A Day in the Life of a Franchise Owner

A day in the life of a food franchise owner is a non-stop routine of twists and turns. From figuring out the financials and overseeing operations to hiring staff and keeping customers happy, it can be a fast-paced workday that necessitates jumping quickly from one task to the next. Fortunately, with a bit of advanced planning, a food franchise owner’s daily routine can be transformed from out-of-control to exhilarating.

At Blimpie, a food franchise system leader, our franchisees are constantly seeking new tips for managing their time so they can truly enjoy the rewards of business ownership. If you’ve recently opened your own franchise location, or you’re considering doing so soon, here are some day-to-day tips to follow from our franchise owners:

Establish routines. What are the tasks that need to be repeated frequently? If you are a single shop owner, these may include reviewing inventory, handling staff/scheduling and ensuring your store is clean and ready for business. For multi-unit franchise owners, this might mean touching base with each shop, evaluating sales numbers and networking. Whatever tasks you need to accomplish regularly, take the time to map out a routine, including what the tasks are and when they will be done, so you can accomplish the most important tasks FIRST before they are overrun by emergency needs.

Delegate. Delegation is a concept that’s easy to understand but difficult to implement. Fortunately, if you’ve done your homework as an employer, you’ve surrounded yourself with a capable and talented team, so it’s time to start breaking up the workload. Delegating well means that you clearly communicate tasks and desired outcomes/timelines. It means that the person receiving instructions knows how to perform the task and how their performance will be evaluated. Lastly, it means taking time to follow up with the person to be sure that the tasks were completed well and on time.

Prioritize! The quick service restaurant world moves fast. As a business owner, make the choice when you wake up each day – will you grab the day by the horns or allow yourself to be consumed by the craziness?  Each week, spend time listing the bigger tasks that need to be accomplished and determine the priority of each. Then, review your priorities at the beginning of each day to make sure you are still on track to complete projects. Remember there is no harm in replanning a project, as long as you are actually spending the time to think through what needs to happen on a regular basis so you can make good choices with the time you have.

Take time to listen and observe. What’s working? What’s not working? As a leader, it’s important to regularly track and evaluate your staff and operations so you can learn what is working and what is not. To do this, you must slow yourself down periodically to work on the business and not IN the business – stepping back to take stock of what is happening around you. Some managers do this through regularly scheduled meetings. Others do it by keeping good records and a log of the daily activities. Even customer feedback can be a valuable source of helping you identify new opportunities.

Promote positivity. People like to be around people who make them feel good. This includes everyone with whom they come in contact — managers, co-workers, customers and vendors. By promoting positivity in the workplace, you create a feel-good environment that minimizes employee turnover, and in turn, retains customers. By creating a positive work environment, franchisees keep good workers on staff and keep operations flowing more smoothly.

Lead by example. Your attitude and pace throughout the day will trickle down to your staff. If you permit yourself to be regularly stressed out and frustrated, your team will mirror this. If, instead, you exude a positive attitude and a high level of energy throughout the day, your team will follow.  When you manage your time effectively and reduce your stress level, you make it easier to exhibit positive behaviors that have a bigger impact on your staff than you think.

Owning your own food or fast food franchise is a thrilling, fast-paced opportunity, but sustainable success requires effective time/stress management and constant operational improvement. To that end, we encourage all of our Blimpie franchisees to share their best practices with one another and keep trying new time management and shop oversight tips.   In fact – here are a few owners sharing what life is like as a Blimpie franchise owner.