10 Steps to Making Your Franchise the Next McDonald's

If you're opening a handful of franchises over the course of a year, you can often maintain quality without a heroic effort. But the faster you choose to grow, the more important it is for you to develop the systems and tools necessary to ensure the consumer receives a consistent experience.

That means start-of-the-art operations manuals, training programs and perhaps training videos. Moreover, that means a commitment on the part of management to inculcate these standards within the organization -- and the intestinal fortitude to make the tough calls when those standards are not upheld.

8. Capital makes the world go 'round. Of course, the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry, especially if you don't have the capital to implement them. While franchising is a low-cost way of growing a business, it is certainly not a "no-cost" means of expansion.

You need to secure adequate capital to fund your initial legal and development costs, which, for an aggressive growth plan, will likely be north of six figures.

Beyond the basic startup costs, you need to fund a budget for franchise marketing. On average, you can expect to spend between $5,000 and $7,000 on marketing for each franchise you desire to sell.

Likewise, you need to staff an organization capable of aggressive growth. That certainly means hiring people to staff your franchise sales department and people to maintain quality -- field representatives and trainers.

There is no worse mistake than taking a 9-foot leap across a 10-foot ditch. That means you must start by understanding your capital needs and then ensure this capital is available to you.

9. Bring in the 'A Team'. Speaking of which, one of the most important aspects of any business is the development of the team responsible for growing it. Chances are, if you have built a successful concept and are about to franchise it aggressively, you'll need an entirely new set of skills to make the transition from operator to franchiser.

Regardless of the business you plan to franchise, as a franchiser, you will now be in the business of selling and supporting franchisees. And if it is your goal to expand aggressively, you will almost certainly be stepping outside of your comfort zone.

The easiest way to overcome this challenge is to bring in an experienced team. But where to start? Often, the best route is to use a management recruiter who specializes in finding proven franchise talent.