New Franchise Concepts for a New Age

For so many years the world of franchising was relegated to burgers, pizza, and printing. (Yes, I know that there were many other categories, but nothing compared to the nearly 100 different industry segments represented today.)

Naturally, over time, not only were new options demanded by prospective franchisees, but the notion of company growth via franchising began appealing to entrepreneurs with unique concepts. It’s not just that those new entrepreneurs had 'different' concepts, they had 'very' different concepts. Now, the problem is that both prospective franchisees 'and' prospective franchisors alike must be able to discern between those new concepts that make sense and those that are not franchise worthy. As a franchise consultant, I spend a fair amount of time helping people make that decision.

For example, if one is in the window washing or dog waste business, it would require a very powerful feasibility study to prove that franchising (as opposed to other forms of growth) is a wise choice. However, when there exists a system and a concept that is growing and makes sense economically over the long-haul, then franchising can make sense. Most of us would have laughed at 'day care for dogs' years ago. Not boarding, but 'dog day care'. Today it's a burgeoning business. Or how about 'renting sheds'? It wouldn’t have worked in my childhood, but people are now making money today building and renting out back yard storage sheds.

The real trick is this: freshness yes, but reasonable, well thought out freshness that can be proven as franchiseable.