A key question and concern for just about any would-be franchise owner, or going into any small business for themselves is - “Am I going to be ready and capable to run this business?”

We all experience those seeds of doubt at times in varying levels when it comes to embarking on something so new, like buying your own business.

The franchise business model was in part built to overcome this concern.

And PACK & SEND, one of Australia’s leading franchise brands, takes this concern seriously, and has done something about it with induction training to take new franchise owners from novice, to fully-primed and ready to run their own business with confidence.

Running their own business, but with the ongoing backing and support of the whole HQ and field team.

Theory, practical, real world.

The training period is delivered across a four-and-a-half week block, and is coordinated by Learning and Development Manager, Kate Fellows.

According to Luke Martin, Franchise Selection Manager, “Our training is multi-faceted, and is designed to make sure there is enough exposure to all of the key elements of running the PACK & SEND business, including the initial ramp up phase. This is critical for our Franchise Partners, in particular those new to business.”

“The world of freight and logistics, like everything else, is changing so fast as we all adapt to the pace of technology entering our lives. Fortunately, we have our own proprietary systems that we build the business around, and cover those in detail in training.”

For new owners entering the system, flexibility in commencement dates is available with training conducted several times a year. 

The structure of the program initially consists of 2 weeks of theory with a mix of classroom, virtual, and on-site service centre and freight carrier visits. This component includes, but not limited to;

• Multi-Channel sales and revenue,
• Business development and sales,
• Local Area Marketing (LAM)
• Basics of the freight industry,
• Freight supplier inductions,
• Packaging techniques,
• Accounting and finance,
• Customer relationship management,

From here the new franchise partner spends a full week in a PACK & SEND business (service centre) with an established franchise partner mentor.

This is followed by another week in the new franchise partners business with a Network Sales and Operations Manager embedded to establish the business opening in the smoothest fashion possible.

Learning never really stops

A key foundation to any good franchise business model is the ongoing training and up-skilling provided for the owner as well as their team. With this aspect, PACK & SEND also have ongoing support that includes;

• Webinars and video tutorials,
• B2B sales program
• Peer to peer business improvement program,
• Annual National Conference,
• ‘Connect’ nights,
• Operations Manual (Intranet) 
• PACK & SEND iLearning Portal

There are more pieces to the training puzzle with PACK & SEND, however the elements alone listed demonstrate a key understanding of the importance of making sure franchise partners both feel, and are in-fact fully prepared to open and operate their business from day one.