Twenty years ago, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to play an integral role in the crazy

fast growth of a fitness brand.

Over 6 years, I witnessed hundreds of franchisees take the plunge and open a gym.

Most of them, no doubt, took their time, did their due diligence, before signing a

franchise agreement.

And some of them did the opposite.

One person, let’s call him Mark, called the company, requested an FDD, signed it 14

days later without even reading it, and became a franchisee. Eighteen months later, he filed

for bankruptcy.

He didn’t fail because the model was unproven. It was one of the most proven business

models in the history of franchising. Almost all fixed costs, relatively simple to run, only

a few KPI’s, marketing was straightforward.

He failed because he didn’t want to own a gym. And he didn’t know that until he

opened.

Listen, you never really fully understand something until you are knee deep in it. But

there are things you can do, questions you can ask in order to get as much

understanding of what it will like as a franchisee of (insert brand) as possible.

The fitness brand failed Mark. The business developer failed Mark.

They should have required that Mark go through a process.

At Snooze, I (Jason Linse) am the first appointment. An example of your journey is the

following:

You see an ad on Facebook for Snooze Mattress Company franchise opportunities.

You swipe. We have your contact information.

You receive a call a day or so later. This call is to see if you truly are interested in

learning more about Snooze. The Snooze rep books a call with me, a call that will take

about 30 minutes.

On this info call, I get to know you, and I provide you with information about Snooze.

History, locations open, territories sold, territories available, why franchisees love our

brand, an idea of revenue potential, etc.

On this call, I also say something like this: “From this call until you sign a franchise

agreement, is typically a six to eight week process. There are 5 to 6 steps along the

way. Step 2 is a territory review, step 3 is an FDD review, step 4 is meet the team, and

step 5 is talking with current franchisees. We need to get to know you. You need to

get to know us. We want to make sure that when you sign a franchise agreement, you

are 100% on board and prepared for the challenge.”

Every brand will have a different version of their process, but never ever pursue a brand

that does not have a step by step process, and especially a brand who goes for a quick

close.

Franchising is a partnership. A marriage if you will. There will be disagreements, and

their will be compromise over the years, but you need to be aligned as a team together

in order to maximize success.

So, go through the steps, take your time, and also know that a good franchisor is

interviewing you along the way, as the best ones truly do “award” franchises, versus

“selling” you them.