Franchising.... No Day In The Park, But Closer Than You Think Howard Bassuk You have your heart set on getting a business that is part of the growing recreation market. You, yourself, are an avid fitness buff. You feel that recreation is the best part of your life. It makes you feel good, it keeps you healthy, and it’s.... FUN! That’s what’s bothering you. It is fun. It’s more than fun; it’s fabulous. It’s what you look forward to doing after your workday is over. It’s what you do with your free time. It’s what you choose to do, rather than what you have to do. But this is business. It’s your livelihood that you’re thinking about. Not just yours, but your family’s as well. Who said being in business was supposed to be fun anyway? It’s supposed to be challenging, and demanding, and growable, and stable, and high quality, and lots of other things. But fun? How silly can anyone be? You kick yourself for even thinking about it. What’s next, medicine that tastes like candy, and taxes that are optional and that you don’t really have to pay? After all, there’s a reason that they call it “work” isn’t there? If it was fun, we’d go to play, not to work; but no one calls our jobs or businesses play, right? Well, maybe it’s not such a far-fetched notion after all. Where is it written that a business that is fun or healthy, or sports and recreation related, can’t also be a darn good business? I know what you’re saying. I say it to others all the time, too. Don’t buy a franchise with your heart; buy it with your head! I always tell prospective buyers that they should analyze, research, investigate, inspect, and check every detail about each and every business that they would consider purchasing. I tell them to create their model of what their ideal business will be like. After all, any business that you would consider buying should be one where you can have both the professional life, and the personal lifestyle that you want for yourself. And, no matter what your heart may be telling you, its almost always a good idea to check several businesses, and then do the in depth research on each to know which one will best for you. You should be sure to match your personal and professional skills with the skills needed by the business that you are thinking of buying. Invest in yourself, and talk to others who are already in that franchise system, and see who does well and who does not. Then, don’t consider buying that franchise if you suspect you might be like the people in that system who are not doing as well as you would like. Having said that is it possible to do all those “prudent” things, those “responsible” things, and still find a business that’s in harmony with things you find important and enjoyable? Happily, the answer is a resounding yes! Franchises are unique in that they have no pre-ordained business sector that they have to be part of. A good business can come from virtually any area of franchising. It can come from the food sector, or the auto sector, or the service, sector, or the retail, sector, and..... dare I say it? They can be businesses that are not only good businesses, but are also fun for you! If a business is clonable (meaning that it can easily be duplicated and reproduced), and it is profitable, it is also usually franchisable. So, a business that is lots of fun can also be one that is duplicable, and profitable, and as such it can also be a good franchised business. A good business for you should be one that is in a sector of the economy that is highly sought after by a significant number of people.  Can anybody argue that businesses that deal with recreation, including sports, and travel are not a big part of the lives of millions and millions of people? Hmmm! Maybe, it’s possible after all! Perhaps you really can have a good business that is also one that you’re passionate about. Ask yourself a question: Doesn’t just about everyone you know want more recreation and free time? Isn’t that why we pay others to provide lots of services to us? To give us that precious commodity...time? By buying services from others, we can have more free time. We can use the time we save to go places, and do things that we enjoy. But we also need somebody to help us plan for, and get the things that are fun for us. It could be you and your business that provides us with the help we need. Demographically, the opportunity to be part of a rewarding fun, business is very apparent as well. Many of us are part of the baby boom generation. We work hard, and we play hard. We also are looking forward to the time when we can kick back and relax more than we can today. When we do relax, in addition to all the services we need now, we are going to need even more help in planning and providing for the things we need. We have all grown up expecting that someone will provide us with solutions to our needs. That means that the opportunity for businesses that help us get solutions to our recreational needs will be an important part of what people want, and expect to be available. Recreation covers a lot of areas of our lives too. If you want, you can be in a business that offers the finest in cycling equipment, or one that sells golf clubs, including both off the shelf or customized equipment, for that growing number of golf enthusiasts who want the best equipment that money can buy. You can sell a wide variety of other sporting goods, and they can be either used or new, or a combination of both. You can own a fitness center that has everything from physical training to a health food section. If you’re more “hands on” you can own a more personal fitness business where your classes are small, and where you go to your clients. If you like holidays and parties, you can own a business that makes giving a party more successful. You can be in a business that offers futuristic laser games, and indulges your imagination, or you can own a business that sells sports memorabilia depicting the glory of others, and bringing your dreams and memories home to you. If you’re a major investor, and recreation suits your business plan there are businesses for you here as well. If you want to own a hotel, or even a professional sports team, franchising can accommodate both your pocketbook and your passion! There are many choices that are recreation related, and that can offer you an excellent franchised opportunity. For many of us, our most concentrated form of recreation is our vacations. There are numerous franchises that specialize in travel. While not limited to just vacations, these businesses can certainly get us involved in some pretty interesting and rewarding travel experiences. There are travel franchises that cover just about every area of travel and recreation. And, in this era of specialization and niche marketing, there are also specialized travel niches like those that specialize in the cruise industry. They have also proven to be fertile ground for franchisors and franchisees. As you can see, there are truly many businesses that allow you to be close to the recreational pursuits that you may seek. Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? Is there a catch? Unfortunately, there can be. There are real dangers if you are not careful. While there is nothing wrong with picking a business that pleases your heart, you must also pick a business that makes sense to your head. It can be very easy to fall in love with the wrong business. A few years ago, I talked to a couple of prospective franchisees that told me that they wanted to own a travel business. When I asked them why, they told me that their passion in life was to travel, and that the travel business would help them be close to the thing they were most passionate about. I asked them how they felt about being in a business that required them to be very detail oriented, and was told that they didn’t like either paperwork or details. They liked adventure! My suggestion to them? Think long and hard before you buy a travel franchise! Consider other businesses before you buy. After all, the travel business is a business where you take care of other people’s travel. It means checking and covering every little detail. It means making sure that everything from transportation, to lodging, to transfers, to timetables, all be carefully coordinated and managed. In other words, it means handling lots and lots of details, and these people said they hated details, and weren’t good at handling them! So, while their hearts said travel business, their heads should have been saying absolutely not! You’re sure to understand if you have ever had someone that messed up one of your vacations. You know, the one that you waited all year to take. The one that was going to help you recharge your batteries, and refresh your personal relationship with your spouse. You probably weren’t very charitable to whoever messed it up for you. In fact, you probably told everyone you knew how bad your travel agent was! What you want from your travel agent is not someone who loves to travel, but someone who is good at handling the details of your trip. So, if you were like these people who loved recreational travel, but hated details and paperwork, a travel business would probably turn out to be a disaster for you. You would be much better served by buying a business that is less detail oriented, and which your skill would be more suited to make into a successful enterprise. Then, once you had succeeded, you could afford to go to that detail oriented travel agent, and plan the most wonderful trips of your life. And best of all.... someone else would worry about the details! There are lots of great things about the franchise business. One is that there are thousands of franchised businesses to choose amongst. If recreation is the market sector that you would like to be part of as a business owner, there’s a good chance that you can find one that will allow you to do so, while still taking advantage of your own personal skills and talents. It may or may not be the one you originally envisaged, but if it is one that allows you to have what you want, and will be a good business for you, it can make great sense. As I have said many times before. When buying a business, be careful, be thorough, be focused as to who you are and what you want, and don’t settle when making your choice. But don’t forget.... it can be fun too!