If a district manager is not doing a good job, perhaps it’s because they don't have the guidance or the training to do so, especially for those that used to be unit managers. After all, the abilities and skills that made them thrive then are not the same as what makes a successful multi-unit leader. 

• Great district managers require the development of additional skills and knowledge to be successful. 

Think about it! A unit or general manager’s job is dictated by the day-to-day operations of the brand and the business they run every day in those four walls. But what the multi-unit leaders do completely depends on the district’s situation as well as on what happens in each unit within the district. 

That’s why the set of abilities they need to be successful at this position is completely different from that of a successful unit manager.

Over our many years of experience, analysis, research, and having worked with over 100 district managers,...

In the spring of 2021, we launched our best-in-class Multi-Unit Leadership Certification program, and 100 participants have completed the program so far. 

• Although we are the ones delivering this amazing program to aspiring, existing, and even tenured district managers and multi-unit leaders, we’ve also become apprentices in the last two years.

That’s why in this blog post, I’ll share the top 10 learnings we have had. These things have been eye-opening and some have helped us adjust our program to make it even better. 

If you are a district manager, a business owner, or a multi-unit franchisee, and you have one or more district managers, this program is for you! Click here to learn more about it!

Lesson 1: most multi-unit leaders are what we call “super GMs” because they do not understand what is their role as a multi-unit leader and district manager. That role is completely different from the one...

Certain leadership positions are critical for the health, well-being, and success of your business. These are the unit manager, assistant manager, shift manager, and district manager.

Especially if you have a growing multi-unit organization, those positions will open from time to time. Where will you look for talent to fulfill them?

• If you want to increase the probability of success of the new leaders in those positions, you should take a look inside your team to detect who’s ready to take over those responsibilities so you can allow them to grow. 

There’s great value in doing internal promotions instead of looking for an external collaborator because, when you promote from within, you increase your possibilities of success. 

There are more reasons why:

1. You know these people and their work ethic, so their performance is more predictable. They have been with you long enough for you to experience who they are as employees. When you hire externally though,...

There are a lot of things you obtain when you invest in a franchise, but there's also a lot you don’t get. 

If you are considering investing in a franchise, this blog post will give you key tools to decide. If you are already a franchisee and you are struggling with your business, this information will help you understand why this is happening and what you can do to change this.

• Either way, after reading this you’ll better comprehend what you are getting from a franchise and, most important, what you do not get from a franchise. 

This will open your eyes so you can make smart decisions for the present and future of your business!

4 things you get when you invest in a franchise

When you buy a franchise, the franchisor, which is the owner of the franchise brand, gives you in return a proven brand. That means you get:

1. A defined product or service that customers are willing to exchange money for. You also get all of the guidance and training you need to ...

Many people wonder if franchising is a good investment. I’ve been in the franchise industry for more than 35 years, therefore, I believe that franchising is a great investment. 

• It’s just that franchising is not for everybody. 

In this blog post, we’ll review why franchising is a great investment and how you can make sure you are making the most return out of that franchise investment.

The two parts of businesses

Here at The American Franchise Academy, we conceive businesses in two parts:

1. The brand is the first part, which includes the product, the service, or what you sell in return for the customer’s money.
   It has to be a good enough brand so that people are willing to exchange their hard-earned money in exchange for your product or service.
   It also implies the service processes, the image, and the marketing that is produced by that brand. 
2. The management systems are the second part of the business. This includes how you get profit...

Many people think that if you get a franchise, you can become rich. But investing in a franchise has nothing to do with the profit you can produce over what an independent business can produce. 

• Yes, there are certain advantages. But in general terms, the franchise is still a business. 

That means that how much profit franchises make doesn’t depend on the model itself, but on your understanding of the business financials and the application of certain business principles. 

Do you follow us on YouTube? There are over 150 videos with knowledge, tools, and resources that can help you be successful in your franchise! Subscribe now to get access!

The good news is that you can increase your chances of getting a profit by following these rules.

Know what’s the break-even point of your business

The break-even point is the number of sales or revenue that you must have to cover the business cost and have no loss, but also no profit. 

Franchises have...

 Even though there is a staffing crisis in the country, some employers are doing okay or much better than others. Why? Because they have a great employer brand. 

• What is this? The employer brand is your reputation as an employer, and what your current and past employees think about you and your organization.

Your employer branding will determine how easy or difficult it is going to be to get the staff you need and retain great people. 

The good news is that there are ways you can increase it so that you can thrive in this staffing war that is happening in our industry. That’s what we’ll review in this blog post.

The Importance of the Employer Brand

People that are looking for a job tend to ask their friends about where they work. 

During a job interview, interviewers often ask about the candidate’s previous job, what they liked and dislike about working there, and why they leave. 

As a matter of fact, in almost every...

No matter the season, business owners should put themselves on alert mode to protect their businesses from robbery, especially during the holidays or the summer, when crime tends to go up. 

• The awful truth is that the vast majority of theft in your business will come from within. This means that either somebody on your staff is robbing you, or letting an external know how to best rob you. That is an absolute business statistic. 

Do you know how to protect your business and how to be ready if you discover a thief among your team members?

In this blog post, I’ll be sharing the rule of 10-80-10 of employee theft in the business industry and some recommendations to shield your operations throughout the year to prevent any losses. 

Follow the conversation on our social media and subscribe to our YouTube Channel to review our business video tips to help you with your day-to-day challenges.

Way back in the early 2000s, I spent time in the...

The secret to multi-unit franchisee success lies behind the systems that allow them to delegate operations with confidence and focus on leadership, strategy, and growth.

• There are four systems that these franchisees implement in their organizations to do exactly this. The best part is you can learn these strategies to be just like them!

First, let’s define what is a system. This refers to a set of processes and procedures that, when implemented well, produce a predictable and consistent result. 

This is why franchising is so effective! In this business model, the founder of a proven brand created systems around a well-positioned and desirable product or a service so that you, as a franchisee, could duplicate those processes and procedures with a high level of excellence, and then obtain the expected predictable results in your own business.

Do you Have the Right Franchise? 5 Clues to Find Out

Success systems defined by the franchisor

There are three types of...

When you invest in a franchise you receive detailed step-by-step guidelines to duplicate the proven brand systems. These are contained in an operations manual, which you must follow to know how to operate the business.

Having this document is a great benefit for the new franchisee because then they can sell a desirable product or service and reproduce the brand, image, and marketing efforts the same way the franchisor does. This brings customers and revenue to their business.

But this is only half of the process in the franchise industry. And, although it is great to have a brand that brings revenue, revenue is not profit. 

• In order to have success in the long term, you also need to implement business systems, documented in a management manual. 

Today’s blog will review what should be in that management manual and the benefits of investing time and effort in this key task.

Who should write down the management manual?

Bad news the franchisor doesn’t...