Changes Are Happening All Over – Including Your Concept

After watching the inauguration and thinking about the past months of intense campaigning by both President Barrack Obama and John McCain, one thing resonates: CHANGE. This is by far the most redundant and apparent need in the eyes of our country and its citizens. We do not know what the future will bring but being able to change is important for the leaders of our country as well as the leaders of our business world, and specifically, the world of franchising.

As a business owner, I realize that change is equally important but only in certain aspects of a company. Brand identity and values are a few of the intangibles that a company possesses and if lucky, these are worth even more than their goods and services. In order to sustain our intangibles, our culture is focused on 100 percent customer satisfaction. Our culture and our values are our brand’s identity.

While remaining true to your company’s culture and brand identity, you must constantly be adapting. In franchising, your values and culture will rarely change, but maintaining a “sexy” franchise offering remains utmost priority. In order to adapt to the current economy, we added a recession-resistant addition to our offering; an events specific franchise opportunity, where our franchisees can do on-location events while working out of their homes. This is a change we made to help our potential franchisees reach the goal of independent ownership without the upfront capital that our brick and mortar studio may cost. Adaptability is key to surviving in a competitive environment.

While we have adapted our franchise offering to include two segments, brick and mortar and events, we have found that we are a concept that continues to work. Children are currently the highest spending segment in our market place. A picture of your child is not something families are willing to give up on, even in a tight economy.

Additionally, we have found that our adaptation online has made a big difference in the success of our concept during trying times. The Internet is the fastest growing invention of modern times and a new feature is added every single day. By not adapting to this Internet age, one truly misses out on the advantages and opportunities it offers. In order to fully immerse my company in the Internet, we have taken a huge step toward Social Media and all it has to offer.

In an effort to change with times we have set up a Facebook page; are using Twitter to update our customers and employees; as well as blogging to interact with my peers online. By logging into these Social sets, we have the ability to have ongoing, active conversation with customers daily. Additionally, this interaction has allowed for instant customer constructive criticism. Our discoveries on how to improve, change, and alter our products and services to further satisfying our customers and keep them coming back time after time is a privilege of being connected to Social Media.

Always being one step ahead is equally important and anticipating a need for change can place you way above your competition. Having parts of your company that can adapt and people willing to learn more to keep them current will expand your business and keep it growing even in a recession. Don’t overlook the opportunity to adapt now when all of your competitors are struggling too, and ultimately stand out to your consumers.