A franchise is an interested business model both from the perspective of the franchisor and the franchisee. For a franchisor, it gives a chance for incredible brand growth without too much active effort on their part. Starting a franchise, after all, every franchisee is independent (to a degree), which means that once they buy the franchise rights, it’s up to them how to run it.

Due to the fact that they get a lot of support from the franchisor and that they don’t start from zero (in terms of brand recognition and business model), franchises have a much higher success rate than their original counterparts. Still, even in these circumstances, some make it while others don’t. Here are a couple of tips to help you get started.

Pick the location

The biggest advantage of starting a franchise lies in the fact that you can do a far more accurate projection of your future performance. How? Well, you just find a franchise in an area with a similar demographic and analyze their success. The best thing about getting a franchise is the fact that you’re actually buying the right to do business in a certain area. Now, keep in mind that not all franchises match the same success and that this is greatly due to the location.

Prepare for the grind

According to experts behind ChaTime, while every franchisee gets the same benefits from the start, there are some who take better advantage of this opportunity. Sure, you get a head start and franchises (in general) have a much better success rate than original businesses, however, this doesn’t mean that your success is guaranteed. You still need to have a good business plan, a dedicated team, and the right mindset for success. While the business model that you get is definitely working, its execution will depend entirely on you. It is essential that you’re ready for this.

Have a business plan

A good business plan is essential for success and you need it as soon as possible. Why? Well, first of all, without a business plan you won’t even get approved for a franchise loan. Therefore, this is your first objective. A business plan needs to be put on paper in a form of an executive summary, competitive analysis, market research, and detailed/accurate description of your product/service. No, having it all in your head and being able to describe it verbally won’t work. Putting things on paper is generally a good idea and this is no exception. This way of doing things is not only required but also far more reliable.

Have a mentor

One of the things you need to do is find the right mentor. Chances are that the franchise you’re buying offers some sort of training but it’s dubious whether this will be enough. Instead, you want to take the matters into your own hands. You don’t even have to find a mentor in a traditional sense. Simply finding someone to look up to, or someone whose success you want to emulate would already be a great starting point. There’s a saying that you can never learn something you believe you already know. While confidence is important in the business world, accepting that there’s more for you to learn is even more important.

Have a legal support

Having a lawyer on your side is vital while making a contract. There are some forms that are standard while buying or selling a franchise but you want the contract to be ironclad. Paying attention to the fine print is a lot harder if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Moreover, as you start doing business with others, you’ll need continuous legal support. Handling this early on is usually the best of ideas.

Shop around

You want to make your decision as systemically as possible. Start by picking the industry, then, figure out the location you want to do business in. As soon as you have these two factors determined, start checking out which franchise options are available. The availability alone will eliminate a lot of potential franchises from consideration. From the few options that you do have available make sure that you pick the best one. This involves a lot of research and shopping around. From the perspective of the franchisor, you want to make these same considerations and then make necessary moves to become more competitive.

In conclusion

In the end, the fact that the success rate for a franchise is somewhat higher lulls some people into a false sense of security, which can have quite a devastating effect. The fact that the chance of success is higher doesn’t mean that success is guaranteed. Sure, you have an edge over those starting original businesses but if you don’t play your cards right, you can’t hope to achieve success in the business world. With the above-listed five considerations on your side, your odds of this are a lot better.