Even though I cut my teeth in franchising at a huge company, my “Fan Girl” love of franchising is in emerging brands; those who are just starting up because they are quite literally emerging into something better and bigger, with you as a new owner in their brand!
Emerging brands are pretty awesome because the founder(s) often had one of two reasons for getting into the business:
1) They came up with a new, cooler and more fun way to do something.
Or:
2) They saw a gap in the market – either in their local market, or the entire industry just didn’t exist (yet).
They became trusted and they started making money running the business. Over time, the brand stood out and got attention in their community – the idea of franchising presented itself.
Flash forward to a lot of work to document how they run the business, establishing relationships with reliable suppliers, and creating repeatable systems – they launched. An attorney trusted them. An adviser (like me) believed in them. A financial consultant audited their books. Registration states accepted their Franchise Disclosure Document and granted them permission to offer their opportunity to owners.
Here they are now, ready for you to consider their brand!
Whether there’s one unit or more, these newer, emerging brands have taken advantage of better, more robust, and app-driven technology. They have created a service-based mission to help others – whether it’s clients or franchise owners. Their aim is to be better than other established companies and to be competitive among the brands people recognize.
When a franchise candidate invests in an emerging brand, they will be more likely to get access to the original founders of the brand, too. And these new owners may be able to help shape the next phase of growth for the company. Supporting, trusting, and validating the brand and founder’s leadership – they can make this brand even better.
So, if you are looking for a new business, be sure to check out an emerging brand, before they are bigger and the territory near you is sold out.
– Dawn Abbamondi
Dawn Abbamondi, Director of Brand Development & Marketing at SMB Franchise Advisors, has over 20 years of extensive franchising experience in the coffee, food, convenience, gift and floral industries. Dawn leads the areas of marketing, social media, public relations, web development and lead generation. Contact her at 215-370-7998 or Dawn@SMBFranchising.com. Visit www.SMBFranchising.com