Striving for new goals is a motivating way to give you a new beginning. For many people, these goals may include the desire to start their own business, spend less time commuting, increased financial gains, and making their own decisions and franchising can fit very well into that picture.

Here are 10 reasons to choose a franchise opportunity if you want to own your own business.

 Top 10 Reasons for Buying a Franchise

Striving for new goals is a motivating way to give you a new beginning. For many people, these goals may include the desire to start their own business, spend less time commuting, increased financial gains, and making their own decisions and franchising can fit very well into that picture.

Here are 10 reasons to choose a franchise opportunity if you want to own your own business.

1. Proven Track Record. Any good franchise company has developed a method of doing business that works well and produces successful results. Even better, they’re required to provide you with a great deal of information in their required disclosures so you can research and verify the results with existing franchisees prior to making your final decision.  At Minuteman Press, we believe the first step in researching a business is to see a few different stores in operation, which will give you the opportunity to talk to owners and ask them any questions you may have. Also, Minuteman Press has been ranked the #1 printing franchise in the industry 20 times by Entrepreneur Magazine.

2. Turnkey Operation. There are many entrepreneurs that have exactly what it takes to run a successful business but don’t have what it takes to get their business up and running; whether it’s financing, negotiating lease terms or even the confidence it takes to quit their job and start their own business. Buying a franchise gives you the game plan for setting up, running and managing your own business. When you buy a franchise you are buying a complete turnkey business.

3.  Strong Brand Name. One of the biggest advantages of franchising is that the company is building a brand on a regional or national basis that will have value in the eyes of customers you would like to attract. With over 35 years of experience in the industry and almost 1000 locations throughout the world, Minuteman Press is well known for its quality products and services.

4. Training Programs. A high-quality franchise company has training programs in place designed to educate someone who has no background in the industry, as well as no experience in running their own business.  They should also have reference materials to assist you in dealing with whatever comes up while you’re running your business and Minuteman Press has all of that and more. We have developed a comprehensive two week training program at our home office, where we will we teach you everything that you need to know how to run and manage your business, including marketing techniques as well as instruction on how to use the proprietary business management software.

5. Ongoing Operational Support. The success of a franchise depends on the success of the franchisees. Therefore, the majority of our time at Minuteman Pres is dedicated towards supporting our owners. You’re not alone when you’re building and running your business, and you can always call on experienced people when you hit a rough spot or want to share new ideas for growing the business. Minuteman Press has 25 regional support offices strategically located throughout the world, each office staffed with a vice president as well as a marketing and technical representative to provide ongoing support and assistance at the stores location.

6.  Real Estate Assistance.  Location is an important factor in any business. Most franchises require a franchisee to find their own location, but at Minuteman Press we assist with that process. We help research an area to make sure that it is conducive for operating a successful center. We will not put up a center that does not live up to our expectations.

7. Location Layout & Design. A well-planned retail store layout allows a retailer to maximize the sales for each square foot of the allocated selling space within the store. Store layouts generally show the size and location of each department of the center, any permanent structures, fixture locations and customer traffic patterns. Unlike most franchises, Minuteman Press is not a cookie cutter type franchise.  Each floor plan and store layout will be designed for the most efficient work flow to maximize time and money.

8. Marketing Assistance. Once your center is up and running, you will need to promote that business. The franchisor has marketing assistance to provide you with proven tools and strategies for attracting and retaining customers. Usually, the staff helps you develop the actual marketing plans and budgets for your grand opening as well as your ongoing efforts to market your business effectively.  At Minuteman Press, once you leave the training school, a local representative will assist you in the set up of your location and will continue to assist you with the daily activities of the business, including meeting with customers, pricing jobs and teaching you how to bring in new customers.

9. Purchasing Power. A good franchise can take advantage of the buying power of the entire system to negotiate pricing for everything you need at significantly lower levels than you could achieve as an independent operator. This applies not only to initial furniture and equipment purchases, but also to the supplies, inventory and everything else you’ll need on an ongoing basis. By having almost 100 locations and being the largest franchise in the printing industry, we are able to realize far greater discounts than independent business owners.

10. Exit Strategy.  When the time comes that you would like to retire or sell your business for any reason, most franchises leave it up to you to do so. However, with Minuteman Press, our experienced staff will assist you in finding qualified buyers who are serious about purchasing your business, thus relieving you of the expense and hassle of doing it yourself.

As you look at this list, it not only shows a number of reasons to think about purchasing a franchise, it also shows you some of the major challenges you’ll face if you have to create all these things yourself in an independent business. However, you do have to pay fees in a franchise. These fees vary depending on the franchise, so make sure to research what you are getting for your money. You can pay the franchisor the fees, or you can pay for many expensive mistakes by not learning the lessons of others that have gone before you; that decision is up to you. Using a franchise to meet your goal of starting a new business is a wonderful approach for most people, for all these reasons and many more.