Building Your Business' Culture

For many of us, buying a franchise can fulfill the dream of becoming our own boss.  Franchises provide new business owners with an established system, eliminating guesswork and many of the errors start up businesses often face. While franchises come with an established brand, marketing strategies, technology tools, training and support; there are still opportunities for the new business owner to make his mark in the corporate culture he or she creates.

After buying a franchise, the new owner will be immersed in rules and ‘how to’ manuals for running the business.  But a businesses culture is less about the rules and more about how the owners think, feel and act while implementing those rules.m These attitudes are expressed in the written policies and procedures implemented at the unit level, but also by the unwritten, often unspoken, actions of the management and employees.  Things like hiring practices, employee relations and everyday communication are all part of the company’s culture.

The business culture an owner establishes can be positive or negative; intentional or unintentional but ultimately plays a significant role in the success of the business.  These are some of the ways a businesses culture can affect performance:

• Successful Staffing
• Policies and Procedures
• Communication
• Emotional Climate
• Employee Relations
• Is The Customer Always Right?
• Share the Vision

As a franchise owner, you have the opportunity to create your own company culture.  When you purchase a franchise you are choosing to start a business, ripe with experience, proven business systems, marketing, training and support.  But as the business owner, your personality and influence are an integral part of the equation.  As you work to establish the culture of your organization, you can recreate a great experience you had in previous work experiences; or you can correct a bad experience, by making yours the kind of place you always wanted to work.  Either way, you have the opportunity to make your business a place people want to be – where employees matter, where their voice is heard, where they can contribute, where they know their success is your success.

Whether we realize it or not, corporate culture exists in every organization.  Think about what you want to create, understand the affect it will have on business outcomes and be intentional about crafting a culture that sets you on the path to success for yourself and the people on your team.