The right general manager runs your business and protects your calendar.
Semi-passive ownership attracts many executives to franchising. Income while maintaining your life. This model succeeds with the right hire. Get the manager right and you attend every family event. This hire ensures your role remains that of an owner.
Character Is the Priority
Across 40-plus locations, I hired many managers. The best ones were always those with the strongest character.
They had three things I screened for above all else:
- Character: they own mistakes and learn from them
- Accountability: they show up especially when it matters
- Coachability: they welcome feedback and grow
Skill is teachable. A proven system makes that easy. Character is something you find during the hiring process. A manager with those three things will outperform anyone, usually inside a year. I have watched it happen many times.
Owners Prioritize Character Alongside Competence
Resumes show competence quickly. Character reveals itself over time, in how they handle a busy day, a short shift, or a customer request. It shows up in their honesty and integrity.
Prioritize testing for character during the interview. The hire that holds up is the one who behaves well at all times. Dig into their behavior and values early.
Pay Them to Win With You
Ensure your manager wins when the business wins. Build a compensation structure that ties their income to the results you care about. Profit. Retention. Customer experience. Whatever drives your specific model.
When a manager’s financial interest aligns with the business, they manage themselves. Their paycheck moves with the same numbers yours does, creating a true partnership.
Build Oversight That Grants You Freedom
Aligned pay provides visibility. The goal is to stay informed from any location. Here is the benefit of trusting a manager with a dashboard:
Done right, you know how the business runs at all times. That is the point of semi-passive.
Semi-passive is a choice you make and a structure you build. Get that right and franchising gives you what you wanted: time for your health, your family, and your life.
Pick the Right Fit Before You Build the Team
Hiring the right manager matters. But before you can build a semi-passive structure, you first need to know if the franchise model actually fits the life you want.
That is exactly what Erica and I are walking through in our next free Deep Dive, Find Your Franchise Fit.
In this recorded session, we will show you how to think through your lifestyle needs, owner role, and business model options before looking at specific brands. You will also learn how to use a simple Fit Scorecard to narrow your direction and avoid wasting time on opportunities that do not match your goals.
A strong manager can help protect your calendar. The right franchise fit gives that manager the right system to operate inside.
If you want a clearer way to evaluate what type of franchise may fit your life, register here for the free Deep Dive. We will send the recorded webinar to registrants on Wednesday, June 24.
