If you want to run your own business but still have a healthy work-life balance, buying a franchise may be the ideal solution.

If you want to run your own business, but still have a healthy work-life balance, buying a franchise may be the ideal solution. Unlike starting a business from the ground up, when you purchase a franchise business, you get a proven system that works if you follow the steps laid out for you, plus predictable profits. You also know up front how much time commitment and work are required for success. That means you can choose an industry and brand that offer the flexibility to have the work-life balance that you’d like to have.

Here are three important questions to ask when searching for a franchise business to determine whether they offer the work-life balance that matches your needs and goals:

1. How much must you be involved in the business?
   Some franchises require you to actually work in the business, while others allow you to purchase their systems as investments, and then you can hire someone else to run the business for you (if that’s what you prefer and you can afford to do it). This is an important consideration when researching franchise systems, as it affects how much you must be involved in the business and how much of your own time must be invested—both initially to get the business started and then on a day-in and day-out ongoing basis. Some franchise models, including the MaidPro system, give their franchisees a lot of flexibility to decide how much time they want to spend personally working in the business and controlling their own schedules.
   
   
2. What hours would the business be open?
   When you purchase a franchise—or any type of business, for that matter—you need to consider when customers will need your services or products. This can vary greatly from industry to industry. If you sell digital products, you may not need to have regular hours at all; but on the contrary, if you run a retail shop, a gym, or a restaurant franchise, your business would need to be open on evenings and weekends to accommodate customers. Some service franchises may also require time commitment outside of the typical workday. If you choose a plumbing franchise, for example, you might have to work or have staff coverage around the clock. Cleaning and maintenance franchises like MaidPro, on the other hand, give you more control over when you work. And because a lot of our clients prefer that we clean their homes when they aren’t there, that means that you can work regular hours, with evenings and weekends free, while still making your customers happy.
   
   
3. What do existing franchisees say about flexibility?
   One of the best indicators of whether an industry or brand is going to give you the kind of work-life balance you want is what existing franchisees say about their own experiences. When researching a franchisor, read testimonials and reviews from other franchisees of the brands you are considering. You may even want to ask the franchisor if you can speak to one or two of their current franchisees. What you want to determine is whether other franchisees seem happy and content; or stressed, overwhelmed, and unduly strapped to their businesses. Look at whether their franchise system allows them the flexibility to have off nights and weekends, or to take extended vacations for traveling and spending time on leisure activities. One thing that MaidPro franchisees really love about our brand is that they have a lot of control over their own schedules. They can work a normal workday, and take time off to enjoy life, while still managing a profitable business.

Want to learn more? We’d love to speak to you if you’re interested in learning more about owning a MaidPro franchise.

We hope you learned something new about owning multiple franchise locations!

If you’d like to learn more about opening a MaidPro franchise business, a member of our franchise team would love to speak to you. Contact us today.