The point of validation with franchisees is not to make or break your decision about a franchise opportunity. What others are doing or are not doing with their opportunity should not limit your thinking about what you can do with that same opportunity. If you and 5 friends join a gym on New Year’s Day and hire a Trainer to help you lose weight and reach fitness goals, do all of you lose weight at the same time? Do all of you reach your fitness goals at the same time? Do all of you even reach your goals or do some of you quit? And if you all don’t reach your goals, does that mean that the Trainer was ineffective? Possibly, but probably not! The trainer provides the opportunity, but what each of you does with the opportunity is up to you. The same is true in a franchise system. The system works, but it’s up to each owner to work the system. If you want to be successful in a franchise, follow the successful people. Ask the franchisor for some of the top performers in the group and learn from them. Validation should help you see the opportunity and understand the challenges, but validation should not limit your thinking about what’s possible unless you speak to every franchisee, and everyone is struggling.
