The Importance of Finding a Franchise That Aligns With Your Values

Three ways that Expedia CruiseShipCenters’ values have affected franchisee culture and support

With thousands of franchise opportunities available, finding the perfect fit for your personal and financial goals is an incredibly difficult decision. There are a number of things to consider, from the initial investment level, to the potential return, to the hours you’ll work, to the product you’ll sell, to the kind of lifestyle this new business will provide for you. But how important is cultural fit?

Like any organization, franchise companies have unique cultures that reflect their brand and the values they live by. A good franchisor will work hard to maintain and protect that culture by only awarding franchises to owners whose personal values align with the company’s.

So why is it important to consider a franchisor’s values when conducting your franchise research?

Here are three reasons why franchise values matter:

Support team will share franchise values

As a franchise owner who is learning new skills, a new system and maybe even an entirely new industry, you’re going to rely on your corporate support team to show you the ropes and help you build your new business — and that requires a high level of trust. Franchise values can help build that trust and provide a useful framework to guide interactions between franchisees and their support team. When everyone’s on the same page about what the expectations are of both employees and franchisees, and what those interactions will look like, that relationship tends to be very positive.

Watch the video below to hear the Expedia CruiseShipCenters Corporate Support team talk about what our franchise values of Teamwork, Integrity, Respect, Dedication and Fun mean to them.

At Expedia CruiseShipCenters, the impact of our values trickles down from the leadership team, to the corporate employees, to our franchisees — all the way down to their teams of Vacation Consultants and even to our customers! Our value of Dedication may look different at every level of the organization, but it’s at the core of everything we do. For the corporate support team, our dedication is to our franchisees and fulfilling our mission “to empower our Franchise Partners with a proven system to grow a profitable and valuable business.” For our Franchise Partners, their dedication is to their team of Vacation Consultants — whom they train, coach and lead to sales success. For those Consultants, their dedication is to their clients and delivering on our promise to navigate spectacular vacation experiences for each and every one of them.

Franchise values influence franchisee culture

Choosing a franchise is a bit like choosing your family. You’ll spend a lot of time with your fellow franchisees at company-wide training events and annual meetings, which can be an incredible experience when those events are full of like-minded individuals who share the same values. One of the most important values for our Franchise Partners at Expedia CruiseShipCenters is Teamwork. It’s shaped our franchisee culture so profoundly that we came up with a mantra, “Stronger.Together®,” to describe the impact it’s had on our organization. In practice, “Stronger.Together” is displayed in the way our franchisees share best practices with one another and support each other in running their businesses. There’s competition among locations to be sure, but there’s also a common understanding that when one franchise does well, we all do well, and that’s how the brand will grow stronger and more successful.

Of course, our Franchise Partners also live by our value of Fun! If our annual National Conference held each year aboard a seven-day cruise is any indication, it’s clear this franchise value has also had a tremendous impact on the franchisee culture at Expedia CruiseShipCenters.

Franchise values carry you through ups and downs

Franchise ownership can be incredibly rewarding, but even when you find a great cultural fit, it isn’t always easy. Like any business, your franchise will have ups and downs, but one of the incredible benefits of owning a franchise business is that you’re never going it alone. A franchise that has strong, organization-wide values will leverage them in both positive and challenging times.

At Expedia CruiseShipCenters, our value of Fun shines through when we’re celebrating success, but our value of Integrity also serves as a reminder of who we are if we happen to be dealing with a difficult situation.

Our commitment to “Truth & Transparency” was especially evident in 2012 when the cruise industry was under scrutiny from the media after some unfortunate incidents at sea. Instead of ignoring what was happening, our leadership team addressed it head-on and spoke openly with our franchisees so we could overcome it together. We came out on the other side even stronger.

Now, three years later, the cruise industry is thriving, and the demand for our franchise opportunity has never been higher. With 57 new ocean cruise ships set to launch in the next five years, our goal to add 300 travel agency franchises to our North American network by 2020 is entirely within reach.

Learn more about Expedia CruiseShipCenters

Do you share our franchise values of Teamwork, Integrity, Respect, Dedication and Fun? Find out how you can be a part of our incredible franchisee culture as an Expedia CruiseShipCenters Franchise Partner by completing the form on this page. For in-depth details about the Expedia CruiseShipCenters franchise opportunity, download our free franchise report. You can also learn more by visiting our research pages.