One of the reasons that new Canadians decide to buy a franchise is because of the type of franchisor support that they can expect to help achieve success.  So, this is often a key point when deciding between becoming a franchisee or starting a new independent business. Many people will conclude that their chances of success will increase with the systems and support that a franchisor provides.

If you think that franchising makes sense, you may have decided it makes sense to pay for the right to use the franchisor’s brand, standards, and knowledge. In addition, a strong franchisor can often provide expertise in specific business functions, such as marketing or finance, that you may not have. However, it’s important to recognize that:

1. The level of franchisor support can vary.

2. Franchisor support will be clearly defined in the Franchise Disclosure Document and Franchise Agreement.

3. You need to do your own research to understand what support you’ll receive.

To learn more about franchising in Canada, download our free e-book today, and visit our Franchise Learning Center: 

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Types of Franchisor Support that You can Expect

Now, let’s explore four common types of franchisor support:

1. Initial Training:

You can expect to perform well when you select a franchisor to help you master the basics. And, training that is provided in your initial stages will help you achieve franchise success.

Your initial training will provide you with a broad overview of operations, marketing, sales, service, and general management. And, this may include:

• Operations training to develop skills and knowledge to run your franchise

• Financial and business systems training

• Employee selection and retention training (if applicable)

• Operations manuals and standard operating procedures

Your training begins after you sign your Franchise Agreement, and continues for as long as you own the franchise. And, your franchisor wants you to succeed! So, that means providing you with tools, resources, and knowledge right from the start.

2. Marketing and Advertising Support:

All franchisees are required to pay an Advertising Fee (usually 1 – 4% of gross sales). So, paying an advertising fee means that you do not have to create an advertising plan or marketing materials all on your own. In return for this fee, you can expect to receive:

• A marketing plan that extends past the grand opening of your franchise

• Tools to support brand building and promotional campaigns

• Guidance in local and regional marketing activities

• Professional marketing materials such as posters, brochures, banners, and other items.

3. Site Selection:

Not all franchisors will assist with site selection and site location is critical to your business success. But, if your franchisor doesn’t provide site selection support, you can usually get guidance related to:

• preferred business square footage

• parking requirements

• and, other information.

So, be sure to read what site selection support you can expect in the Franchise Agreement. And, discuss how you can work with the franchisor to select a great site.

Related Posts:

How Do I Identify a Great Franchisor?

How to Research a Franchise Opportunity that’s Best for You

4. Ongoing Franchisor Support:

After you have completed your initial training, the ongoing support that you receive is essential. This support is generally provided by the franchisor to:

• Help you to improve the performance of your franchise

• Ensure you’re operating your business to brand standards

• Help you to grow your business

Other ongoing support can be related to supply chain; management training; and new products and services. This support can be a huge benefit. Your franchise team is likely working with other franchisees who have dealt with similar issues that you will face so, this knowledge may help you to reduce, if not avoid mistakes.

So, franchisor support can be a large benefit and critical to your success. You may even make your franchise selection decision based on the support you’ll receive to start your business on the right foot. The ultimate goal is your franchise success and ability to benefit from the franchisor’s proven systems and support.

Visit our Franchising for New Canadians Learner Center to view tools, resources, and information to help you make an informed franchising decision.

My family is originally from South America. Like me, both my parents were born in Argentina and have strong family ties there. But when I was young, as the economy remained unsettled and work opportunities became scarce, talks of moving to Canada began.

My father was a welder and at the time, there was a need for people in the trades in Canada. As well, this country seemed to offer more opportunities and a better education for me. Like many immigrants, my parents made the difficult decision to uproot us from our home and life in the hopes of building a better and brighter future.

But a permanent move to a new country is never an easy one. The culture shock, the language barrier, and the task of re-establishing ourselves as a family proved to be difficult. My parents longed for their friends and family, as did I.

It took some time to adjust to a new place and start over. A positive attitude and a stubborn determination to succeed for my sake were the only things keeping my parents going.

As a child, it’s impossible to understand the sacrifices and hard choices parents make for their children. Only now, years later, as a mother myself, am I beginning to understand.

I can’t pinpoint the exact day or month when we finally adapted to this new Canadian environment. In some ways, I think we still are. But I do remember the start of our first summer as being the first time my mother was happy and life started feeling normal again.

We had been in Canada for about three months and summer was upon us. Living in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), we began to explore. The GTA has a number of free, family-friendly activities, events, and beaches. We had picnics at lakefront parks; we visited the Toronto Islands, and swam in transparent cool water at Crystal Beach. I remember how surprised my parents were at the cleanliness of public places and the kindness of people when we asked for directions in broken English.

And that’s what we did to move forward. We created new memories and began a new journey to build our life and our family in a new country. My humble beginnings in Canada are a constant reminder of how far I’ve come in my own journey as a mother, a writer, an editor, and an educator. With master’s degrees in education and journalism, I have worked in various facets of the children’s industry for more than a decade.

Over the next few months, I will be writing about issues that affect new Canadian families, including making the most of your children’s education, enjoying life in new communities, and navigating cultural issues around kids and parenting in a new country. I hope you’ll find this a place of useful information, as well as a place to share your own experiences raising your children in Canada.

Until next time,

Natalia Diaz

Owlkids Contributing Editor Natalia Diaz was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and writes about education and family issues. She lives in Markham, Ontario, with her family. 

Canada is a mosaic of languages and cultures. Half the residents in Toronto alone cited a mother tongue other than English or French, according to a 2011 census. In fact, Statistics Canada identified 160 different mother tongues among Greater Toronto Area (GTA) inhabitants and 200 home languages across the country. (more…)