The Eight Cylinders of Business™

Imagine your business (Franchisor or Franchisee) is a car that has an eight-cylinder engine.  

Each of the cylinders are equally as important as the other working harmoniously with the others.  When one cylinder fails it can stop the entire engine from running.

Warning lights then illuminate an automobile’s dashboard prompting the driver to take corrective action to avoid costly mistakes or ultimate engine failure.  Driving a business is different – and not nearly so simple. 

In business there is no dashboard nor any other type of warning signals to caution of potential problems that could lead to poor performance or even business failure. 

How then can a business person know when potential problems exist – problems that must be corrected if the company is to succeed?  

Organizing and running a business can be divided into eight disciplines or cylinders. 

Each cylinder needs to be addressed early on and continuously throughout the lifespan of the business.

Any successful business owner, including a franchise company, has to create a “rules-based” business model.   Owning a franchise business, all the systems and procedures are established. The franchise company has developed and refined the process and procedures that successfully work to maintain uniformity and consistency. 

The goal, for the franchise company, is to evolve and build a professionally managed (Stage 31) franchise company using competent professionals and department heads who embrace these rules and run their individual departments accordingly.

This enables the franchise owner to manage their franchise more effectively and benefit both the consumer and franchise at the same time!

This cylinder addresses what takes place within the “four walls” or the “core” of the business. This includes operational, procedural and/or technical manuals that are the “bible” for operating the business. In a franchise business, that bible has already been created by the franchisor for use by its franchisees.

Training programs transfer the processes for operational consistency so customers have the same experience in every franchise location. Site selection manuals, for location preference, prescribe the specifications for evaluating and selecting locations. Field support manuals enable the field staff to effectively service and support the franchise network.

We have found, during the past 20+ years of research into behavioral characteristics, that different profiles learn and respond differently.  Some profiles are Auditory, which means they learn by what they hear so training programs that have voice recordings are the most beneficial for this profile.

Other profiles can be Visual, meaning they learn best by what they see so audio/visual training aids are best for this profile.  

Some are Kinesthetic, learners which means they learn by what they feel.  

That is a combination of how the brain and the heart work in tandem with each other, which, scientists have proven exists.

There is no “one-size fits all” formula in franchising because every person is “wired” differently.  A company, business owner or franchise operator must realize this very crucial factor to ensure they have “the right people on their bus” and are catering to the needs of each individual instead of trying to force a round peg into a square hole.

To learn more about franchise opportunities, visit FranchiseExpo.com.

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1.Taken from Franchise Stages of Growth. ™ Registered with the Library of Congress in 1991 and first used in 1985. Originally presented at the 31st Annual International Franchise Association Convention, Miami Beach, Florida 1991. And The Core Element of the Franchise Gold 100 for Success Magazine in 1988 – 1992.