Business language blunders: “franchise systems”

Sometimes we use language that makes no sense! Or if it does makes sense, it’s only because we’re using it to justify our extractive capitalistic practices. The latest example is “franchise systems”. Franchisors often talk about processes and procedures, as these best practices make up what franchisees buy into. We make sure that we speak about processes and procedures during franchisee recruitment.

The best practices which become processes and procedures are both the hard-learned lessons of the founder and franchisor, and the collective learnings of the franchisees. The franchisor curates these lessons and shares them across the network. The franchise network, which is representative of the people within the network, is the true value of a franchise.

As a franchisor of one of the largest home care networks in Canada, we know that the success of our business is 100% reliant on the success of our franchise partners. We call them “franchise partners” rather than “franchisees” so that it’s clear that they are more than just entities to us.

Since purchasing Just Like Family Home Care, we have vastly improved the “system”, but we have done this with the network of franchise partners:

• Four of our franchise partners were working with a new back-office system that we investigated and with whom we signed a strategic partnership agreement
• We created a national partnership with a long-term care organization with whom our Winnipeg partner franchise partner had been working for two years
• We recently announced a national partnership with Vision Loss Rehabilitation Canada, with whom our Kitchener franchise partner had been working for a year.
• Our Calgary franchise partner introduced us to a wealth management firm
• Our Ottawa franchise partner explored how to serve the rural market
• Our Community Health Managers meet bi-weekly for peer support
• Our franchise partners meet by province monthly for peer support and to share ideas

We must continue to learn and grow. Two heads are better than one, and we think that 50 heads are even better!

Language matters. People matter. That’s why we call it a franchise network.