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AFA Enews 2 Vol. 1, No. 1 |
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October 6, 2003 |
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When someone asks me why they should join the AFA I think back to my time as a franchisee. I and others within our system had been struggling for some time. We weren’t receiving the kind of leadership, training or support that we had expected from our franchisor. As a result, a group of twelve franchisees decided to get together in Cleveland for a two-day meeting to share ideas and see if we could sort things out. I couldn’t really afford the time to go to the meeting…nor the money to pay for two days away from the office. A fellow-franchisee – a pilot – offered to fly a couple of us in his private plane. That saved me the transportation money and I was on my way. In retrospect, I couldn’t afford not to go to that meeting. I shared problems. I learned tricks-of-the-trade. I picked the brains of the top performers. I learned what it meant to be supported – shoulder-to-shoulder – by fellow franchisees. The result of that two-day meeting was that we inadvertently formed our own independent franchisee association. We realized if the franchisor wasn’t going to support us we needed to support ourselves. We had made the investments in the system, the name, the brand and our neighborhoods – not the franchisor. Now we needed to make another investment – in the form of dues – to keep our new association alive and growing. After I returned to my franchise I realized how important it was that I got my head out of the day-to-day operations long enough to unite with others. No, I wasn’t alone. No, I wasn’t the only one having a particular problem. No, I wasn’t crazy, either! But if I wanted a decent renewal contract, I needed to join. If I wanted more expertise in the form of support from corporate, I needed to join. If I wanted collaborative management of the franchise system, I needed to join. The same goes for the AFA. Your franchisor’s management may come and go. Your contract may be up for renewal next year. You may shudder when your field rep says, “I’m here to help you.” But the AFA is always |
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I couldn’t really afford the time to go to the meeting |
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To contact us: |
Why Join the AFA? |
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by Susan P. Kezios, AFA President |
