Keys to Success for Personal Service Brands

When people think about franchising, restaurant or retail chains often come to mind. Although long dominated by these industries, there’s a different type of franchising gaining traction because of the real difference owners and their employees are able to make in people’s lives. I’m talking about the personal services sector, which Entrepreneur recognizes as an up and coming industry that is reaching a new level of prominence and success in franchising.  

So what are personal services franchises all about? As you may guess, personal services franchises provide services to others. Some examples include fitness franchises, senior living franchises and children’s services (like Primrose Schools). These businesses inherently allow franchisees to contribute positively to the lives of those they service and are frequently recognized as the most rewarding types of franchises.

Being in the trenches of a personal services franchise and working with many fulfilled Franchise Owners, I’ve gotten to know the type of person that gets the most out of owning a personal services franchise. If you are thinking about investing in a franchise, consider if you have the following attributes that may make you well-suited to the personal services sector. 

People Skills: Personal services franchisees get to know their customers really well, whether at a fitness facility, helping members reach their health goals or at Primrose Schools, meeting parents at the door, to welcome them and their children each day. In fact, one Franchise owner in Texas once told me, “Where else do you get to hug your customers every day?” It’s vital that these franchisees love people and are naturally good relationship-builders. They also take the time to develop their teams and train their employees to build lasting relationships with customers as well.

Jarrad and Olivia Vaughn, Franchise Owners of Primrose School of Brookhaven in metro Atlanta, embody this characteristic perfectly. All of their teachers and staff have been trained to ensure parents and children feel right at home from the moment they walk into the school. The Vaughns are experts at building and maintaining relationships with their staff, their Primrose parents and their community that ultimately grow their personal brand and the Primrose brand through word of mouth.

Motivation to Serve Others: All personal services franchises are intended to help people – from massage therapy to personal fitness, senior care and high-quality child care. That means the people who own and run these businesses should have a passion for helping and serving other people.

Ehab and Natosha Eskander, who own Primrose School at Pinnacle near Columbus, have a passion for serving that they take beyond their school and into their community. They launched an “Adopt a Grandparent” program, where their preschoolers take field trips to the local senior center to play and talk with the residents. Not only does it brighten the day of those at the center, but the children love spending time with a doting older generation.

Leadership Strengths: Successful franchisees in personal services (and most industries) also are excellent leaders and know how to engage and inspire their employees to accomplish common goals. At Primrose, many of our Franchise Owners come from executive positions at major multi-national companies where they have developed leadership skills and gained experience managing large teams.

I’m reminded of Kevin and DeDee Gebhardt, who left roles in the corporate retail world to own three Primrose schools in Texas. Using the leadership skills learned in their previous jobs and their interpersonal strengths, they set the stage for excellence at their schools. The Gebhardts established a program that provides partial funding to their employees for relevant classes and certification programs, encouraging continued education. By truly caring about their employees’ growth, they keep turnover rates low and engagement high in their schools.

Personal services franchises aren’t for everyone – but if you’re looking to invest in a meaningful career and you love people, serving others and leading and really want to make a difference in the lives of children and their families in your community, consider this growing sector of franchising. Our Primrose Franchise Owners are from many different backgrounds, but they all have these three attributes in common and it allows them to find happiness and success every day.

For more resources about the keys to success for franchising and building better working relationships, visit our blog.