Thinking about taking a vacation? Good. When you’re buckling under exhaustion and burnout, the only way you’re going to run a franchise business is into the ground.

Your franchise may have demanded your every waking minute in its infancy, but it’s time to cut the umbilical cord. All you need to do is first make sure you’ve got everything on the checklist for self-sustaining success.

The right people

Delegation is the fountainhead of franchise business workflow automation, so it’s time to sharpen your pencil and draw up a list of everything you do in your company. Now erase all the things that you think a franchise owner should be doing, so all you’re left with is the excess workload that you shouldn’t be carrying. Trim the fat and transfer each of these duties to the most fitting employees. And if you don’t have the right people for the job then it might be time to start hiring, so you can free up your franchise’s most valuable resource – you.

 A detailed playbook

Of course, any handover process is liable to lead to some head bumping, but recording and tracing out the steps to key procedures in your business will help you to mitigate mistakes. This means building business systems, which can take the form of induction booklets, third party management systems, social media and anything else that will aid you in achieving greater efficiency. Whether it’s optimising onboarding or reducing admin intensive duties, your goal should be to free up time and company resources that can be better employed elsewhere.

A helping hand

As your franchise becomes less dependent on you, it will change and evolve, so your employees should too. Many franchise owners fear upskilling staff will lead to a higher turnover rate, as they attain the skillsets to seek out a more competitive salary somewhere else. In fact, the opposite is true. Employees want to work at companies where they will grow and it’s in your best interest to help them. The more skills and experience they have, the more resources your franchise will have at its disposal. Although it’s a time and labour-intensive process, upskilling your employees will be well worth the rewards in the long run, especially when it comes time to book that overseas trip and hand over the keys to your empire.

The good sense to let go

The hardest part of unshackling yourself from your franchise is knowing when it’s finally safe to pack your bags and leave. How do you know if you legitimately need to spend more time getting your franchise in shape so it will function predictably in your absence? Are you just making excuses to keep a leash on things at the office? This is where a little guidance – preferably from someone who has been in your position before – can go a long way. You may want to consider business coaching to give your staff and your business the boost they need to fly solo.

Reference: Piece by Pieter Scholtz, Co-Master Licensee for ActionCOACH in Southern Africa provided by Clockwork Media.