How detailed should my franchise manuals be?
I’m about to franchise my business and I don’t know quite how much the franchisees will need to be told about the business.
In essence, franchise manuals need to be very detailed.
As a franchisor, you have a clear obligation under the Franchise Code of Conduct to provide every franchisee with a documented (printed and/or online version), up-to-date explanation as to how to operate your business model.
It is also very good business practice to create a dynamic and effective operations manual to ensure consistency of your products and services across your franchise network, to maintain harmony and drive culture throughout your franchisees.
A good operations manual should provide a foundation for training, ward against non-compliance, and, last but certainly not least, set your franchisees up for their best chance of success.
You can’t cover every single eventuality and concern in a manual – this will be covered by continual dialogue with franchisees. Many businesses hold fortnightly or monthly meetings with franchisees to uncover and resolve unexpected issues.
But you should be able to provide your franchisees with the tools and information they need to operate the business legally and grow it sustainably.
