Small Biz Franchise Blog » Beliefs

5 Beliefs Successful and Unsuccessful Franchisors Hold

Lizette Pirtle — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 20:25:55 +0000

Our beliefs create the world we experience. I see it all the time in my own life and the life of others. Franchise success depends on numerous factors many of which I have discussed in this blog. However, one critical element to success often overlooked is whether or not franchisors hold beliefs that support their success. Here are some of the beliefs that successful franchisors share:

Franchising this business is the right thing to do. I have no doubt that I will be successful and that I will give people the opportunity to also reach their financial dreams.
One of the most important parts of my job as a franchisor is to ensure that we are always ahead of the game; that our products and services are competitive in every way possible.
I want and will make money as a franchisor, but I also want my franchisees to prosper financially and in other areas. I must find ways of reducing their costs and increase their revenue sources so that they enjoy higher profit margins.
If my franchisees succeed so do I; and, I will do whatever I can to make that happen. We are a team; our success is interdependent.
Competition is a good thing. It keeps us on our toes.

On the other hand, franchisors that can’t seem to make it happen tend to share the following beliefs and doubts:

Franchising is going to make me rich. I don’t care whether or not that applies to the franchisees; I know it applies to me and that’s what matters.
We must get everything done as inexpensively as possible; give them the minimum support we can get away with.
My job as a franchisor is to tell franchisees what to do, to make sure they do it and to take their franchise away if they don’t follow my system, period.
If some of my franchisees are successful that proves my system works for everyone. They just need to have the money for the franchise.
I am not sure if franchising is going to work. I wonder if I have what it takes to be a successful franchisor.

Beliefs are nothing more than thoughts we repeat over time and with which we identify. They are not bad or good but if unchecked they can sabotage our success.

We take our beliefs as the only truth and unfortunately this blinds us from contemplating new perspectives that can lead us to the success we seek. Some of our beliefs may have half truths in them, some may be correct in some circumstances and not in others; but when we identify with them we normally don’t embrace the possibility that they may not have anything to do with reality. Instead, we search for the evidence to support them and to make us right. The result: we miss the mark. Franchisors who want to succeed will benefit from reviewing the beliefs they hold as they will create their results.

Franchisees: What Are Your Belief Mishaps?

Lizette Pirtle — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 12:57:53 +0000

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This is an article written by Sybil R Smith who is a Life Relationship Coach from Kingsport, TN. Make sure to visit her website.

I chose to publish this article here (with a modified title) because it emphasizes the power of beliefs in our lives. Belief is one of the elements contributing to success, as I explain in my book Franchise Success: The New Formula. Franchisees and franchisors who belief they will be successful, are so. Unfortunately, those who don’t belief they can be successful won’t be either. We all self-fulfil our prophecies with our beliefs and thoughts. I hope you enjoy Sybil’s article.

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Beliefs are formed when we are very young; usually before the age of 6. Fairy tales teach us to believe there is a happily ever after out there waiting for us. Extracurricular activities teach us to believe in ourselves. Our parents teach us to believe that we are worth loving. Our teachers help us believe that education is the way to enlightenment. Well, this is what these people are supposed to teach us to believe.

Along the way, though, we get confused. We create assumptions out of beliefs. We create complexity out of simplicity. Healthy beliefs turn into unhealthy habits. Some beliefs that are meant to be temporary are carried along into adulthood – because nobody told us we can re-evaluate what we believe along the way.

For example, as a toddler, I was told that people go to school until they are in their 20′s and finish at least one level of college. My parents did this for me to encourage me to value education and to reach a high level of achievement in the career of my choice. The thing is, I assumed – believed – that going to college was not a choice, but a requirement. I went. I had a good time. I did well. And then, during my last semester, I realized that I did not have to go! It never dawned on me to take a moment, step back and evaluate my belief. It had become an assumption. It was not my parents’ fault for allowing me to believe this; I just failed to reevaluate my situation until time to graduate.

I call these “Belief Mishaps.”

The way we discover these belief mishaps is to evaluate our current belief system. The evaluation process is not a simple one. I wish I could say, “Do steps one through three and you will achieve enlightenment.” Evaluating your belief system is a life-long process. It takes time, commitment, openness, and desire to change.

You can do several things to encourage the process in your life.

1. Set an intention to explore your beliefs.

Start with a simple openness or curiosity and see what unravels. Write it down. Draw it out. Sing it. Find a form of expression that gets the intention out of your head and into your senses.

I want to know about myself in a deep way. I am open to change. I want to find the reasoning behind my beliefs. I am curious. What beliefs have I turned into assumptions? Which beliefs are holding be back from a full and authentic life?

2. Surround yourself with people who are aware of their beliefs.

Find a new friend who knows their “why” of life. Hang out with old friends or family who have walked the walk. Find people who will expand your perspective. Step outside your box. Hire a coach, talk to a therapist, or seek spiritual counsel. Ask questions like this:

What makes you…? Who influenced your…? What created your life…? When did you decide…? Where did you learn…? Why do you…? How did you get here?

3. Seek growth experiences to explore your beliefs.

My favorite way of evaluating my beliefs is through new experiences. For an introvert like me, there is nothing like walking into a totally new environment filled with new faces to challenge the box I have put myself in. The walls get pushed and pulled in new directions until I find a new set of walls to rest in – for a while.

Go to a retreat – with strangers. Going with your friends only strengthens your current box and belief system. Experience a new form of spiritual practice or worship. Walk in someone else’s shoes for a day. Do the one thing you hate.

Take an awareness class, like the one I offer at the Creative Reflections Seminar Series. This series is designed to help you see another side to yourself, expand your box, and develop a fuller more authentic life.

Once you have started the awareness Journey, there may be bumps and jiggles along the way. It is ok. It is all a part of The Journey. Think of them as new opportunities for growth. There will always be more to learn about your beliefs.

As a side note, the second time I attended college – for my Master’s degree – I made a deliberate conscious decision to attend. I chose my school. I chose my degree. I decided that the belief I held as a young child was a good one for me. It was a great and powerful experience.

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Sybil R Smith is a Life Relationship Coach who works with individuals and families to help bring hope, health, and harmony to their life through coaching, encouragement, accountability, and specialized creative arts psychotherapy. You can contact her at info@sybilrsmith.com or visit her website at www.sybilRsmith.com.

Does Faith Matter in the Context of Franchising?

Lizette Pirtle — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:51:01 +0000

You bet it does. Faith is defined as the confident belief or trust in a person, idea, or thing. It is often used in a religious or spiritual context yet, in general, faith speaks of a strong belief and conviction. Franchisees whose faith, either in the franchise system or in themselves waiver start heading towards failure. So, yes, faith does matter in franchising.

People invest in a franchise because they believe that they can be successful. They have faith in the franchise concept and in their ability to implement the system successfully. When franchisees start doubting they get in trouble. Doubt is faith in the opposite of what we want. Doubt engenders fear, anxiety, lack of confidence and even depression. It works against the efforts to make something happen.

Frank Lloyd Wright used to say: “the belief in a thing makes it happen.” When franchisees have faith that they will succeed, they become successful. When they entertain doubt about their abilities to be successful in their businesses, they invite failure.

A franchisor has the responsibility to regularly measure the level of faith their franchisees have in the system and in themselves. One way I often use to gauge the confidence factor is to ask franchisees to rate their level of success. I follow with the question: “what do they need to be more successful?” Answers that point outward, such as “I need more support, more training,” or answers that blame others usually mean that franchisees have lost or are losing faith in themselves or in the franchise system. It is important to face the issues head on and coach franchisees into the awareness of what’s happening. Many franchisees simply don’t know they are losing confidence until it’s too late. Reverting franchisees’ focus to what is positive, what is working, to their strengths and that of their businesses counteracts the loss of faith and begins the rebuilding process. To paraphrase Frank Lloyd Wright, the belief that we can be successful will make it happen BUT the belief that we won’t will make that happen too.

Do the beliefs of franchisees affect their success?

Lizette Pirtle — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:03:55 +0000

The answer to this question is a resounding YES! Our beliefs affect our entire lives; through them we create our successes as well as our failures, and franchisees are not exempt from this rule.

Our beliefs are repeated thoughts that are emotionally charged and that we use to define ourselves. Some of our beliefs are true and some are false, but to us, all of our beliefs are true, otherwise we would simply not believe them. The problem is that we can find evidence to support almost any belief even the most outrageous beliefs. For example, most of us agree that the earth is not flat, yet even today there are people who espouse that the earth is indeed flat. A quick Google search will lead you to two forums of the Flat Earth Society where you can learn all the “evidence” proving that the earth is flat. These people truly believe this and to them it’s a true fact that the earth is flat.

We all can find the “evidence” we need to prove our beliefs and we all do this whether it helps us or not. Our need to be right too many times is stronger than our need to be successful. In seeking to be right the only thing we need to do is to be selective in our perception and we’ll find the proof to make us right. If franchisees believe that they can be successful in a franchise, guess what? They will be. Likewise if they believe that they can’t cut it, they just won’t.

We hold many beliefs that support our success; unfortunately, we hold as many that work against us. The key to success is to discard the beliefs that impede us from reaching our goals and replace them with those beliefs that support us towards our goals. Our mind can be our greatest ally or our most powerful enemy, it’s our choice.

All franchisees at one point believe that they can have a successful business otherwise they wouldn’t invest in that particular franchise. The ones that are able to achieve success are the ones that keep on believing that they can. Those who lose faith or who let non-supportive beliefs dominate their minds usually aren’t able to achieve their goals. Franchisees need to learn not only the new business but a new way of thinking focusing on what makes the business work instead of what doesn’t. Achieving success requires that that we identify the beliefs that no longer serve us and look for the evidence to support their counterparts.

We all have heard people say: “Just because you believe this, it does not make it true?” But it does make it true. It makes it true for you and that is all that matters. You will create all the evidence you need to protect that belief. It may not be true for rest of the world, like in the case of the “world is flat” but as long as you believe it, it will be true for you and you’ll experience the world through that lens.

Some of the beliefs that impede the success of franchisees include:

I can’t sell.
They (meaning the franchisor) lied to me.
I can’t talk in front of a group.
All the leads I get from the franchisor are a waste of my time.
Only aggressive sales people can make it in this business.
I have a great location so it must be the business model that does not work.
I know that this business works in the next town but now I know that it will never work here.

Please add your thoughts to this list and help franchisees identify the beliefs that may be getting on their way.

What makes a franchisee successful?

Lizette Pirtle — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:26:00 +0000

The success of franchisees depends on many factors however the most important ones seem to rest on the franchisee. The outer factors include:

Is the franchise concept viable?
Is the success of the business replicable?
Are the financial results of the business sustainable or is the business just a fad?
Is the business capable of producing profits commensurable with the investment required.
Does the franchisor provide an effective training program?
Does the franchisor offer a solid support system with efficient and effectual tools?
Does the franchisor focus on innovation?
Does the franchisor invest in the system continuously?
Is there sufficient demand for the business products and/or services?

Traditionally franchise experts have focused on these outer elements as the keys to franchisee success. Yet, if these factors were enough to produce successful franchisees then no franchise systems with these components would ever experience franchisee failure. Unfortunately this is not the case.

Franchisee success depends on much more than outer circumstances and conditions. It depends on the inner character of each franchisee, specifically around the following factors:

How well do franchisees know what they want to achieve from the business; that is, what the business will do for them? How engaged with their dreams are they?
Do they hold beliefs that support their success or are they still hanging on to beliefs that work against them?
How ready are they to accept all of the conditions that are brought about by their potential success?

Franchisees who don’t do well in a franchise where others are thriving tend to look outwards for the causes of their personal lack of success. Typical comments from these individuals include:

Had the franchisor been honest with me I would not have bought into this franchise.
Only those franchisees who have this or that innate skill can succeed at this business.
If we only had this or that tool then I could succeed.

I know this may sound stern but to me these are rationalizations from franchisees who are not ready to take responsibility for their success. There may be some truth to their statements and feelings, but when they use them to justify their results without examination these statements are unreliable.

Successful franchisees know what they want and go for it. They hold the beliefs that support their success and dismiss those that don’t. And, they are willing to do whatever it takes to get ready to achieve the success they seek.

Franchise Success = Dreams + Beliefs + Readiness

Lizette Pirtle — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:05:49 +0000

Franchise Success: The New Formula is about how franchisees can reach the success they seek when they take the time and make the effort to clarify their dreams, adopt the beliefs that support their efforts, and reach the level of readiness that allows success. Through a series of examples I show how the lack of clarified dreams, non-supportive belief systems and non-readiness lead to a sense or the reality of failure for many franchisees. Furthermore, I also share examples of how success is achieved when these components are in place and the process needed to get there.

Successful franchisees know what they want. They dare to dream. They clarify their dreams to the point when they transform them into their vision. They allow these dreams to propel them through life towards their achievement. They are so sure about what they want that they see it, touch it, taste it, smell it, and live it in their minds until it becomes the reality they live day in and day out.

Successful franchisees have a belief system that supports the achievement of their dreams. They know they can win; they know they can achieve what they are seeking, and they know they can learn to do whatever they need to do to make their dreams come true. They believe that the franchise in which they invested will produce the results they seek. They believe in the franchisor, in the franchise system, and in the fact that they can implement the business model successfully. Whatever doubts pop into their minds they are quickly dissipated by strength of their supportive beliefs.

Successful franchisees are simply ready to be successful. They have worked through the issues and beliefs that could impede their success and are no longer in a state of resistance. They embrace their possibilities and their future but also they accept the present as the path towards what they desire understanding that there are steps that must be gone through on the way to their dreams.

Franchisees can create the conditions they need to manifest the success they seek. Likewise, franchisors can provide a supportive environment and a systematic approach for franchisees to reach the results they expect.

Do you know your dreams? Do you know if you have the supportive beliefs needed to assure your success? Are you ready?