What to do, and more importantly, how to do it…

When I talk to HR professionals who are interested in the concept of starting their own business as an HR consultant using a franchise option, sometimes they are just in the beginning stages of thinking about it and sometimes they are pretty far down the line and almost certain that’s what they want to do, it being a question instead of timing and of which franchise option to opt for.

Regardless of where they are in the process I always encourage people to investigate the other options available to them. This ensures that anyone choosing to work with us will have made a fully informed decision about which is the best ‘fit’ for them, which of course is beneficial all round.

One of the side benefits of doing this is that HR professionals are able (and often keen!) to give me feedback about how what we’re doing compares to other options; about which aspects of our support stand out as being different or as being the most important when it comes to making their decision.

Something that comes up frequently is the extent of the guidance we provide. It is fundamental to us to make sure franchise partners start their business feeling fully informed about how to be successful at it, and fully equipped with the knowledge and tools they need. We want them to feel confident in themselves, in their business and in their capabilities.

But for most of them it’s a very new thing they are considering doing, and there will be significant elements of it which are ‘unknowns’. In our training (bespoke to each franchise partner’s needs) and in our PlayBook (our online operations manual) we therefore give detailed information about two key things;

The first thing is what they actually need to do to run their business. This is very specific information about all the different elements of running an HR consultancy and about exactly what steps they need to take to do this successfully, and how those steps fit together.

The second thing we give is detailed guidance on is exactly how each step should be performed to maximise success. This is particularly important in marketing. Someone can spend months doing marketing activities they’ve been advised are important, but unless they are doing them right, and linking them together in the correct way, they will be far less successful. We provide this “how” guidance in the form of training, step-by-steps and top tips for various elements of running this type of business.

The aim is to ensure that franchise partners feel confident, knowledgeable and secure in what they are doing, and can see it working to make their business a success. Because that’s good for all of us!

If you are considering the possibility of launching an HR consultancy in September this year and working with us is an option, the shortest period of time it generally takes for a new consultant to progress from an initial phone call to launching their business is three months, so get in touch soon to start having those conversations!