Have you thought of taking your franchise business abroad? International Development Consultancy Company, World Franchise Associates, helps franchise owners do just that. By serving as a mediator between a franchisor and an interested market, World Franchise Associates is able to deliver area-development, multi-unit, master and multi-country agreements.

Our team had the opportunity to speak with the Chief Operating Officer of North America at World Franchise Associates, Martin Hancock, in order to learn more about the company that is assisting United States and European franchise brands in international development.

According to Martin, there are four major benefits involved with taking a brand internationally:

1. Competition abroad is much less

2. International economies are expanding

3. Market opportunity & demand is increasing

4. Business expansion – global brands are worth more

So, what do you need to do to be certain you’re prepared to go international? Martin advised that the first, and most important step, is to make sure all of your systems are in place. He said it essential to ensure that everything can be moved over and asserted to “be confident you will be able to teach the systems to someone in a foreign country.” Martin also described that franchisors will be marketing to franchisees in foreign countries, not just customers, which leads to the next step, being prepared to think globally.

A major part of Martins job is to counsel franchisors on the cultural differences overseas. He warned that franchisors must “Be prepared to tweak their brand.” It is crucial to understand and adapt to cultural differences, as everything from products to marketing and operations could cause cultural conflict.

Martin revealed that the three most common pit falls he witnesses when brands develop internationally are when a franchisor signs a development agreement that is too big, the franchise does not have an efficient reporting system and of course, the most obvious, the team does not understand the differences in the cultures involved. Martin advises to not be overly ambitious with a development agreement, ensure the reporting system in place is sufficient and spend time learning the ins and outs of the culture before making any moves.

Martin was proud to speak about franchises that are finding their flagship store in other countries. Martin’s final remarks were that “Anyone who sells a franchise in another country is a success story.” If you have the ability and the desire to expand your brand into an international market, contact a Franchise Consultant today to learn more about World Franchise Associates.