More than 30 million people in the United States have broken away from the traditional workforce and opened their own businesses according to a recent report from the Small Business Association. Based on a survey conducted by online printing and marketing company, Vistaprint, 62% of Americans would like to follow suit.
At present, less than 15% of aspiring entrepreneurs believe opening a business is within reach. Of those who want to do so but don’t believe it’s a feasible option, most cite fear of failing, lack of confidence, uncertainty, and high levels of stress as their main reasons. Most of them have overlooked the potential rewards of opening an education franchise.
What are the Benefits of Opening a Franchise?
With so many people wishing they could start a business of their own but so many potential hurdles to face along the way, it’s easy to see why almost two-thirds of Americans are hesitating. That being said, taking the franchise route offers many advantages over branching out on your own.
Greater Confidence
Concerns over not being able to make it in the business world are among the primary reasons people shy away from venturing out. Starting a business from scratch isn’t easy. You have to decide on a market niche to fill, formulate a business plan, and find a suitable location among numerous other aspects.
Of course, you’ll end up ironing out countless kinks in your strategy along the way. Despite your best planning efforts and level of knowledge of running a business, it’s always a learning experience.
When you open a franchise, you’re able to avoid many of the conventional hurdles. You’re essentially buying into an established company. They’ve already chosen the market niche and developed a business plan. Your target audience is in place before you even begin, and the founders of the franchise have spent years perfecting their approach to business operations.
More Accessible Funding
While would-be entrepreneurs point to several reasons for shying away from opening a business, finances are a top source of apprehension. Starting a business can certainly be expensive, and lenders remain leery of handing out loans to inexperienced start-ups.
You’re responsible for coming up with the funding to buy into a franchise opportunity just as you would be with any new business. However, lenders are often more willing to accommodate borrowers who are joining forces with a company that’s already established and shown signs of growth.
Available Training
Building a business from the ground up often entails making your way in the corporate world. You can take courses in business management, marketing, finance, and any number of other fields, but nothing can truly prepare you for the hands-on experience. It’s essentially a sink-or-swim situation.
Franchises work a bit differently. They provide training for their franchise owners. In fact, they require franchisees to complete training courses in how to run their specific businesses. These companies want their franchisees to be fully versed in every aspect of their daily operations because they’re invested in the growth of their businesses. The idea is that once a franchisee is fully prepared the day the doors for the new local business open.
Ongoing Support
Getting your business off the ground effectively is crucial, but it’s only part of the picture. Challenges may arise. Your industry and the expectations of your clients are bound to evolve over time. If you’re on your own in the business world, adapting to those changes and even keeping up with them can be difficult.
When you’re part of a franchise, you don’t have to figure it all out as you go. Your franchisor is a step ahead of the game, and it passes ways of dealing with issues or new developments along to you. Plenty can also be said for having an entire network of fellow franchisees at your disposal who are ready and willing to share the benefit of their knowledge and experience.
Why Is Opening an Educational Franchise a Valuable Alternative?
Ample advantages can come from becoming part of a franchise, but you still have numerous niches to choose from. Automotive, real estate, senior care, and home services are all popular industries right now. Restaurants are also in high demand, and there’s no shortage of franchise opportunities in that department.
Still, the market is flooded in many of those fields at present. Certain other industries are experiencing growing demand, and they’re severely underserved. Education unquestionably falls into that category.
Research shows the call for tutoring services has surged over the last several years, and it’s expected to double during the decade to come. This is a service that’s not bound by age because students in every grade level from elementary school to college need help with their studies.
Parents are growing ever more concerned with their children’s education as well. They’re willing to pay a premium to ensure their students have the upper hand in both school and life as adults. Because of all this, spending on tutoring services is growing at an estimated five percent per year.
By opening a tutoring franchise, you’ll have the opportunity to help fill a niche other entrepreneurs have largely disregarded. This means you’ll be up against quite a bit less competition than you would be in certain other industries. Communities in some areas across the nation have very little access to the tutoring options they desperately need, so you’ll be providing them a necessary service.
At the same time, you’ll be helping students improve their grades in school and their overall confidence levels. Regardless of their ages, you’ll have a hand in ensuring their success as adults. You’ll be contributing to your community by fostering its next generation of leaders.
What Does it Take to Open a Huntington Learning Center Franchise?
Opening a tutoring business isn’t as difficult as you might think. All it takes to get the ball rolling is filling out the online form or calling the number provided. From there, you’ll speak with a representative.
After the initial consultation, you’ll fill out an application and further discuss the opportunity with your representative. Then, you’ll meet with the Huntington Learning Center management team and even other potential franchisees in person to find out more about the company and its services.
Once you’re approved as a franchisee, the journey truly begins. You’ll select the site for your learning center, attend informational courses, and participate in hands-on training at the corporate headquarters in New Jersey. Before long, you’ll be celebrating the grand opening of your own branch of Huntington Learning Center.
Becoming a franchisee offers numerous advantages over other approaches to entrepreneurship. Learning center franchises are one of the few high-demand, underserved alternatives available at present. If you’re among the millions of Americans who want to break away from the norm and open their own businesses, joining an established, nationwide educational franchise system could certainly be the answer you’re looking for.