This is why a running a franchise is like a marriage

Everyone knows that one couple who’ve been together for decades. They’re loving, considerate, and work well together as partners. Who wouldn’t give anything to be like them?

But how do they make such a partnership work? It turns out the answer isn’t all that different from running a franchise.

Hard work

It’ll come as no surprise that the best marriages – like the most well-run franchises – are a lot of work. You can’t take it for granted that everything will run smoothly. Sometimes, you have to spend days doing one thing when you’d rather be doing something else. But when you see how your hard work pans out, you know it’s all worth it.

Communication

Good communication is the cornerstone to any successful marriage – and any successful franchise. You need to know how to talk to your spouse – er, your employees – in way that resolves issues, facilitates negotiation and makes everyone feel valued.

Compromise

Compromise is the cornerstone of a happy marriage – and a happy franchise. It’s true that, with a franchise, you don’t control every aspect of a company like you would if you started it from scratch. But you do get to oversee your own part of the business to your satisfaction, which can be a terrific middle ground.

Seeing the big picture

Sometimes, in order to have a successful marriage (and franchise), you need to see the big picture. Franchises are great at knowing what works because they’ve tested numerous methods already. You can benefit from their knowledge and experience (the big picture) by applying it to your particular branch of the franchise.

Loving the one you’re with

At the very root of superlative partnerships is love. Love for who you’re with, what you do and what you have to offer the relationship. When you feel passionately about a particular person or business, when you have that love, it shows – and decades of happiness can follow.