So, you’ve bagged yourself your dream job in the franchise industry, now how do you begin to progress?
Let’s face it, the UK is full of fantastic franchise opportunities and if you network regularly at industry events such as bfa forums, conferences, EWIF, Franchise Fest or the Best Franchise Awards, then you’ll probably already have your eye on which brands you’d like to work with in the future. Of course, if you want to land the best roles, then it pays to have earned a reputation for excelling in the role you’re in rather than jumping quickly from brand to brand.
But career progression doesn’t just happen overnight, which is why we have listed some quick tips below that may help you move forward in your franchise career.
Set goals and establish a timeline
It doesn’t matter what it is you are aiming for, you should always set yourself goals and establish a working timeline that outlines when you want to have achieved your goals by.
A great way to accomplish any goals is to use the ‘SMART’ guide - and it is just as relevant when your goal is progressing your own career!
Specific – Be sure that your goals are clear and specific. This means establishing who or what is involved, why you want to achieve this goal, when you want to achieve the goal, and why you want to achieve it.
Measurable – You also must consider if the goal is measurable and how you are going to measure your progress. Goals may be measured by answering questions like how many, how much and how will you know when it’s accomplished? This could be done daily, weekly or monthly. The key to properly measuring your progress is consistency!
Achievable – Identifying whether or not your goal is achievable could be determining if you have the correct set of skills or tools. It may be the case that you have to work towards developing new skills or attitudes in order to get there.
Realistic – All goals should be high, but they must be realistic too and represent something you are eager and able to work. Only you can determine this.
Timely – Finally, this is where you establish a timeline. You must estimate and allocate a time for when you want to have reached your goal by. With no timeline, there is no organisation or sense of urgency and this is when people tend to become demotivated.
Never stop learning
Learning is key to career progression. Those who are looking to progress their career in the franchise industry should jump on every opportunity possible, whether it be training courses or a little bit of extra studying. Continuous learning is crucial within the franchise industry because it’s so fast paced and ever changing (but that’s the great thing about it!), however, you must also strive to keep your skillset fresh and relevant. Education is certainly an extensive field, so here are a few simple steps to get you started:
Decide what you want to learn
First, consider how you want to develop your knowledge and what exactly should you be learning in order to do so. Be sure you are learning about something specific and relevant to your end goal.
Find relevant resources and opportunities
Reading and researching is always a great place to start. Your current employer may already have existing training courses available, and if not, research what is available!
Immerse yourself
The only way to effectively learn is by fully immersing yourself. This may take a lot of dedication, but it shouldn’t be a problem if you are committed to progressing in your career!
Don’t be afraid to take risks!
“I got to where I am today by playing it safe!” said no successful entrepreneur ever. Many well-known leading entrepreneurs took the ultimate risk of investing everything they had in order to make their businesses succeed. Look at Steve Jobs, one of the most popular ‘failure to success’ examples. He put everything into his initial business, NeXT, to make it what it is today – Apple, a trillion-dollar company. Career risks can often reap many benefits and rewards, so take a chance, or you might regret it.
Network
The power of networking should never be underestimated! Networking is a particularly powerful tool for budding entrepreneurs as it’s often a gateway to discovering new opportunities. It may only take one meeting or networking event for you to meet the right person who can help you level up in your franchising career. Whilst we believe that career progression depends on a combination of skill sets, personal development and networking, others will explicitly argue that ‘it’s not about what you know, but who you know.’
Are you ready to make your next move in Franchising? We would love to hear from you! Contact Franchise Moves, our new recruitment agency dedicated to the franchise industry. Franchise Moves also offer franchise sales and franchise resales.
Comments