Have you considered starting a franchise only to think, “now’s not the right time?”

Do you keep putting off moving forward by saying, “it's just not the right time?”

Does your inner voice say?

• What if I don’t succeed?
• Where can I find a franchise business that is “guaranteed” to succeed?
• How can I successfully run a franchise without direct experience?

Deciding if “now is the time” is a question also asked when faced when:

• Choosing to start a family,
• Purchasing a home, or
• Quitting an unfulfilling job.

And, like many questions of major importance, concluding that “now’s not the time” is frequently the simplest response.

Why do people find deciding “not to do something” so easy? Because nobody will be able to say you made a mistake.

The reason most people conclude it’s “not the right time” is simply due to FEAR.

The acronyms for FEAR are many.

• Finding Excuses And Reasons
• Forget Everything And Run
• False Evidence Appearing Real

Think about it. Would you have stepped on the bus for elementary school if you let fear dictate your behavior?

As adults we learn that fear comes from what we don’t know.

After all, it’s not uncommon to be more nervous about what you don’t know that about what you do know.

Remember President Roosevelt's, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself?”

Apprehension and fear have been part of the human condition ever since we appeared on the planet.

We were taught that every animal instinctively adheres to the “fight or flee” ingrained response to anxiety.

And we’re no different, but we can keep from allowing our fears to get the best of us and stopping us from reaching our goals.

After all, the thought of investing a large part of our life savings to start a franchise can be very anxiety provoking.

That’s why almost 99% of everyone who investigates a franchise business never buys one. They let their fears drive the show.

Is there a way to triumph over fear?

Yes, by gathering information.

Remember the monster in your closet when you were little? It wasn’t really there no matter how frightened you felt.

Fortunately, when it comes to owning a franchise you can overcome your fears by getting the facts you need to come to an intelligent decision.

The technique used in franchising is referred to as Validation

When you contact franchisees of a system, whether they’re currently in the business or have left the business, and ask them about the franchise opportunity in all it’s facets, it’s referred to as a validation call.

There’s no other process like this for most other areas of your life.

If you ask your friend about his mortgage payments, it won’t help you with yours and if you ask him about his kids it won’t help you figure out how yours will turn out.

However, when it comes to franchising, questioning franchisees about their experiences and observations will definitely help you overcome any fears of the unknown.

Think of it this way: if you went on a job interview and spoke with a dozen or more employees, wouldn’t you have a better understanding of the company than if you just spoke with one or two managers?

Franchise Information - Advice for you Validation Calls:

Since there are so many different franchises available in so many different industries you’ll have to develop your own list of questions, but do make sure they cover the following topics:

• Training – initial and ongoing
• Marketing and Sales – strategies and materials, growth strategies
• Reporting – franchisor specific and elsewhere
• Financials – initial costs, on-going operating costs and profitability
• Accounting – systems and compliance requirements
• Legal – franchise agreement and exit sale covenants
• Franchisor – reputation, market brand awareness, willingness to adapt
• Lawsuits –ongoing and resolution of past suits - over what issues?
• Franchisee/franchisor relations – communication, style and issues
• Operations Support – quality, frequency, type
• Real Estate - (when applicable) support and role of the group

It’s important to develop a list of core questions so you can ask the same ones on each call. This will increase the odds of seeing patterns and most importantly, seeing consistency in their answers.

And don’t be surprised if the franchisees aren’t “in love” with their franchisor, they might still be complimentary but the important issue is, once again, consistency…when most give you similar responses, you have what you need.

Overcoming fear comes from gathering the facts by performing a thorough investigation of the franchisor.

Do that and you’ll be able to make a well informed decision; regardless of which way you go.

And remember, we usually don’t regret the things we did; we usually regret the things we didn’t do.

Take the time to perform a thorough examination and you’ll be glad you did, you’ll also overcome your fear of buying a franchise.

Learn more about franchising and which franchise opportunities are best for you.