I don't think you are an independent, family owned business, no matter how many commercials you run telling me this. I'm hearing them constantly lately on the radio, listening to you explain how your "owners" which are actually "franchisees", see members of the community around town, at the bank or the post office, and that they know their customers.
Well, you left out some of that hardworking local business owner stuff. You overlooked the part about how there is safety in a franchise, less risk and far more following for a step-by-step plan which in turn pays generous rewards to corporate headquarters. Franchises generally are not started from scratch like my local auto repair shop was, and which through the years and the various generations of family members, has survived on its own. They don't have the perks that your franchisees do of buying supplies and parts from a corporate warehouse and I'd assume that by purchasing in bulk, those costs are far less than for an independent. (read more about them here)
There is no marketing plan shipped to them each quarter or massive advertising coverage; as a matter of fact, my local place DOESN'T advertise other than basic phone book listings. They don't need to - their reputation and honesty speak louder than any commercials ever could, and quite often they can barely keep up with the work they have.
There are still some things which just can't be duplicated, don't you think? Funny that chains and corporate "partners" are feeling the need to call upon the local angle to prove they are worth choosing.....or you can just pick the guy that isn't "trying to prove anything", because he already IS small business, defined.
Signed,
