STOP Restoration is a franchise in the industry of water damage, disaster and fire damage restoration. STOP franchises come with a nice logo and brand, large, protected territories, discounted equipment, great brochures, tons of training, a low royalty, manuals, support ... all the FRANCHISE BUZZ WORDS one could hope to find in a franchise of any sort.
So, why would STOP tell you to FORGET THE WORD FRANCHISE? In a nutshell, too many franchises use franchise buzzwords in hopes that you draw positive conclusions from nothing more than simple fluff and even sales hype. But, my realistic friends, success in most franchises (coffee shop, car wash or service company) is going to take something much deeper than a good looking logo and a few buzzwords like "support."
You are well advised to dissect the word "SUPPORT" for something of substance. After all, to succeed, you are ultimately going to have to internalize the knowledge and talents necessary to win in the industry you choose as a career.
To succeed in any franchise, what you'll really need is a BUSINESS CONSULTANT. If that comes as part of a franchise with other benefits (like protected territory, etc.), great! But don't let franchise companies off the hook of ACTUALLY KNOWING HOW TO BUILD YOUR COMPANY by using easy words like "fully supported." By who?! I doubt you want a brand where the salesman is NOT an industry expert and will NEVER speak to you again (he's onto the next sales job).
Will your "support" come from a rookie out of college that has no experience in your chosen industry? If you buy a hamburger franchise, you need a Ray Kroc. If you buy a ravioli franchise, you need Chef Boy-R- Dee. If you buy a race car franchise, you need A.J. Foyt to guide you. A buzzword like SUPPORT is not the same as real expertise.
And let's not forget that FRANCHISING does not excuse you from being competent. You will need direction and guidance in three areas; Technical (how to build the widgets), Marketing (how to bring yourself to market and sell something) and Management (of time, space, people and money). These HIGHLY IMPORTANT AREAS should not be waived off with a check mark for nothing more than a brochure that reads "Great Support." We're talking about your money here.
Even though a FRANCHISE should guide you along the shortest route to success, it isn't to be seen as a "short cut." The notion of "automatic success and income guarantee" misleads too many people into buying the wrong business, listening to loose-lipped salespeople and ultimately losing a lot of money and time.
To be fair, the word franchise does not excuse you from working hard, bringing energy, intelligence, and the ability to listen and learn. This learning curve may include putting aside your ego at times. Your chosen franchisor will expect you to provide full-time, focused entrepreneurial energy, guts, confidence, and drive to build a company that is hopefully one in a large number of franchisees that your franchisor can brag about. This is what it will take to succeed as a franchisee.
So forget the word FRANCHISE. At STOP, we bring the tools, the experts... the BEEF to build companies. If the restoration industry interests you, our many years consulting and building restoration companies, with INCREDIBLE results, gives us the confidence to say "you have found the right choice in restoration with STOP"
