Franchising and Women

Good day,

As I pack up to hit the road again tomorrow morning, I was thinking about the difference in visiting men and women franchisees. Both can be successful franchisees, but women do tend to be more organized and keep their employees longer.

Depending on the type of franchise, there is no reason a woman can't be successful. I really can't think of a franchise that a women couldn't own and run, but just as I don't think men would be a right fit for a Curves (women only exercising) there are probably a few things best left to the men.

In general, the women seem to be able to put themselves in the shoes of a customer better and therefore have better customer service. They tend to communicate better so are better at running a business where you have to talk to customers directly.

When a franchise is run by a couple, the woman is usually the one who is on the phone with customers, doing the bookkeeping, and keeping things organized. In the franchises I visit, he is out selling and doing the out-of-office work. He comes in and hands her a pile of papers and she gives him another list to work on. She usually acts as the planet the husband revolves around and the arrangement works well.

I have heard it said that two women can not work together well. I don't believe that and think that two women can work very well together especial if one is a type A and the other a B. Just like two men, or a man-woman couple, it is all about the personalities, work ethic, and focus on success.

Unfortunately, there are not that many women that own their own franchise business. Once they buy one, they are committed to it like a marriage and they make it work. I have had male franchisees quit their business after 8 weeks. I have had several men just shut their doors and get another job within a few months of paying the price to buy the franchise. writting it off as changing their minds about wanting to make that kind of committment.

All in all, both sexes can be equally successful owning a franchise. I think that anyone that buys a franchise should do all the research possible to make sure that it is what they want to do and that they believe in their hearts they can be successful. It is more than just believing that the franchise can be successful, and believing that other people have bought the same franchise and were successful. You must believe that YOU can be successful. That's all that really matters.

Fran