Thinking About a Franchise? Can You Do a Back Flip?

Don’t worry, we haven’t added a new requirement of gymnastic ability to become a Tots Play franchisee, but my daughter loves gymnastics and watching her practising her skills the other day made me think of you.

So my daughter has been going to a gymnastics class for a while (yes I do get to be the taxi, but love that running my own business means that I have always been able to support her interests and take her to after school activities), and one of the latest skills they have been learning is a back flip (technically known as a back handspring, but hopefully you get the idea). At her gym they have a trampoline, lots of soft mats and coaches to support and encourage her and she can do a back handspring beautifully and with no problems, time after time. Here she is on the trampoline showing off her skills.

When she tries to do one at home though, she can’t (yet) do it.

So why is that? She knows what to do, she has the skills, she has a mat at home to practice on, but she hasn’t managed to complete the task successfully yet.

What's holding you back?

From watching her it seems to me that it comes down to two things, and I wanted to share them with you as these are also things that could be holding you back from moving forward with the lifestyle you want.

The first is about confidence. Because she is not confident that she can do the back flip successfully at home she doesn’t fully commit to it. She holds herself back and therefore doesn’t get the momentum she needs to get the job done – even though she has the skills and experience and has shown she can do it.

Starting a new business can be the same. You may have lots of skills and experience that would be relevant to running the business, or you know they are skills you could learn, but if you haven’t run a business, or done anything similar before, it’s easy to get caught up in doubts and what if’s. You don’t give the idea your full commitment, because that lack of confidence makes it seem out of reach, and so you give up before you even start.

Making a new decision

What it comes down to though is making a new decision. When you decide that you absolutely need to create a new lifestyle for yourself and your family because your current situation is not working for you, or giving you what you know you want, when your reasons why are strong enough to drown out the nagging voice of the doubts, strong enough to make you fully committed to your path, that’s when you take the action you need to create what you really want in your life. Once that decision is made, it is simply a matter of choosing which path is right for you and continue to follow it until you reach your goal and beyond.

Here's our franchisee, Kate, explaining how her decision to do something different has changed her life for the better.

Get the support you need

The second reason my daughter struggles to complete her gymnastics skills at home is lack of support. She is on her own, there is no coach to guide her and no soft mats to catch her if she does make a mistake, so trying that new skill seems much more scary than it does at the gym. The doubts win out again.

Perhaps you have made the decision that running your own business is the way to achieve that lifestyle you know want, but trying to figure it out by yourself brings up more doubts and fears. There is so much to learn when you start any business, and there will undoubtedly be ups and downs along the way, is it really something you could do?

Joining a franchise is a bit like doing the back flip at the gym. Just like the gym has the trampoline and the mats, with a franchise everything is there and set up to support you. It can provide that soft place to fall if things don’t quite go right at first, and help give you the confidence to try new things.

Working as part of a larger team means you also have the opportunity to see and learn from others who are already successfully doing what you want to do, and you have a coach on hand to guide you in a way that’s just right for you. All these things can help you to commit to your plan, and keep making progress towards it, so, just like my daughter with her back handspring, you can be confident of making a success of what you set out to do.

You might even have some fun along the way like these ladies too!

Are you ready for YOUR "back flip"?

So what’s holding you back from making the changes in your life that you know it needs?

What's your own equivalent of a back flip?

If you knew you would have support and guidance from an experienced team, who were there to champion your success, that you would have a soft place to fall when you needed it, and that you already have a lot of the skills and abilities needed to be successful, could you bring commitment, enthusiasm and a willingness to learn and to work hard?

If so, you have every chance of creating a business to be proud of and a lifestyle that really does work for you and your family. And with Tots Play you can do it with the support of an experienced team who will be here to help you every step of the way.

Take Action Today

But you can only get there by taking action. Start today by getting in touch to find out more about the Tots Play Franchise Programme and just maybe you will find that doing a back flip isn’t so impossible after all!

Click HERE to find out more about owning your own Tots Play Franchise, and to request a free, comprehensive Franchise Information Pack, you might just be glad you did.

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