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What better gift can you receive from seasoned entrepreneurs and franchisees but a set of values that have been tested and proven to work? By giving you how an assistant minority counsellor working with the House Banking Committee, and still is, has become the prime mover as to why Subway franchises are what they are now.

Larry Feldman may have a government position in his day job but he lives a double life: he owns a string of Subway franchises across the country. According to Smart Business – Florida he is known as Mr. Subway.

Just how important is Mr. Feldman? He is the man responsible for massive expansion of Subway. He created the Subway growth model which entails that entrepreneurs or franchisees, through territorial expansion, becomes more empowered.

So what values should you look for a franchise?

Consistency is your groundwork. In order to maintain the reputation of a business, there should be control over the operations as well as the management of the quality of the products and services. How does the franchiser control such dynamics? Strict compliance is the key.

Like the stores operated by Feldman, you need to have monthly check ups on each of the stores you own, even to the last nitty-gritty detail so it seems. All of these details add up to how much quality you put into the business. Innovation, therefore, is not done on the micro level but rather in general. Consistency is far more important than innovation in such a way that whichever branch the customer is at, he or she can still experience the same ambiance of the business.

Innovation, on the other hand, is controlled. A process needs to be followed, starting from the receiving of customer feedback to the implementation of the said innovation.

Contributing to the community is also vital to your company. Social marketing is important to create rapport in the community that the business is a part of.

Simplicity is the center from which everything revolves.  There are no complicated explanations to this. With fewer tools, you eliminate unnecessary expenses.

Franchisers also need to adapt to what the market wants. Forward-thinking, franchisers are “out there” in finding how to add-in the needs of the market.

Subway has grown into the world’s largest quick service chain largely by keeping the brand simple and consistent, with healthier options that make it ideal for non-traditional locations including college campuses and hospitals, said operator Larry Feldman. Feldman, a lawyer-turned-franchisee, opened his first Subway location 35 years ago and now operates stores in four states and the District of Columbia.

Feldman reiterates that the secret to Subway’s success falls in four categories: product, control, simplicity and support. Knowing what your market needs this age vital to the adaptability of the company. He also adds, “We have morphed into the concept where everyone can go to get their lunch, their dinner and now their breakfast.”

Photo by Leonid Mamchenkov