WHEN the new campaign of the Department of Tourism (DOT) came out, I was struck by its simple yet very meaningful message. In fact on the evening news the day before, there was à la James Bond cloud of secrecy and suspense.
At any rate, I am adopting it, too! Given the proper tone, if one has an existing business or has plans of getting into business, the feeling of excitement can be there. Recall an instance where one has won a prize in a raffle draw or perhaps the most happy event in one’s life? Words may not suffice to describe such euphoric feeling; it is as if both heaven and earth opened to one’s favor!
Twenty years ago, when my wife Lyndah and I were establishing our consultancy firm, we had our plans but there were areas which need to be answered. Such as how will we promote our services, where will we get our clients? At that time, there were big names acting as consultants in the country. However, nobody was focused on franchising. On top of that, few people knew what franchising was and how it worked. Thus what we did was to begin working on it and made our achievements one baby step at a time.
With just us two, and neither of us skilled in operating a computer, we decided to invest on a PC model 386 Turbo with a green monitor. There were challenges indeed yet it was FUN as new discoveries unfolded. Both at the age of 39, we were intent on giving our infant business a push. And push it we did. We kept our eyes open to opportunities that presented themselves. We also wrote and spoke about franchising and its benefits to every person we met. Though at times we seemed to be speaking in Greek, we devised ways and means to illustrate the point. To convince entrepreneurs was a challenge, too. It was FUN mode again for us as our creativity was put to a test.
Fast-forward to the present and now there are more businesses that have joined the franchising bandwagon. Those entrepreneurs we spoke to in the early years are now skillful advocates of franchising. It was always pleasing to see during media interviews or in events these entrepreneurs discuss how franchising helped the growth of their business. It was FUN. It becomes such a heartwarming experience when we the entrepreneurs get teary-eyed as they share their story when they have their annual gathering of franchisees. These are tears of joy as all franchisors have at least one story to share about how their franchisees’ lives were made better by their business and about how FUN it is to have a clear, working and cooperative relationship.
What is more FUN is to be a witness to the evolution of their business. Almost all the companies we assisted began as mom-and-pop businesses. Every step of the business was dependent on the mood of the entrepreneur; procedures in the conduct of the business were in the mind of the owner or the order of things was written in all the stacks of memorandum folders. Molding and crafting the employees involved in the business was another challenge. Instilling professionalism through training was another FUN way. Along the way, both the entrepreneur and people create a strong bonding leading to what the word TEAM stands for (Together Everybody Achieves More). Another dimension of FUN is to be able to establish their unique selling proposition (USP). Whenever I hear people talk and admire how such and such company grew, that’s FUN for us.
In any business enterprise, if the element of FUN is absent, success is difficult to attain. Ask any entrepreneur and, more often than not, the word FUN is present. No matter what challenges or obstacles come along the way, solutions can be achieved if there is FUN. Lyndah and I never realized that our infant business has already become an adult. We enjoyed every bit of time. Having published our sixth book—Is Franchising For You?—and seeing our work on the bookshelves together with other top business authors in National Bookstore branches was FUN; to see various clients we have assisted become Superbrands was FUN; to speak before top companies during their annual conferences was FUN; to travel and be in different places here and abroad that I have only read and saw in textbooks was FUN; It is also FUN whenever our clients refer us to their colleagues; indeed, ours is a solid product of word of mouth!
Creating FUN in your business and even the search for the right franchise ought to be FUN, especially when it involves family members. Establish a harmonious relationship with the franchisor and you will see how FUN it is to be in business for yourself, but not be there by yourself.
The Philippines is one place where despite the difficulties, Filipinos always find time to smile and even laugh to their heart’s content. Oftentimes, a Filipino’s age can be deceiving compared to his counterparts abroad. Imagine, today is already the 30th of January and we are left with just 11 months to go before 2012 comes to an end. Ever looked back to see how you have enjoyed the past days? Avoid wasting your precious time on nonsense things; every second counts in making your business a SUCCESS!
Read my column “FRANGURU SPEAKS” every Monday in BusinessMirror http://www.businessmirror.com.ph click Marketing; Follow me in Facebook.com/franguru for updates.
