Most franchises advertise that franchisee candidates need no prior experience in the business’ specific field because initial training is sufficient to cover over a lack of knowledge. Still, there is certainly something to be said for choosing a home based business that has some logical connection to your employment background. Training from a franchisor is a great place to start, but having any amount of previous experience or pertinent knowledge to add to it is always helpful and likely to pay off once your home business gets underway.

Many will discover, however, that it’s not easy to find a direct one-to-one correlation between a previous job and a new franchise endeavor. The subsequent question, then, is what kinds of franchises work well with what kinds of past work experience, and the answer to that isn’t easy. Honestly, there is application for many business histories in every franchise business, and each one is going to have a different set of applicable backgrounds. For that reason, the following is a list of a few franchises and a brief analysis of what kinds of industry backgrounds flow well in each of them.

Vehicle Tracking Solutions
A very unique business, Vehicle Tracking Solutions is one of only a few companies that provide GPS tracking equipment for corporate car fleets. Of 20 million businesses with company fleets, only 7% currently have their vehicles equipped with GPS gear, which is surprising, as such equipment helps protect cars from theft, keep tabs on company productivity, and formulate the most time- and cost-effective delivery and pickup routes. Franchisees spend much of their time working to sell the product to new clients and maintaining the equipment of current clients. And revenue comes in two streams, initial sales and monthly subscriptions to the web service that makes tracking possible.

Among potential business experiences that would be particularly applicable to this franchise, there are two that rank highest on the list: technology and sales. There are obvious reasons for each. With any history in the art of selling, a franchisee’s likelihood of making consistent and key sales increases from day one. Knowing how to find receptive buyers and speaking the language they need to hear is a hard business, one that requires experience more than it does teaching. Likewise, having an established understanding of similar technology, the way it works, and what it’s capable of will help Vehicle Tracking Solutions franchisees craft applicable sales proposals to the people who really need it most

ElizaJ
A sort of novelty of a business, ElizaJ is built on something everybody needs: the toilet. Providing upscale portable restrooms for outdoor weddings and other parties, franchisees often work very closely with event planners. Many who use the service really consider ElizaJ restrooms something to behold; between fresh flowers, designer soaps, natural lighting, heating/air conditioning, and overhead music, this franchise business makes using a portable restroom relaxing.

Though hospitality is one of those highly underappreciated industries, it is a very helpful background for ElizaJ and similar franchisees to have come from. Though most of the direct client interaction is restricted to delivery and collection of the units, every interaction with the public is an important one for a work from home franchisee. Perhaps even more important than conversations a franchisee may have, being hospitable to clients by keeping the restrooms immaculate is something that speaks volumes about a worthy entrepreneur.

L & W Investigations
Though it may be hard to believe, there is perfect opportunity to use a knowledge of insurance or a history in law in a franchise also. If you’ve ever worked in the insurance industry or in close connection with an insurance company, or have spent any time at a legal firm or in law enforcement, a great business opportunity is waiting with L & W Investigations, for obvious reasons.

The first franchise of its kind, L & W Investigations franchisees work in designated territories to help insurance companies and legal offices with insurance fraud investigations and surveillance. With a team of skilled investigators working under him, a franchisee does the labor of finding clients, expanding the business, supervising employees, and maintaining payroll, mostly with the help of a brilliantly simple software exclusive to this work at home business.

WSI Internet
Few business opportunities exist like this one. Rated the #1 franchise of its class for the last seven years by Entrepreneur Magazine, WSI Internet is one of the most respected names in the world of internet marketing consultation. Helping clients best advertise their products and services throughout most of the developmental years of the e-commerce industry, they understand online marketing for small and mid-sized businesses better than anyone, and they teach every franchisee everything about it.

Despite their phenomenal degree of industry knowledge and their ability to pass that on to each new franchise, new partners only help the situation by bringing any previous experience in marketing. And those who come with an understanding of web design can perhaps profit their clients even more. WSI Internet franchisees consult clients, but the actual design work is performed by corporate employees who develop what the franchisee and client decide on doing. A franchisee who knows the business of design, however, will be able to give clients a deeper knowledge of what is available, what works the best, and what is most cost effective.

Do What You Want

Bringing an applicable history to a new franchise is good for the franchisor, good for business, and certainly good for personal morale. And with the examples above, hopefully you have more confidence in creatively matching your background with possible franchised business opportunities. Ultimately though, this shouldn’t limit your search; the goal is simply to find a line of work you want to do.


December 05, 2008