Holidays and Head Trash

“Are you crazy?”  “I can’t believe you’re starting a business in THIS economy!”  “You’re going to quit your JOB to start a business?”  “You’re buying a franchise?  Is it McDonald's? Chick-Fil-A?  Why not?” “Why would you leave your great job to own your own business?”

The holiday season, which seems to begin before Halloween and extend past New Year’s these days, can be full of land mines for entrepreneurs considering business ownership. The reason is simple: while entrepreneurs are able to see past obstacles and see the end result, not everyone can.  Those not brave enough or unwilling to leave the comfort of their job will want to criticize your interest in doing so.  The old adage that “everyone has an opinion” is never truer than sitting around with family and friends during the holidays.

Perhaps you’ve been exploring various franchise concepts for the past few weeks, and are ready to take the next step towards business ownership in the New Year.  If that is where you are in the process, you’ve no doubt spent countless hours completing franchise investigation and may want to share your excitement with family and friends over the holidays.  Be prepared that your enthusiasm may not be shared by all of the recipients.  Inevitably, you will get the furled forehead, concerned look accompanied by some form of “Are you crazy? You want to leave your job in THIS economy?”.

We can tell you that this exact same scenario plays out every year during the holidays, regardless of the economy, job market or general mood of the country.  Why?  Well as you have likely learned during the franchise investigation process, business ownership requires a certain spark.  A dream of being your own boss.  Of controlling your own destiny.  Of knowing that when you get up every morning and work hard all day that the fruits of that effort go into YOUR pocket.  It can also be scary – but the entrepreneur can push through that fear for the greater good.  The challenge is not letting the “head trash” from other people get in the way of your dream.

The franchise investigation process is rather intense as you slowly absorb the various elements of each brand such as their marketing, accounting, software, operations manual, etc.  Each franchise system has a defined process, and they are shopping you as much as you are shopping them.  The brand is considering YOUR ability to follow their process before deciding to offer you a franchise agreement.   Franchising at its core is simply a repeatable process that if followed, brings success.  So, if you are unable to follow the franchise investigation process, you risk not being offered a franchise agreement.

There are many times during this process where you will question your own motivations and abilities.  Unfortunately, that “fear” is a hurdle that some potential business owners are never able to overcome.  But fear is an expected part of the franchise investigation process, so if you are experiencing a healthy dose of it…relax…you are completely normal!

Hopefully what you have learned here will help you avoid the head trash and prepare you for the folks who are unable to share your vision of the future. Remember that while the holiday season will probably test your confidence in making the decision to be a business owner, fear is a normal part of the process; so, trust in your abilities and don’t let others keep you from achieving your entrepreneurial dreams.