Owning a franchise is a lot of hard work, but having the infrastructure of a franchise can help you continue to scale your business and find new growth opportunities. Franchise owners looking to expand their business reach and bring in new business should be prepared to scale their business in several ways to incorporate additional stores, locations, or services successfully. Here are some key factors that all business owners should consider when expanding their franchise.

Grow Your Team & Physical Infrastructure

If you own a franchise and are considering expanding your reach, one of the primary considerations should be your expansion location. Physical location is key to the success of your new branch of business, so be sure to select an area with an untapped market that has all of the physical infrastructures you need. For example, if you own a chain of hotels, you will need ample commercial space to build on, while a restaurant franchise could move into an existing retail space.

Finding the location is the first battle; once your retail space is secured, you will need to expand your personnel team to staff that location and service customers. Developing your team is essential for scaling a business of any kind. If your company offers digital services and does not require a physical store or office space to operate, you can save money by expanding your service offerings and hiring new skilled remote workers. If your franchise does require retail space, find employees ahead of time to train them in the months leading up to your opening. Hiring skilled employees is key to the successful operation of a new branch. As you scale your business, invest in employee benefits to attract and retain a skilled workforce.

Upgrade Your Server & Web Site

Another essential aspect of scaling your franchise will be maintaining and improving your website and server. Most franchises will require a separate website for each business location to ensure quick and convenient digital services for customers in that specific area. Suppose you are expanding your business into multiple units. In that case, you may need to invest in dedicated server hosting to gain the bandwidth and digital support to simultaneously manage a network of websites and a group of franchise locations.

Groups like Liquid Web will “partner with your IT team to design a hosting solution specifically tailored to your business needs.” Liquid Web’s team of professionals will give you the bandwidth and support you need to maintain fast and functioning websites across your growing enterprise.

This ensures every branch of your franchise is equally and fully supported through its digital infrastructure. Automatic security updates, fail-safe backups, and more are all available to keep your network of websites up and running. This is particularly important if your websites utilize any booking system or hold user data; each site will require backups and a quick and reliable digital infrastructure. 

Prioritize Customer Service

As you expand your franchise, prioritizing customer service will be vital to maintaining a good reputation and continuing to see success in the new market you’ve entered. Be sure that any services offered at your franchise locations are held to the same standard of expectations and quality to see consistent performances across branches. As your business grows, be open-minded to opportunities to improve the customer experience. When the pandemic hit, many companies began to offer digital or curbside services, making it convenient and safe for customers. Collect feedback from your customers and employees to look for opportunities to improve your business and each franchise location.

As a franchise owner, expansion is key to growing your success. Be sure you have the physical and digital infrastructure required to maintain a high level of quality service and customer care.