Franchise Owner Duties and Responsibilities

6 Franchise Owner Duties

1. Financial Responsibilities 

This is one of the most challenging franchise owner duties as, unless it’s an accountancy franchise, not everyone is skilled with the intricacies of paperwork, accounts and payroll. But, being a franchise owner means you have to get used to it, as understanding where your money is going and how it’s coming in is how you’ll get to know which areas of the business need focus or where you might need outside help, such as advice from your franchisor.

2. Staffing and Training

As your franchise grows, it’s normal to have to take on people to help you run the business from different aspects. This can be quite a challenge and is one of the franchise owner duties that owners often need advice on as dealing with subordinates, especially when it’s your own business, can get very personal. Not all personalities are going to get along, but they also don’t have to, as you are also responsible for training; making sure your staff are well-equipped to perform their own roles can be as far as your input as an owner needs to go.

3. Taking a Leadership Role

Not only are you responsible for hiring, firing, and training staff, but they also look to you as the leader of the business. For some, this can be a difficult role to play as they may just want to keep their head down and do the work. That’s ok. Some prefer to lead by example rather than words, but whichever leadership approach you choose, remember that it’s always there, and people in the business will be looking to take their cues following your lead.

4. Customer Service

Dealing with your own staff is one thing, but dealing with customers can be a whole different ball game. As the public face of your franchise, one of the core franchise owner’s duties is to build relationships with customers, whether that’s making sales or taking complaints. Good customer service can help build your franchise into something beyond its brick-and-mortar presence, and it’s the benefit of being an owner that you get to decide how your own business engages with the public.

5. Responsibilities to Your Franchisor

The nature of franchising creates a very specific franchise owner duty that other small business owners don’t have, the relationship with your franchisor. Franchisors, in general, are there to help and support you, you carry their name, and the better you do, the better they do. However, it is still a relationship with responsibilities to be upheld on both sides. In return for your royalty or territorial fees, you will receive training and support throughout your relationship and, in many cases, also the products and services your franchise sells. This makes your partnership completely intertwined and one to obviously maintain in good order.

6. Running Your Local Marketing

While your franchisor is in charge of the larger-scale brand marketing, which could even be nationwide, in most cases, franchise owner duties involve looking after their own local marketing. Your franchisor may even provide promotional materials or guidelines on how to market your business, but it will be up to you as an owner to make sure you are getting in front of potential customers in order to build your business.