In the world of franchising, culture ultimately impacts how franchisees and their employees feel about their company, their roles and responsibilities, their customers, and their brand. Whether positive or negative, a company’s culture will influence its success.
Every company has a culture, whether it is strategically planned and orchestrated, or not. A positive culture can positively impact business productivity, profitability, employee satisfaction, and company growth. A negative culture can significantly reduce employee satisfaction, productivity, and profitability.
"There are a lot of franchises out there, but the ones that offer the most support are the ones that have the most successful franchisees." - Mark Chasteen, Fibrenew franchise owner
Brand and culture are often considered to be unmeasurable, intangible concepts, and they are often used interchangeably. Although they both have to do with perceptions that can drive and affect outcomes, and they are interrelated, there are important differences. Brand has to do with external perceptions. Culture has to do with internal perceptions.
Brand is about public perception. Brand is a company’s identity and personality according to the outside world. Great brands have great stories. Think of a company’s brand as a story that resonates with its customers–a story that people want to be a part of.
Culture is a company’s inside story. It is the behavior, dialogue, policies, values, and beliefs shared among internal stakeholders: franchisors, franchisees, and their employees. A company’s culture is the story that leadership tells and employees want to be a part of.
When customers trust a brand, they often become loyal to that brand. Likewise, when employees trust their company culture, they are more likely to be loyal to their company, responsibilities, team, and brand. Leadership drives culture. Culture drives the brand.
“I love that I have the full autonomy to run my business as I see fit and not be told how to run it. But I also love knowing that if I need assistance, it’s always there,” - Becky O’Meara, Gotcha Covered franchise owner
In franchising, a company’s leadership team establishes the culture that sets the tone for how franchisees and their employees interpret and personify that culture in everything they do. For a strong and positive company culture, leadership must identify, develop, communicate, and demonstrate their company culture in a manner that resonates with everyone. Culture is not a story to be told. It is a story to live by. That means leadership has to talk the talk and walk the walk.
How do you measure the quality of a franchise company’s culture? Surveying franchise owners is a great place to start. When given the opportunity, they will tell you how well the franchise leadership team is executing the vision and culture of the company. To determine whether a company’s culture is positive, negative, or somewhere in between, Franchise Business Review surveys thousands of franchisees to reveal the best of the best.
“On a 100-point satisfaction scale, every franchise on our 2022 Culture100 List has an FBR Culture Score of 80+,” said Eric Stites, CEO of Franchise Business Review. “This puts them in the top quartile of all franchises surveyed!”
FBR’s Culture100 List is based on franchise companies that score the highest on these 12 questions:
“Our franchise team is tirelessly supportive and very attentive to your success. But they also support you doing your business your way.” - Brain Wilson, Firstlight Home Care franchise owner
If you’re researching franchises with the hope of owning your own one day, looking at a company's culture rating is a great place to start. Check out our 2022 Culture100 List to explore franchises rated highest for positive culture and request information from the brands that interest you most.
