins national accounts, provides training and approved suppliers, and sits down with each franchisee one to one on their business plan and goals through the year. The fees fund a support structure that is working for your business, not a badge you buy once and never hear from again.

Franchising is not magic and it is not a shortcut, but it is not most of what people assume either. If the myths were the main thing holding you back, it is worth a proper conversation. We do nothing but wheels, and The Hub is there to help you separate the myths from the reality. To find out more about running your own Wheel Specialist franchise, get in touch.