You often read or hear that you quickly find out who your true friends are when you encounter your greatest difficulties. It’s when you’re faced with challenges that those who want to see you succeed and are willing to support you stick around – bound by camaraderie and goodwill, not by obligation.
Over the past several weeks as businesses have been forced to adapt to social distancing norms and shelter-in-place orders, we’ve been heartened by not only the creativity and ingenuity that franchisees have demonstrated in the face of unprecedented challenges but also the family spirit and desire to help fellow business owners succeed.
With more than 1,250 resale franchise locations within the Winmark network of brands, there’s an exceptional amount of knowledge sharing going on among franchisees. We’ve been able to facilitate this through our Operations Sharing Platform.
How Does the Operations Sharing Platform Work?
Using this platform, franchisees are learning from one another and coming up with creative solutions and sharing them with other franchisees in the system. Although everyone is facing the same challenge of dealing with the effects of COVID-19, each owner is managing their business under a distinct set of circumstances informed by their state and municipal regulations.
With that in mind, the Operations Sharing Platform houses a huge variety of ideas and examples that franchisees and corporate support staff can peruse and selectively deploy at their locations. Here is how the strategies are categorized:
- Curbside Pick-Up – The examples shared in this section show how owners have navigated using social media and alternative payment platforms to get customers the things they need with curbside pick-up options.
- Social Media Shout-Outs – Franchisees are able to see how other owners have thanked members of the community and their own team members.
- Social Media Contests and Giveaways – These ideas showcase how franchisees can still maintain relationships with their customers through gift card giveaways and other incentives by asking followers to engage with posts or contribute their own content.
- Online Shopping – The examples in this section show how franchisees have been able to leverage different strategies to sell items online.
- Inspirational Social Posts – The ideas shared in this section give other owners examples of what they can do to motivate their followers to support local businesses, treat each other with kindness during a stressful time, break the tension with humor and otherwise reassure people that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
By sharing these strategies, franchisees get access to a powerful collection of creativity and practical insight they can use to power through this difficult period. And, ultimately, it’s a reminder they’re not alone in facing the current circumstances.
The Strength of the Winmark Network of Resale Franchise Brands
The greatest asset that any organization has is its people. Our company can’t execute our mission in creating and supporting small businesses without the hard work and dedication of franchisees, their employees and our corporate team members. This has always been true at Winmark but that statement has never shown more bright than during these difficult but exceptional times.
“Our employees are stepping up to help one another, in some cases beyond their normal responsibilities, in our mission of supporting our franchisees and clients,” said Renae Gaudette, President of Franchising at Winmark. “Witnessing this action has filled my heart knowing that the team we have in place is united in that goal. The world has embraced a singular rallying cry, and we take heart that when we say the phrase We Are Winmark, it also means that We Are in this Together.”
Winmark franchisees are dedicated to serving their communities and supporting each other. To learn more about franchise opportunities with Once Upon A Child®, Play It Again Sports®, Music Go Round®, Plato’s Closet® or Style Encore®, download a free franchise report here.
