The Business Owner Lifestyle
Setting your own schedule.
Being a pillar of the community with a strong reputation and a solid customer base.
The cold, hard cash.
The lifestyle of a business owner is attractive, but it’s important to think about how you will get to that lifestyle—it doesn’t happen on day one. If you’re thinking about launching your own business, perhaps an auto glass business, how can you get to that lifestyle you’re envisioning? Franchising is different than starting a business on your own from nothing, so let’s compare the two approaches to business ownership.
Franchising Offers Security
There is less risk in launching a franchise than starting a business from scratch. Brand recognition is a key factor in attracting a solid customer base. A franchisor, like NOVUS, has a professional brand with branding materials to help you launch your marketing efforts quickly and successfully. By choosing a franchise, you’re trading that risk for less flexibility in the product. You are selling a product that must conform to the franchisor’s standards and must brand in the ways the franchisor specifies. But most franchisees see the advantages of this lack of flexibility. When customers see an established brand, they see a promise of a certain experience. Instead of you having to build that promise over decades in a market, you can take advantage of the franchisor’s decades of effort to build that promise. Specifically, in the auto glass business, insurance and fleet companies are looking for a consistent experience and trust the national brand of NOVUS to provide that.
When you are working with an established brand, they have done the work of market research, product development, and establishing vendor relationships. This a tremendous amount of work and it ensures franchisees begin in a much stronger position than independent entrepreneurs. Franchisors often have strong support networks for new franchises and can provide guidance and offer advice to them. NOVUS provides a month of training for new franchisees and ongoing support so that your auto glass business can maximize the advantages of the brand from the start.
Franchising Is Difficult, But Rewarding
By purchasing a franchise, you enjoy the benefits of an established brand with established customer relationships. NOVUS has partnerships with dozens of fleets, fleet management companies, insurance networks, and insurance companies—not to mention the brand recognition for the general consumer. That doesn’t mean that everyone will knock on your door on day one, however. You will be the one to pound the pavement, taking advantage of the partnerships NOVUS has formed to establish relationships and brand presence in your local market. Much of the fees you pay a franchisor like NOVUS are to take advantage of the existing infrastructure, brand, purchasing power, technology, and franchise support. But local customers still need you to do the work to use these advantages to provide the best customer experience. Starting a business from scratch requires the same work, but without the advantages provided by a franchisor.
Franchising Means Shared Values
A big part of the potential franchisor research process has to do with company values. Do your homework and determine what you need in a franchisor. Is customer service high on the list of priorities? What about talent acquisition and retention? Employee turnover can be a considerable cost to a large company and a positive work environment is one of the top factors that make employees look elsewhere. Ask other franchisees how they’re treated by their franchisor. Do they feel the relationship is mutually beneficial? Do they feel respected and supported without being micromanaged? The way a franchisor makes you feel will ripple out toward your team, so be sure you’re working in an organization you can be proud of. It’s easier (and cheaper) to keep good employees than to find and train new ones.
Potential revenues vary considerably between industries, but if you find a product you’re passionate about, you can channel that drive into a lucrative career. If your passion is customer experience, service, or cars perhaps an auto glass business is a lucrative franchise opportunity for you. There are many factors to consider when researching a franchise opportunity–many of which aren’t financial at all. When you find the right fit, you will find yourself in the exciting position to take charge of your work. You will enjoy support from a strong network of talented individuals who share your enthusiasm and want you to succeed.
Either way, the path to the business owner lifestyle is one of hard work. Start your auto glass business with a franchisor like NOVUS to take advantage of the knowledge and experience of hundreds of business owners who have walked that path with NOVUS before you.
If you would like to know more about the franchisee lifestyle in the auto glass industry with NOVUS Glass, please contact us today. You can reach us at our website or by phone at 800-944-6811.
Back
