Didier Bert
La Presse
The franchisor and the franchisee cannot limit themselves to a client–supplier relationship. Day to day, both parties must learn to work hand in hand. This learning process requires respect for each other’s role, but also the ability to listen to one another.
Respect the franchisor’s expertise
The franchisee must scrupulously follow the franchisor’s method. “The entrepreneur is buying into an existing recipe,” illustrates Julie Bergevin, vice-president of Groupe Adèle, a residential cleaning franchisor with more than a hundred locations in Québec. The company will soon be inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Conseil québécois de la franchise.
“If the entrepreneur wants to change the recipe, they lose the essence of what they bought. The more closely a franchisee applies the recipe, the more successful they are,” she adds.
“A good franchisee often becomes a multi-franchisee,” notes Gaétan Migneault, president of Groupe Adèle. “They’ve truly understood the benefit of having a solid recipe — and knowing how to apply it themselves.”
By following the network’s method, the franchise owner ensures better resale value when the time comes. “It’s easy to resell our businesses, because the buyer knows exactly what they’re getting,” says Migneault. “At McDonald’s, no one asks who’s cooking. The customer can change franchisees without even noticing.”
Stay within the franchisee’s role
At the start of the partnership, the new franchise owner must set their creativity aside. Certainly, they have a strong enough entrepreneurial spirit to go into business, but that creativity should not lead them to reinvent the wheel. Before them, “the franchisor has already tested and made mistakes, and reached the peak of the development curve,” explains Bergevin.
It’s only once the franchisee has mastered the network’s standard method that they can propose innovations. “The Big Mac was created by a McDonald’s franchisee,” recalls Migneault. The American chain is the largest franchise network in the world. “The franchisor must know how to stay the course, while adapting to stay relevant.”
Every month, Groupe Adèle receives suggestions from its franchisees. The franchisor tests the best ideas, though not all are adopted. “The franchisor must listen, and the franchisee must be understanding,” says Migneault.
This challenge is doubly important in a franchise network. In a traditional business, the board of directors decides for everyone. In a franchise system, there’s an extra decision-making level: the franchisor.
Remain a leader
When launching a franchise, the banner is built on proven know-how. But the franchisor must be able to maintain its edge over competitors. “Many franchises have disappeared because the franchisor didn’t stay the best at their craft,” observes Migneault. “You have to keep working, running tests, and not launch new things without a proper impact study.”
This work doesn’t stop at marketing campaigns. “The franchisor proposes changes to our kitchen layouts so we can serve customers faster,” explains Benoît Villeneuve, who co-owns two St-Hubert rotisserie franchises in Longueuil (Roland-Therrien and Place Longueuil) with his partner. Starting as a dishwasher in 1995, Villeneuve worked his way up through every level of the St-Hubert network.
Be present alongside the franchisee
When buying a franchise, the owner also acquires support. Day to day, the franchisor must turn that promise into action. “In this period of labour shortages, the HR department is thinking about how to attract young people,” says Villeneuve. “That’s not my job, but I’m the one who benefits from it.”
Sometimes a franchisee needs an urgent response from the network. In those cases, quick reaction helps overcome very concrete difficulties. “Over the holidays, we had ventilation issues,” recalls Villeneuve. “St-Hubert immediately sent me names of companies that were open during the break and could fix the problem.”
“If something goes wrong, I send a text and get an answer right away,” he adds.