Franchise Your Way to Self-Employed Happiness

Don’t we all love it when science confirms something that we’ve always known to be true? Even better is when science tells you that thing you enjoy doing most is actually healthy for you. Personally I’m still waiting for them to confirm that eating bacon stops the aging process, but they did recently announce some other good news for those in the franchise industry. Researchers from two renowned universities conducted a study on thousands of people and confirmed that self-employed people are happier. That’s right, science proved it and you can read the full story here. For those currently considering a franchise this should be all the extra motivation you need to make the leap. Working for yourself does come with a host of challenges, but it’s gotten a bad rap for far too long now. Science just confirmed what I already knew to be true and I’ll explain how you can franchise your way to your own self-employed happiness.

Conquer the Fear of the Unknown

It is no small moment in life when one decides to cut the corporate cord and step out on their own. Most of us have been condition since were young to work a job and wait for those reliable bi-monthly paychecks to roll out. Health care benefits often come from an employer as well things like sick days or vacation time. The thought of leaving all this behind creates a mountain of fear that often tethers people to the paycheck to paycheck lifestyle for the duration of their working years. But what if it didn’t? What if you conquered the fear of the unknown and grabbed you a little piece of this happy self-employed lifestyle?  

It is remarkable that this scientific study collected data from thousands of workers over three different continents and came up with the same conclusion. Yes, self-employed people often worked longer hours and fought the feelings of uncertainty about their income. That being said, they were still universally happier. It is as if all the fears keeping one from making the leap towards self-employment are only visible before you make the jump. Because those who already have made the leap don’t seem to mind them at all and are as happy as can be.

That doesn’t mean it isn’t hard work and it doesn’t guarantee success. But then again, that’s just like the rest of life now isn’t it? The difference is that those with the courage to take a risk get to enjoy the taste of happiness along the way. Now let’s talk about that word risk because that might make this leap sound a little scarier than it ought to be. Franchising offers some great features that help mitigate the risk for the owner. You are not quitting your day job on the speculation that the Chia Pet is about to make a comeback. You are not giving up the security of a steady paycheck on the hope and a prayer that you will become the next Bill Gates. You are cutting the corporate cord to follow a proven business model with the full backing of the very people who created that winning model.

Franchises Mitigate the Risk

Read that headline again because I don’t want to confuse you. I didn’t say eliminate the risk or guarantee success. But it does mean that you are going to have to work really hard to fail if you ever had a shot at pulling this off in the first place. Franchises understand that their reputation and brand are on the line when they franchise out to a new owner. Meaning when you fail that they will ultimately take a hit too. All the leading franchises can offer the market data on the front end that tells you whether a particular franchise is likely to be successful in certain areas. Then, when they issue you the franchise they offer the business model that has proven successful. If you can read a plan and follow directions then you don’t have to be a genius business master to live this self-employed happy lifestyle.

From marketing to management and beyond, there is help available to the newbie franchise owner that is not there when someone creates a new company out of thin air. Franchises are a fantastic way for the would be entrepreneur to cut the corporate cord and break out on their own. It doesn’t eliminate all risk, but it certainly mitigates it. With happiness on the line, those fears should seem a little less daunting now.

Moreover, the security you feel at your corporate job is just as made up as the fears keeping you there. Show me an industry where companies have not gone bankrupt and laid off all their employees. Find me a company in America where there is not at least one toxic manager ready to fire someone without reason. Tell me that you are not beyond accidentally hitting “reply all” to the email where you mock your boss for the message he just sent. Life happens and when you work for someone else you are never the captain of your own destiny.

Master of One’s Own Happiness

Perhaps that is the secret to happiness after all. To simply choose one’s own fate and whether life is good or bad at least it will be your own doing. The science is in and thousands of people across three continents and multiple industries have come to the conclusion that working for themselves is worth it. The juice is worth the squeeze as they say and they are happy about it. Franchising not only puts you in charge of your own destiny but it gets you some pretty good partners to sail with you on your ship. They offer navigation and guidance, but they still need a captain. If you think that’s you then perhaps it is time you too cut the corporate cord and take the first step in your journey towards a happy self-employed life.