Reflections on the Franchise Relationship

I was very saddened to read about the passing of Bob Baber and have been asked by the editors of this site to contribute a few comments in my role as Managing Director of the Franchise Relationships Institute. As I did not know Bob it would be inappropriate for me to make any further comment about his personal or business situation.

I do however wish to comment on the pressures that people in franchising often find themselves under - both franchisees and franchisor executives. These pressures can involve money, health, relationships and personal pride. When these pressures come one or two at a time, most people cope. However when many things start to go wrong at the one time a natural response is to feel overwhelmed and this can affect our judgment and take us into a downward spiral. There are many things one can do to break this negative spiral.

I usually recommend picking just one or two areas at a time. For instance getting some professional financial advice to gain a very clear picture of our financial position and the options available. Or addressing outstanding health issues, as our health can have an enormous impact on our energy and ability to cope with the demands we face. There is no one size fits all – everyone’s situation is somewhat unique.

Having friends or family who care about us and who we can talk to when we feel burdened can be especially helpful. Indeed recent research at the Franchise Relationships Institute shows that family and social support is the single biggest predictor of success and satisfaction in a franchise business.

However sometimes a person, despite being surrounded by people who care deeply about them, will still become overwhelmed by feelings of helplessness. It is important to recognize that these negative feelings can be successfully managed. If talking to family or friends is not enough there are qualified health professionals who can help using approaches that really do work. If your car started to falter you would seek help from a professional mechanic. There is no shame in this. Similarly if your emotions are causing you strife there is no shame in seeking professional help. Thousands of people regularly call on psychologists and health professionals to help them think through their difficulties. Their experience is inevitably, that when they feel emotionally strong, the pressures that once seemed so insurmountable now appear as challenges that need attention. When we again feel on top of things our perspective tends to go from “Why me?” to “I can deal with this.”

While every franchisee would love their franchisor management team to be fair, to always be respectful in their dealings and to be competent, this unfortunately is sometimes not going to be the case. Similarly franchisor executives often have to face hostile or recalcitrant franchisees who are just not interested in having a reasonable discussion. We are all human and we deal with the pressures we face in the best way we know how to at the time. As some disappointment and frustration are always going to be part of the franchise relationship, both parties need a high level of commitment to work through their differences and challenges. And to get help from time to time from people who have the long-term interests of all parties at heart. Litigation and blaming will seldom bring joy or a satisfaction resolution to either party.

I may be naive but I do believe that there has never been a problem in the history of the human race that could not be solved when people were willing to put their heads together in the right spirit. This recent tragedy highlights the need for franchisors and franchisees in all franchise systems to keep the communication channels open. And for anyone who believes their problems are getting the better of them, to seek professional help until they feel back on top of things. My deepest sympathies go to the Baber family and to the business and personal communities to which Bob belonged.