Why Working from Franchise Beats Working from Home

The gig economy is hotter than ever right now as talented individuals are shedding the corporate culture and heading for the basement with a laptop in their PJs. This trend is being quickened by corporations themselves realizing the quality of the labor force ready to the job they need for them and nothing. If you need a sales report or perhaps web content then just pay someone to do that and skip having to pay for them to attend the company potluck or Christmas party. It is a mutually beneficial relationship where companies and talented individuals get exactly what they want from one another and nothing more. The problem is that freelancers are realizing by the droves that working from home is not quite all it is cut out to be. So that’s why I’ll message this article to those looking to leave the corporate world behind but who still understand the merit of showing up to work each day. If you ask me, working from your franchise beats working from home and I’ll tell you why.

The Great Generational Divide

It might not be sufficient to say that working from a franchise beats working from home for everyone as there is a generational component to it. A modern recent college grad has spent the sum of their entire lives connected online and an isolated setting where every human transaction is digital might come a little more naturally to them. Then, for those of us who have grown up to be accustomed to starting the work day at a particular time and shaking a few hands each day it can come as a challenge.

If you survey new freelancers you will find that one of the most common mistakes they made early on was to ditch the norms and cultural conditions that made one feel like they were at work. Sitting behind your laptop in your pajamas while you eat a bowl of cereal just doesn’t quite feel like work and productivity often reflects that. Moreover, failing to identify when your day ends and when it begins can often result in a complete loss of work/life balance that deteriorates one’s sense of rest. In a nutshell, the stay at home freelance lifestyle is not for everyone and yet that is often the only route burned out employees can see towards cutting the corporate cord.

There is Another Path to Freedom

Despite the popularity of the freelance and gig economy, there is another path that others are beginning to rediscover that not only grants them the freedom from the corporate world but also makes them captains of their own destiny. I say rediscovering because franchising was granting people their freedom long before Bill Gates first touched a computer. The benefit to this method of freedom is that one is allowed to retain many of the aspects of a hard days work that they love without any of the corporate hassle.

There is still a physical location which to go and in most cases even an office of your own. The only difference is that this is your ship now and you are captain of your own destiny. There are start times and end times to work though an entrepreneur’s day truly rarely ends. There are people to connect with, employees to manage and most importantly a proven business model to follow. There is even corporate help from your franchise should you really need it. Namely, you have the support and structure of a job but all the freedom and authority of an industry leader.

Franchises Never Go Out of Fashion

Finally, I’ll submit that working from a franchise beats working from home because franchises never go out of fashion. The gig economy is hot right now, but if you are in your 40’s and 50’s planning on the gig economy as your retirement plan then you might be sorely disappointed. Franchises, on the other hand, will continue to meet a need so long as they continue to have quality leaders to manage them. Taking on your first franchise and managing it in your 40’s can turn into a fleet of franchises by your 50’s. A fleet a franchises becomes a force and income multiplier long after the franchisee decides they do want to spend a little more time at home.

It’s a matter of preference for many, but for me it is a matter of practicality. While individual franchises might have to adapt to compete in the face of changing technology the franchise industry isn’t going anywhere. It is a proven business model that offers all the same structural benefits of the corporate you might miss. Except this time, you’re the captain and how far this ship sails you is up to you. Leave the basement in the pajamas for the next generation. As for me, I’ll stick with shaking a few hands everyday and building income into the future.