Anything that requires stability needs a foundation, whether it is a house, a building or a franchise business. Every now and then, it pays to inspect it. With a critical eye, you can determine the practices throughout the business that are yielding the best results as well as those that might be hindering greater efficiency. When was the last time you evaluated your systems?
Every business has systems, which are the foundation of your franchise business. The problem with many small franchise businesses is that their systems have not been well defined yet or are very informal. Any franchise consultant will tell you this can hamper productivity and hurt franchise sales. Even well established franchise businesses can have systems that have not been updated in a while and are hurting the growth of the organization.
New franchise businesses need to keep things simple. You do not need an elaborate training system complete with online video and interaction when you are first starting out. But you do need a thoroughly detailed documentation of your systems. If you need help, call a franchise consultant. These professionals can give you the tools you need to capitalize on the strengths of your ideas and eliminate the weaknesses. If you are a more mature franchise business, the challenge with documenting a system is that once it is done, it is often forgotten. A simple review of existing systems or checklists can be a very simple process. Business changes quickly and your systems may need to change with it. Schedule time to review and refine existing systems.
So whether it is the foundation in your house or your franchise business, take a look every once in a while before the cracks start to show.