When you’re looking to open your own business, there are a lot of decisions to be made. One of the decisions is who you should partner with to make your business a reality. Taking the time to ask potential franchisees a few key questions will help you determine if they’re the right fit for your business. Here are eight significant points to conducting a successful franchisee interview!

1. What motivated them to start a business?

While you may have similar goals, what’s driven them to action might differ. These motivations can help you understand if your potential franchisee’s goals align with yours. If they don’t, you have the opportunity to meet them where they are and help them reach their goals.

2. What experience does your team have?

Like the question above, you’ll want to know what experience your potential franchisees have. This will give you an idea of your new business partners’ skill set. It will also help you feel more confident about choosing them as your franchisees.

3. What makes your business unique?

You’ll want to know what sets your potential franchisees’ businesses apart from others in the same industry. This will give you insight into their competitive advantages and evaluate if they’re the right fit for your unique business needs.

4. What is your financial plan?

You can evaluate their financial plans now that you know what makes your potential partners’ businesses unique. This financial plan will tell you exactly how they plan to achieve their business goals. You should be able to look at the plan and see how the business will be profitable after all expenses are paid. These include things like rent, utilities, employees’ salaries, etc.

5. What is your marketing plan?

Your marketing plan will give you an idea of how your potential franchisees plan to attract customers to their businesses. You can evaluate their marketing plan by looking at what channels they plan to use.

6. Are there any red flags I should be aware of?

While evaluating your potential franchisees, you should also watch for red flags. It will allow you to draw your conclusions before committing to any agreements with your potential partners. Some red flags may be a lack of experience, bad references, or a franchise that wants to hand you a franchise agreement without any input from you.

7. What are their long-term goals?

Next, you’ll want to evaluate your potential franchisees’ long-term goals. Your potential partners should have a business plan that includes a goal for the long term. It’s good to have a goal, but it’s even better if that goal includes growing the business over time.

8. Is there anything else I should know?

There may be a lot of information available about various businesses and franchise opportunities, but not everything is accurate. So, it’s essential to take the time to do your research and find the information that’s relevant to your situation. The best way to do this is to ask questions and talk to as many people as possible.

Opening your own business can be an exciting experience. But, before you can begin, you’ll have to decide what type of business you want to run and who you’d like to be your partners in that endeavor. When choosing which businesses to partner with, don’t forget to note down these key points for a successful franchisee interview.

Liked what you read? Follow us on Linkedin.

Want your franchise news to be covered? Send your Press Release.