Turning a Small Business Franchise Into Big Business

Often, people looking at purchasing a franchise have their sights and hopes set on wealth and prestige, attaining success with a large business dominant in its market. Of course, that can seem pretty well impossible when what you're starting with is considered a small business. After all, a small business and a big business are by definition two very different things. Still, the ambitious, upwardly mobile entrepreneur needn't fear that beginning with a franchise business considered "small" means that it has to remain that way, because there are ways to turn something small into something big, in fact, there are two primary ways of accomplishing that in the small business world.

1. Start Big

Yes, it seems somewhat like a contradiction in terms to say that a small business can start big, but surprisingly, it's true, and depending on your financial status and business history, it may be the most sensible route to take. Many longtime businessmen agree that if you have the desire and ability to go big at the outset, it will financially profit you in the long run. There are at least two examples of franchises with which this is an option.

Mars Venus Coaching is the first. There are two offers on the table for anyone who wants to initiate a franchise with this organization: starting a single franchise unit or a master franchise. There aren't many businesses that offer the latter, but Mars Venus Coaching does, which makes jumping right into large-scale business possible. As the master franchisee, the business owner is responsible for selling and overseeing single-unit franchises in his territory, ensuring that new Mars Venus Coaching coaches are consistently being added to his area and are successfully finding clients for their business and life coaching services.

Another opportunity to jump right to the top of the food chain and establish yourself as a business power, WSI Internet doesn't offer master franchises like Mars Venus Coaching does, but it does offer an abundance of possible business sizes, ranging from simple, one-man work from home to office-based, multi-employee scenarios. Possibly the best internet marketing franchise out there, WSI Internet is designed to allow the up-and-coming franchisee with an itch to succeed to save time by starting big.

2. Start Small and Grow

Though many do recommend starting out with a large business if that's where you eventually want to get to, not everyone has the financial or temporal resources to dive headlong into the huge business of their dreams. And really, taking that leap into a big operation isn't for everyone anyway, because some people need that extra time to grow into the patterns and practices of a small business before applying the same procedures to a larger business is a good idea. It's kind of like starting with training wheels, not because you expect to use them forever, but because you want to get at least a little stable before riding the "big kids' bike.

Fortunately, there are more business opportunities available to the entrepreneur wanting to grow rather than start large, and a good starting point is the Home Team Inspection Service. As the owner of your very own home inspection franchise with this brand, you are quickly made ready to succeed in the field, given everything from a complete territory analysis to national marketing and call-center backup. Most importantly, you receive one of the best business models in the industry: instead of inspecting a full home single-handedly, Home Team Inspection Service franchisees work in small teams on each inspection. It's a great way to take care of the day-to-day work, and by training new inspectors, right alongside them, you can slowly build a larger and larger team and a larger and larger business until you, one day, can step back and leave inspecting to your teams of employees while you work on further expansion.

Doody Calls is another small home based business that provides plenty of room for growth. Built on the fact that dogs make messes in the yard that owners don't want to clean up, this franchise operation is in the business of scooping poop on designated client routes. As the business begins, it can be nothing more than the franchisee with a truck and a shovel, but from that starting point, the sky is the limit. A franchisee wanting to make a big splash can eventual have fleets of Doody Calls vehicles driving around town scooping pet leftovers for grateful clients who appreciate saving that time.

Though it's a slightly different brand of cleaning, Merry Maids provides the same opportunity for the enterprising entrepreneur. Regardless of whether you begin your work with this renowned company as owner and operator or as the overseer of just a handful of employees, there is always room to expand, take on more employees, and serve more homes with your residential cleaning services. This company has 25 years of experience, getting over 1400 franchises up and running and keeping them so, which means that however big you plan to get, they can help you.

Some businesses, like the work from home business Fresh Coat Painters, even require franchisees to have a mind for management and expansion. The Fresh Coat Painters mantra is "painters paint... we want business owners." So as you build your painting franchise, you can be certain that the franchisor's goal is to help you grow.

What it Comes to

Not everyone wants to keep their business small forever, and if growth is something that you want, know that an initially small size does not limit your potential. Whether you begin with a literal "small business" or choose to dive right into the deep end of the larger franchise pool, your outlook remains just as bright and hopeful, so do what works best for your leadership style and your particular business.