Once you have selected a franchise you would like to buy, you must consider a number of factors to ensure your success in managing that franchise. You might think about how you are going to fund it or market it. Or your concerns may be related to staffing and training your new employees. These are big concerns, but you may be missing something big. One of the absolute most important factors in successful franchising is location. A great business in a poor location may be unable to turn a profit, and your franchise could become a losing endeavor.



How do you analyze your location to see if it will bring you success? The first factor to consider is the size of your city. If your city is simply not big enough, and is not likely to grow any time soon, you will not be able to sell enough products to turn a profit on your franchise, or even break even. This means you have to rethink everything. Maybe you can open your franchise in a neighboring city which is larger. Or you might try a different franchise which is more likely to be successful in a smaller locale because it has a broader appeal. You must also consider the size of your customer base. If you are catering to a small segment of the population, you must live in an even larger city in order to have the largest possible volume consumed.

Another important thing to consider is the location and routes that the customer you are catering to uses. You must know the target demographic of your customer and be able to capitalize on that using location. You want to put your franchise business on a route where your customer is likely to go, and to shop. If your target customer is wealthy, you want to keep your franchise business in an area of town where wealthy people shop, perhaps near stores with similar target demographics.

In addition, you will want to locate your franchise near related businesses in order to draw the maximum possible customers. If you are opening an office supply store you will want to be located near schools and offices in order to serve those customers and be most convenient for them. If you are opening a café, locate near businesses whose employees are likely to need coffee in the morning. Your customers will dictate where you locate your franchise business.

Employees are another important consideration. You want your franchise to be accessible to possible employees because otherwise you will have difficulty hiring and maintaining a quality staff, and consequently, quality service.

Lastly, consider the competition. You do not want to locate your franchise right next to a business that is a direct competitor. However, at first, you may be useful to locate your franchise near a competitor so that your customers are aware of your service and may defect to your business rather than your competitor's.