Passive Franchise Ownership in Franchising
This is a three-minute video, the sixth in Kim Marinoff’s Franchise Red Flags series of 11 educational videos on the franchise industry. Its title is “Passive/Semi-Passive Ownership in Franchising.”
Here, Kim shares her franchise consulting expertise to inform you about key factors in passive franchise ownership, or semi-passive franchise ownership opportunities.
Passive franchise ownership or franchises that allow semi-passive owner roles can be of interest to a couple of types of people. In some cases, someone that is employed and is interested in and working to get something built on the side can find this is a good fit. One goal is for them to then transition from that job to operate the franchise, which by then will be producing revenue. After making that transition, the owner can then put effort into scaling the business, investing in and operating other units, etc.
In some cases, someone who is retired and wants a project on the side to produce revenue and give themselves something to work on might find a passive or semi-passive ownership situation appealing.
There are some key things to know and consider when you are researching passive franchise ownership or a semi-passive opportunity:
- Some franchises allow passive franchise ownership and some do not. Some franchises have designed their ownership programs or have learned through experience that they need owners fully engaged to be successful. Others have figured out that their units can be successfully operated by a passive or semi-passive owner.
- Franchises that allow passive franchise ownership must have strong training and support programs in place. You will need to find and hire a manager. You want to ensure that your manager can and does lean on the franchise company for support and guidance, and not on you, the franchise owner. You must make sure those tools and support systems are in place to help your manager.
- You must be properly capitalized, like with all franchise opportunities, and, frankly, any business venture.
- You must make a good choice when hiring a manager, and take steps to keep that manager in place. You don’t want turnover. If you are not directly involved in the business on a day-to-day basis, and the manager quits, that can be a huge problem. One way that Kim has approached this in the past with her passive franchise ownership is to create a sweat-equity partnership with the manager. For example, you can give them 4% ownership each year over five years with a contract that says they are fully vested at the end of that fifth year. That way, your manager benefits from and shares in the profits and the equity being built each year, and is rewarded at the end of that five-year effort with a 20% ownership stake in the franchise. That’s one way to reduce the chance of your manager leaving, by giving him or her a stake in the business and a true sense and role in ownership of the franchise.
Make no mistake. You must understand that no one else is going to run the business like you would if you were there working every day. If you can find the right manager, and effectively delegate the day-to-day operation of the franchise to a trusted candidate, passive franchise ownership can work for you, and there are some great opportunities out there.
I hope you find it useful; that you enjoy the other educational videos to come; and that you have already seen the prior videos in the series, or you will take a look and share your thoughts with me.
Considering a franchise? Call me, Kim Marinoff, the franchise matchmaker, today!
Thank you!
Smiles,
Kim Marinoff