BlendPH Franchisors Renew Agreement

sService industries have navigated deftly even during pandemic times. Recently, four innovative service brands renewed their partnership agreements with peer-to-peer funding platform Blend.ph.

These are PICKupSTICKS, a unique and affordable grilled food franchise; Mr. Laba-Luvah, a pioneering self-service laundry shop franchise; DAC Garage automotive repair shop; and Snowrrific Tea food and beverage services franchisor. Meantime, TakoYumi PH, an authentic takoyaki franchise, expanded its business offerings to include a restaurant/diner.

All five franchise concepts have clicked with many Filipinos, owing to their focus on quality and customer-orientedness. As Blend.ph franchise partners, they are poised to take business a notch higher. The steady income from these fast startups conveys that even during a health crisis and economic downturn, business can still pick up.

Taking the Franchising Route

A  franchise, as many entrepreneurs can attest to, has important elements in place, including branding and a system to follow. The less complicated it is, the better for most startup entrepreneurs.

Franchisees usually seek guidance from franchisors who have invested lots of time and money to ensure that the franchise system is humming smoothly. The franchisor is normally expected to provide services such as training, marketing support, and management assistance.

Service sectors like those in the food and commercial cleaning sectors are considered better positioned than other business types when unexpected situations, like the pandemic, occur. Whatever the economic climate, though, franchisors need to prioritize assistance lent to franchisees. They need to help franchisees navigate changes affecting their business.

Interestingly, certain franchise businesses survive through innovation and resilience, propelled to a large extent by good attitude and hard work of the franchisees themselves. Just like some known brands of stores that people continued to flock to during the pandemic, even small franchise brands have found ways to keep customers coming back for more.

On a bigger scale, franchising has the potential to increase the opportunities for small and medium enterprises.  With hard work, and by catering to a mix of target customers in the business and residential sector, a franchisor like a laundromat operator who holds another job, for instance, can create multiple income streams.

Franchising offers the possibility of business ownership to individuals who would otherwise not take the risk. There is a wide array of franchising concepts to choose from.

A new franchisee may start small, like operating a food kiosk, and scale at his/her own pace. Food franchise business operators are rife in the Philippine urban scene. 

Many of them revolve around popular food and beverage trends, like in the case of Snowrrific Tea, which offers franchising opportunity with no royalty fee.  The company carries delicious but affordable milk teas, fruit teas, nachos & flavored fries, frappés and detox drinks.

Snowriffic Tea’s office and commissary is located in Las Pinas City.   The basic franchise package is affordable, and includes food cart (that can be converted later on into a mini café) with menu board, use of the tradename and logo/marketing collaterals design, free live online training, on-site training at head office, initial supplies.

Operating in a high-traffic area such as a mall may help business get off the ground quickly. Marketing will also speed things up a bit. A clear-cut illustration is PICKupSTICKS. A year after it commenced operations, it opened its first mall branch.

Before long, the company was attracting not just regular customers, but franchise investors as well. PICKupSTICKS product offerings range from on-sticks items to silog meals, party (bilao) sized orders, to vacuum-packed goodies. Franchise branches and distributors can be found in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

TakoYumi, for its part, is a new and fresh franchise concept that offers authentic Japanese-style street foods like takoyaki, donburi, ramen, and more. There are different franchise tiers, including the basic, ready-to-operate option that can be set up with just a freezer; a Takoyumi ramen bar equipped with a noodle cooker and industrial-type stove to make ramen broth; and a Tokyo-style diner that requires an ideal physical location to set it up.

Adjusting to the New Normal

When the global pandemic affected people’s mobility, it hugely affected many businesses. Enterprises that relied on a steady stream of income from walk-in customers had to change tack during the strict lockdown phase. Hair salons, for example, needed to prepare for the time wen it became more comfortable for customers to step outside their homes and visit public establishments again 

Customers gravitated to those that adhered to sanitation measures and safe distancing policies. This they learned through online updates.

In the case of self-service laundry shops like Mr. Laba-Luvah/Laundrypreneur, that had a business model that catered to walk-in customers, the community lockdowns became a time to reorient captive clientele and bring in new ones, through expanded service offerings. Continuous learning and working hard paid off for the really determined franchise business operators.

Understanding the needs of customers, handling complaints, requests and requirements professionally also bring customers to the door. New franchise business operators need to ask themselves if they would be able to adapt and pivot when the need arises. They should also get a `good feel’ on whether the franchisor is going to act like a real partner.

CleanWorld Community Marketing Corporation’s man-at-the-helm, Rogelio Tapang, cited five effective marketing strategies franchisors like him share with their franchisees. These are: digital marketing;, use of flyers, leaflets and other collaterals to reinforce a brand; good customer service; and in-store promotional activities to help lure customers into one’s fold.

Another franchise business that has good customer service and digital marketing (to immediately address initial inquiries to other concerns) working in its favor is the automotive repair shop DAC Garage. Its main branch in Tagaytay City, Cavite is a spacious, modern facility that offers oil change, preventive maintenance service, under chassis services, mechanical works, brake system services, diagnostic scanning, fluid maintenance, and more. DAC Garage’s targeted franchise areas are the National Capital Region, including Muntinlupa and Laguna.

Opting for P2P Lending

Whether it is an auto repair dealership alternative, an alternative laundry experience, or promising food franchise ventures you want to try,  starting, continuing, and expanding such businesses  all require capital. Opening the door to funding is a peer-to-peer funding platform like Blend.ph.

P2P loans have emerged as preferred alternatives to bank loans from or credit union loans.  From beginning to end, the P2P loan process is faster and easier than traditional financing methods. All that a customer interested in availing of a loan product needs to do is set up a profile and applying through the lending platform.

Check out these in-demand service franchise opportunities. Visit the Blend.ph website for a glimpse of our franchise partners and their success stories. You may navigate to https://blend.ph/franchise-loan/ as well for simple steps on how to apply for a franchise loan.