Recognizing your skill sets

Last week we spoke about financing your dream, this week’s topic will focus on finding the right franchise to match your individual skill sets.
Finding out what you are good at is not the easiest task for one to assess. Everyone assumes they are fit to do everything they set their mind to. A good thought, but at the same time when it comes to your franchise it makes sense to find a franchise that is tailored to your strengths. No one who takes Harvard business is going to open a Wendy’s franchise as it is not challenging to their skill sets and does not give them the freedom to implement their innovative ideas, these individuals would be looking for something a lot less restrictive.
One for the first thing you have to ask yourself is “what am I good at?” “Do I have the skills needed to run my chosen franchise?” “Are my skills and the franchise I want to run a realistic combination?”
These are all very real concerns when making your decision. What is crucial for you to do is make a chart of your strengths in comparison to your weaknesses and then tailor that to your franchise choice. One of the most important skills that you will need to identify is your ability to work hard and not be side tracked. Are you an individual who needs strict guidelines or are you an independent worker? Do you feel the need to have people around you or can you make it on your own? What is it that you are looking for from your franchise?
Recognizing these skills is the tip of the iceberg in recognizing the perfect franchise opportunity for you. You also have to see what type of personality that you have, are you people oriented? Do you like to work behind the scenes? Is income the most important factor when making a business decision? Do you need to have people working for you? How well do you take pressure? Are you driven by pressure?
Again, all important questions to ask yourself as there is a lot a person will learn about themselves once they get into a business that they were unaware of in the past. If you don’t recognize your potential shortfalls before you buy a franchise then it will be a very steep learning curve and that could be detrimental to your overall success.
Also ask those that are close to you for their honest opinion of your skill sets, as they will be able to identify skills you possess that you cannot see in yourself. This is extremely useful as it will open your eyes to hidden skill sets that will be able to help you in choosing the right franchise.
The next step it to compile all this information about yourself in an organized chart and start to narrow down your initial search criteria. Knowing what you want and what fits your skills will make your search much more focused and will help you sort through the inappropriate choices that do not match your skill set.
Now that you have a basis for what it is that you are looking for and how to match it to your own set of qualifications, it is time to start combing through the internet. I will next week set up some sites that are beneficial to start your search on. There is a lot of junk on the internet and it is important to know how to sift through it and find the quality that is hidden underneath.
Next Week: Sorting through the junk