SCOTT ENNO, CEO, Flooring Xtra

What’s the next version of franchising that will keep the industry alive?

I think all franchises should have all support systems provided by the franchisor: HR, compliance, accounting etc. This allows the franchisee to concentrate on their core business and the key drivers of profitability.

Where should the franchisor set franchisee profitability on the priority scale?

Profit is definitely not the only benchmark; work/life balance is very important; along with the satisfaction that comes through owning your own business. Too much focus on profit alone can be unhealthy, and lead to short term decisions that backfire in the long term.

Social media – should it be locally owned or driven by the franchisor?

It is too essential in a world that moves too quick, for this to not be administered by the franchisor. The software will continue to make it efficient for franchisors to manage many social media pages centrally.

What’s the key weapon to keeping a franchise community in the circle of trust all the time? What’s the one piece of technology that no franchise system can afford to ignore?

I think the technology will likely be different in each system, but unconditionally it will revolve around efficient communications. The amount of information that we need to send out today, versus 10 years ago, is much greater, and this will continue to increase with the higher compliance requirements being placed on franchisors. Franchisees will need to receive and digest a lot of information daily, and most franchisees are working in their businesses full time, so the franchisor needs to distil the critical information into small, digestible pieces.