Edu-Tech
What is the School Franchise Model? Advantages and Disadvantages
Ever since India has seen the proliferation and advancement in the education sector, multiple business opportunities for edupreneurs who want to start an Education-based business have surfaced. Those who wish to begin their journey of an educational startup often face the dilemma of whether to start an independent school or opt for a franchise model.
If you’re among those aspiring edupreneurs looking for some detailed information about school franchises and how beneficial they are, don’t worry! This blog will give you all the valuable insights you’d need before opting to license a franchise.
Before we discuss the school franchise model, let’s first understand what a franchise model is-
What is a franchise model?
A franchise model is a type of business contract/joint venture where the franchisee gets full support and aid from a franchisor’s well-established business, network, industry insights, brand value, brand image, business processes, success and trademarks to set up and run their own business.
In franchising, the franchisee gets the license to operate the business under the franchisor’s brand name and sell their products and services by paying a royalty fee, also known as annual licensing fees.
What is a School Franchise Model?
A school franchise model is a business model in which an aspiring school franchisee acquires the right to operate under the brand name of a well-settled franchisor for setting up a quality school as per the standard criteria and the benchmark approved by the franchisor.
Is franchising a good option to start a school?
Mostly the edupreneurs believe franchising is a more viable option when it comes to starting a school business. Since the franchise school already has a brand image, it has proven its mettle by obtaining a significant response from the parents in the form of brand recall.
The support and abundant opportunities that a franchisee receives in various tricky and challenging areas like budgeting, setting up infrastructure, recruitment of experienced and qualified faculty, staff training, marketing activities, launch, curriculum design, academic support etc., are all ready-made.
In franchising, you can leave these worries behind as this kind of arrangement seamlessly guides the investor on how to run a school efficiently and effectively by maintaining high-quality standards. Therefore, a school franchise model has a high chance of success and is viewed by most of the edupreneurs as a ‘value for money’ option than setting up a whole new school from scratch.
Advantages of School Franchise
Let’s discuss the advantages and disadvantages of setting up a franchise school
Easy to start
Setting up a school franchise is a tried and tested method as you are simply imitating an already established successful business and don’t have to build anything from scratch. This means you can gain recognition, trust, credibility and ROI much faster than starting up your own educational venture. Therefore, it becomes easy for you to target patrons under an existing brand name.
Strategic Advantage
Franchising is like a turnkey business. To get your business up and running, you will receive expertise from the franchisor, business specialists who already hold a reputable position in the society with a brand image that will reduce your burden of branding and marketing to a great extent.
Low Financial Risk
As you don’t have to worry about spending your capital on branding and promotional events, you’ll be able to easily dodge the financial risks, save money and reap profits when compared to other non-branded competitors. Also, the risk of business failure is vastly reduced in a franchise model.
Technological Support
Technology and research play a crucial role in every field and the education sector is no longer an exception. Achieving high standards while keeping itself up to date with technological advancement is a challenging situation for any new school. A franchisor ensures that you don’t lack behind other competitors when it comes to implementing these technological changes in the school curriculum.
Curriculum Development
You don’t have to struggle when it comes to developing and designing the academic curriculum. You’ll receive complete support and aid from the franchisor with respect to suitable content and yearly programmes.
Training and Support
The support and assistance needed for conducting the various administrative and academic functions are rendered by the franchisor to the franchisee through continuous guidance, training and support. This makes the teaching and non-teaching staff more competent and reduces the number of risks and errors, thus increasing the efficiency and quality of education in the school.
Disadvantages of School Franchise
Though the franchise model acts as a springboard and is an easy and safer option to start your dream school, it has certain limitations. Let’s take a look:
Minimal Creative Opportunities
Since you are likely to adhere to the rules set up by the franchisor, the scope of creativity is minimal. You also might not get the independence of innovating in the academic events of your school.
Initial Investment is high
The capital investment, namely the royalty fees at the time of buying a school franchise, might be higher than you expected. For some edupreneurs, this kind of investment is a lot to handle.
High maintenance for quality adherence
You may struggle to adhere to the high-quality standards set by the franchisor. Maintaining consistency is not an easy task as certain regulations are strict to comply with. The franchisor might also not be open to good suggestions, which may lead to conflicting situations.
Less Control
In franchising, you might not get enough control to make independent decisions for the school. Also, if someday you wish to sell your school business, you won’t be able to do it without the franchisor’s approval.
Conclusion
Though franchising is a thriving and safe model when you are aligned with a brand name which has a strong network and a well-informed expert team, it is imperative that you understand the pros and cons before opting for this model. If you’ve done thorough research and have a clear idea of how to run your school smoothly, you can easily make a fair decision and reduce the potential business risks.
Recent Posts
Top 10 Preschool Franchises in India (2023)
Preschool education is a crucial foundation for a child's overall development, and the demand for…
8 months ago
Top 5+ Strategies to Increase Enrollment in School (2023)
Increasing enrollment is the primary concern for all schools. It is, however, not an easy…
8 months ago
What is ECCE? Curriculum of Early Childhood Care and Education
In today's fast-paced world, the significance of early childhood education cannot be emphasized enough. It…
11 months ago
Advantages & Disadvantages of New Education Policy (NEP 2020)
The new education policy, NEP 2020 talks about major transformational reforms in the Indian academic…
11 months ago
How To Start A 10+2 / K12 Private School In India (2023)?
Starting a school has many crucial tasks associated with it. If you often wonder how…
11 months ago
What is New Education Policy (NEP) 2020? Teacher guide 2023
The education landscape in India has undergone a significant transformation with the implementation of the…
11 months ago