Choosing a franchise isn’t just about finding a strong brand or a growing industry. It’s about finding the right fit. Caring Senior Service Director of Franchise Development Del Salinas joins Dr. John P. Hayes on the Franchise Hot Seat Podcast to discuss what prospective franchise owners should really evaluate before signing an agreement. They explore the importance of understanding your “why,” following a proven system, evaluating franchise support, building the right team, and taking an honest look at whether a business matches your goals, strengths, and expectations.
Podcast Transcript
Dr. John P. Hayes: If you’re Googling “Which franchise is best?” you’re asking the wrong question. You ought to be Googling, “Which franchise is best for me?” or “Which franchise is best for you?”
That’s how my guest today thinks about franchise opportunities. Del Salinas has spent years talking with people exploring franchise ownership, and those conversations have taught him that franchise success usually begins long before you sign the franchise agreement.
So, Del, after nearly 50 years, in my case, of studying and teaching franchising, I’m convinced people spend way too much time asking which franchise makes the most money and not enough time asking, “Am I the kind of person who will enjoy running this franchise every day?” And, more importantly, “Am I the kind of person who could make a lot of money with this particular franchise?”
Too many franchise buyers fall in love with a website, a brochure, a video, or a salesperson’s well-rehearsed, persuasive call to action before they understand the business and the real opportunity the business affords them.
My guest for today’s franchise conversation is the Director of Franchise Development for Caring Senior Service. Del, I don’t usually interview members of the franchise sales team, for lots of reasons that I’ll save for another time. But your experience earns you a seat in the studio.
Let’s get ready to help some people solve problems rather than buy franchises that are only going to get them into trouble. Welcome, Del.
Del Salinas: Thanks. I appreciate you taking the time to have me on the show, and I’m excited to share some information.
John: Most people think the biggest predictor of franchise success is choosing the right brand. I don’t think so. After nearly 50 years in franchising, I think success begins with choosing the right business for the right person.
Del, you’ve talked with hundreds of prospective franchise owners. If the brand isn’t the biggest predictor of success, what is?
Del: It’s the fit. Is the business model, the team, and the culture the right fit for the individual?
That’s the second part of the question that people eventually end up asking, but maybe they don’t know what to ask. It’s very similar to the phrase, “You don’t know what you don’t know.”
People know they want to own a business. They know they want to be involved. But there’s not a lot of education in the franchise space unless you’re getting involved with someone like myself or someone like you, where you get to investigate more about what that looks like.
I try to help people understand what a day in the life is going to look like, what their one-year, five-year, and 10-year outlook might look like, and make sure it’s something they believe in and have confidence in themselves and in us.
John: Right off the top, what’s one thing a buyer ought to do that most buyers aren’t doing?
Del: Listen.
That might sound vague, but listen to people like yourself, people like me, and other owners. Take time to really investigate what the day looks like. Talk to customers. Talk to other owners in the franchise community. Ask a lot of questions.
Listen to what’s being told to you so that you can align your goals with what we’re doing, with our mission, and with our values, and make sure it’s a good fit.
John: When you say “listen,” that’s not going to faze a lot of people. It sounds too easy, or it’s advice they hear from everyone.
What are they listening for? What should you be getting out of the conversation with you, with me, or with a top franchisee?
Del: The listening piece might sound easy, but from my perspective, not everyone listens at all.
We need someone who is going to take a moment to understand. I’m looking for people who have that relationship with me and our team and listen to understand.
Prospective owners need to listen to what the bad days look like and what the obstacles are going to look like. What are those hurdles going to be from day one to year 20? Is that something they can live with? Is it something they can have passion about?
Are those headaches and heartaches going to be things they can work through to get to the next day? Is there enough value and passion behind it to keep them moving forward?
It’s listening to understand what the business is really all about and understanding where they fit within that business landscape with us.
John: I think the biggest mistake most people make doesn’t happen after they buy the franchise. It happens before they ever sign the agreement.
They’ve got to listen for key information, but what are they getting wrong during the evaluation process that eventually leads to disappointment?
Del: It’s understanding what following the system and process really looks like and understanding what the people piece looks like.
Almost every business has a people aspect to it. Our business is 100% relationship-driven. It’s not just the clients you’re working with. It’s your team, your caregivers, and your office staff.
Not everybody who wants to be a business owner is the best manager or the best leader. We need people who are going to come in with strong leadership skills so they’re coaching their team, listening to us about how to be a good coach and manager, and following the system step by step.
A good franchise system will have those steps laid out for you. The questions prospective owners need to ask are: What are those steps? What do they look like? And do I agree with these steps and want to execute them?
John: I’ve noticed people will compare two franchise brands and look at the fees — which one is higher, where they have to pay more royalties, and the overall investment level.
But very few of them spend enough time comparing themselves to the business.
Before someone compares two franchise brands, what questions would you say they ought to be asking?
Del: Support and the level of support. Those are questions people ask, but they don’t necessarily understand what the right answer is.
To your point, is the support a good fit for them? Is the relationship you’re going to have with this group something you want for the next 10 years?
You’re going to spend a lot of time with the team. Are these people you trust? Did you spend time talking to the team?
You might have a good conversation with me, but are you also having good conversations with our owners and our headquarters team?
That’s one area where we excel. We get you involved with our team. We want you to talk to our team. We want you to understand that this is a two-way street. Franchising is about giving and taking, and we want to make sure we’re able to communicate regularly.
We’re always here for you, but you have to reach out to us as well.
If you’re joining a franchise system, you’re doing so to minimize risk and maximize the opportunity for success by following a proven system. If you’re not going to follow the system, why would you do this?
You should be asking: What is support like? How are you helping me in my day-to-day? How are you helping me a year from now or five years from now? What does that timeline of support from the headquarters team look like?
Then validate those answers with existing owners and determine whether you’re a good fit for that system.
John: When I was the CEO at HomeVestors — We Buy Ugly Houses — we had 265 franchisees at the time. I had my top 50 franchisees, my bottom 20, and then everybody else in the middle, and we were trying to figure out how to move them up rather than let them fall down.
Frequently, I would talk to people at the bottom about the system and following the system, which they weren’t doing. I would say, “Why did you buy a franchise if you’re not going to do what we tell you to do?”
And the honest answer was, “I don’t want to do what people tell me to do. I’m sick of having a boss. I want to do it my way.”
Unfortunately, each of us doing it our way is probably going to be the wrong way. People don’t seem to understand that.
How often do you get to this issue?
Del: A little bit. It’s probably similar to the percentages you just shared.
There’s a small percentage that says they want to do this business, but this goes back to the listening piece.
If someone isn’t going to listen and starts telling me how they want to run the business, that’s great. They might have a great system they can create on their own. People are very successful starting their own businesses, and they might be great at that.
But if you want to follow our system, it’s very specific. Most franchises are very specific. They have things laid out step by step. You have to follow those steps.
The listening piece really comes down to whether you’re listening to what we’re saying — not just me, but our entire team and our owners — and listening to understand.
It’s completely fine to ask why. We want to explain the why. But I also want to know that the person reaches a point where they can say, “Yes, I’m all in. I have confidence in the system and the team, and I’m going to execute at a high level.”
Those are questions they need to ask early on. What does day one look like? What does day 100 look like? What does day 500 look like? What am I doing within this system?
Am I going to be hands-on every day forever? Do I want to spend 18 to 24 months building a model, structure, and team where I can eventually step back a little, become more semi-absentee, or grow into other businesses?
What is the end result they’re trying to get to? From day one, they need to understand how we get there.
John: I wish people would understand there’s no such thing as the best franchise. There’s only the franchise that’s the best fit for them.
How do you help someone distinguish between an exciting opportunity — which we all like — and the right opportunity?
Del: The listening piece goes both ways. I also listen to understand their “why.”
Why do they want to do this business? What brought them to me? What part of their journey brought them to the point where we’re having a conversation about home care?
Almost everyone has a passion for providing care, so that’s normally an easy box to check.
But do you have the passion for building your team, working with your caregivers, and working within your community?
That’s a part of the business people don’t always see. We have to say, “This is going to be a lot of the business. This is going to be incredibly important — building your team and working in your community. Let’s talk through that.”
We try to give them a clear picture of expectations. From day one to year 20, someone has to be in these roles. If you don’t have somebody in a particular role, that’s you in that role.
Are you happy doing that? Is that going to satisfy you?
If you aren’t someone who wants to perform that role, then you need a backup plan to have somebody else in it, and that may cost more. So let’s talk about the financing piece and what that’s going to look like.
We’re trying to understand their “why,” what motivated them to get to this point, and then share all the ins and outs and all the roles to understand where they fit best within the structure.
If there isn’t a good fit, then we need to be honest and say, “This might not be the best fit for you.”
John: That’s such a great point. Most people don’t understand their “why,” and good franchise development people should focus on exactly what you just said: understanding the prospect’s “why.” If they don’t understand their own why, force them to figure it out.
Two people can buy the same franchise in the same market or similar markets. They get the same training and the same support, and they end up with completely different outcomes.
How do you explain that? More than anything else, what stands out as the difference between those two?
Del: It’s the people piece — the staffing piece.
Most franchise systems are going to have roles where somebody needs to be in that role. It’s about having the right person there.
We talked earlier about the owner either filling one of those roles or not being a good fit for a particular role and having somebody else come in.
Not every owner is the best boss, leader, or manager. You have to develop your team.
Two people can come in at the same time with the same structure and training but have different personalities and, more specifically, different focuses.
One may focus on developing their team, while another becomes too hands-on and gets sucked into the day-to-day operations.
There has to be a balance. This is where we talk about blocking out your quarter, your month, and your week to understand your role as the owner.
Your role is to make sure your team is fully staffed and executing at a high level, with people in the right seats doing the right things.
That sounds pretty simple, but it’s quite hard.
Owners need to understand how to communicate, follow the metrics, and follow the reports. If someone is focused on doing everything themselves rather than the bigger picture, that’s where you can start to see a downward spiral.
We have to jump in and say, “Whoa. Take a step back and reevaluate. Are you looking at these metrics daily? When they’re not in the right spot, are you coaching and evaluating the way we’ve taught you?”
It’s simple. You’re either doing the work or you’re not. You’re either documenting or you’re not.
Then, are you asking the right questions and coming back to our team? “Hey, Del, I’m doing everything you said. I’m checking the boxes, but I’m not getting the result.”
Now we can ask why.
Are you side by side with your person? Are you hearing what they’re saying? Are you going with them to visit your community? Are you participating in the interview process? Can we do some together? Can we show you and then do some role-playing so we can see what you’re doing as well?
All of that takes time, and the owner has to make that time.
It comes down to the people piece and the time piece — structuring their quarters, months, weeks, and days to validate what’s being done.
It’s really that simple. I won’t say easy, but simple.
John: Every month, thousands of people start their search for a franchise. Some of them will end up building fabulous, legacy, money-generating businesses over time. Others are going to wish they had never heard the word “franchise.”
What are maybe one or two things successful buyers do differently during their search? We’ve talked about their “why.” We’ve talked about listening. What are some practical things you see happening?
Del: During the search, it goes back to documenting what they’re learning.
I always recommend looking at multiple franchise systems and really comparing apples to apples.
Document what you’re learning. Ask the questions and write down, “This is what this franchise system said. This is what this one said.”
Go back and identify where those differences are, and then ask deeper questions to understand how those differences impact the business financially and from the people standpoint.
It’s always going to come back to your people piece and your sales piece. Ultimately, that affects profitability.
Early in the investigation, document the answers you’re getting. Do your homework and due diligence. Dig deep to really understand the franchise system, including the team.
Then, once you’ve signed and you’re open and executing, are you continuing to follow the process?
Are you spending time with your team and investing in your team?
That also has a cost, and it should be a conversation you have early on. What’s the cost of additional education? What does it cost to send your team to learn more? What does it cost for you to validate that they’re doing a good job?
All of that has to continue.
I always recommend writing the questions down and creating different columns for each franchise you’re considering. Then go back and compare the answers.
Once you’re open, go back and ask yourself, “Am I still doing these steps?”
We have objective metrics once owners are open for business. Are they hitting those metrics? If not, we ask why and continue the process.
John: If you could require every buyer to ask and get answers to just three questions before they move forward and sign an agreement, what three questions would you mandate?
Del: First is their “why.” I want to know why they want to do this business. They need to be able to tell me why, and it needs to align with our mission of keeping every senior healthy, happy, and home.
Their “why” may not fit this business, and we have to be willing to tell them that.
The second part is whether they want to follow our system and process.
That’s specifically what I say: We’re looking to see if you want to follow not just a system and process, but our system and process.
I’m going to give you ample time to learn from me, learn from our team, and learn from other owners. You have to make a decision about whether we’re the right people for you and whether we’re the right company for you.
The third piece is their urgency and their financial ability to move forward at the right time.
Those are three things I want to understand before we move forward.
John: Senior care is — I hate this word, but I’m going to use it here — one of the “hot” franchise concepts.
I always tell people that if you buy the hot franchise, that’s the quickest way for you to get burned. But that happens because you didn’t do the homework. You didn’t ask the questions you and I are talking about right now.
It’s okay to be a hot franchise concept. I think senior care definitely is because we’re all faced with it.
There’s a great feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment that comes from caring. But franchisees aren’t necessarily the ones out there providing the care. That isn’t the franchisee’s dad who is now the client.
So they may miss the business side: How do I go get a client? Where do they come from? There are a lot of senior care brands competing for the buyer.
Del: You said five or six really important things right there.
One is that it’s a growing need. This industry has been around for more than 30 years, but it’s growing more and more.
We’re going to need many more home care businesses throughout the United States. This is going to continue growing because there’s a need as we continue to age ourselves.
We might have done this for our parents, but it’s going to become more common, and it’s going to evolve into many different opportunities for care — everything from the physical piece to the emotional piece, as well as finding the right balance between the human piece and AI.
Then there are owners who may have cared for their own parents. They have a passion for it, but they also need a passion for growing the entire business.
We get people who say, “I cared for Mom and Dad. I fell in love with it. It was so hard for me, and I want to make it easier for other people.”
Or someone may come from the administrative side and say, “I see a big need. I want more one-on-one opportunities to give people this care.”
But this is a business most people don’t really know about until they need it.
We’re not taught in our 30s, 40s, or 50s, “Hey, you might need care for Mom or Dad.”
Usually, something happens. Mom or Dad has a stroke, heart attack, bad fall, or begins experiencing dementia, and people don’t know what to do or where to go.
So we go where we find people who need us. They may be exiting hospitals, hospice, home health, rehab, or other places in the community where they’re experiencing these issues and asking these questions.
We build relationships with administrators and personnel in those organizations. You build that emotional equity and maintain constant communication.
That goes back to our process and what we do with our office teams.
Then, when someone needs care, those professionals can refer them to us. We provide information, help them understand what this looks like, and go from there.
That’s how we get clients.
John: So it’s emotional equity that has to be built. A lot of people can’t do that. No matter what their “why” is, they don’t know how to do that.
Del: That goes back to understanding whether they’re a good fit.
It’s really about having a passion for every part of it — a passion for communicating and a passion for understanding.
You’re dealing with people who are in emotional distress. They’re physically and emotionally fatigued because Mom or Dad has normally been going through something for months already, and they’ve been asking for help.
You need to understand what they need and talk to them in a rational, reasonable way — not simply try to make a sale, but give them the information they need to make a better decision.
When they’re ready to move forward, we’ll have another conversation. We’ll meet them and educate them a little more.
At the end of the day, we want to keep Mom or Dad healthy, happy, and home.
As an owner, you have to understand that we’re here to help and provide value.
John: I’ve noticed, particularly in my work as a franchise expert witness where there’s been a lawsuit because a failure occurred, people will say to me, “The franchise failed me.”
Sometimes that’s true, but often that’s just not what happened. It simply wasn’t a good fit.
In your experience, have you seen people walk away believing the business was the problem when, in reality, as much empathy as they had for caring for seniors, they didn’t know how to go get the business?
Unless you know how to get the business, you’re not going to have clients to take care of. This business wasn’t right for them.
How often does that happen?
Del: Rarely, but it does.
I’ve mentioned a couple of times already that this is a simple business, but it’s not easy.
You have to have someone going out and doing the legwork, going face-to-face, and having those conversations.
It’s not something where you’re going to get all of your clients from the digital space or simply by posting ads. People don’t necessarily understand the need until it becomes urgent for them.
You have to be in the community. You have to be where the need is, and that takes legwork. It takes hard work. It takes hustle.
You have to go out and have those conversations.
Like any sales position, sometimes it takes knocking on 100 doors to get one to say yes.
You’re having conversations. It’s about being in the right place at the right time, being consistent with those visits, following the system, following the process, documenting where you’re going, and making adjustments as needed.
That’s hard work.
People who want to put in that work for themselves and feel that our system is the best fit for them are the ones who have success.
When people choose to do something different and pivot away from the process, that’s where things can go a little sideways.
John: Even before studying the FDD — which few people really study well enough, but that’s a different podcast — what they really need to do is spend time studying themselves.
Why do people skip that or avoid it? Does it take someone like you who’s going to force them to do it?
Del: I think all of us have preconceived notions of what a great opportunity is going to look like. We see all the positives.
My goal is to present you with the negatives as well — give you the good, bad, and ugly and let you see it all.
Then you can determine whether this is something you’re going to be comfortable with and confident you can live with.
I’d rather have people tell me during our process, “Hey, Del, you know what? I need to pause. This isn’t the right fit for me.”
Or I’ll share with them, “Hey, this might not be a good fit.”
I’d rather have that happen than have somebody sign with us and 18 months later say, “Del, why did you let me do this? This was terrible.”
I never want that to happen.
I always try to show people what it’s really going to look like and have them go through that process not just with me, but with our entire team and our owners.
We’ve found success doing that.
If more people spent more time asking those questions, evaluating themselves, putting pen to paper, documenting what the opportunity is going to look like, and asking themselves, “Is this something I can do for the next five, 10, or 20 years?” they’d have a much clearer understanding of whether they believe in it enough to succeed.
John: As part of that “looking in the mirror” exercise, which I want to mandate that people do in the process of buying a franchise, I’ve used the DISC profile assessment for more than 40 years.
One of the mistakes people make is thinking DISC is going to tell them which franchise to buy. It does not do that.
It does help people understand how they’re likely to behave inside a particular franchise system.
How has understanding someone’s personality helped you guide them toward — or even away from — buying one of your franchises?
Del: It helps us understand how they learn, how they process information, and what’s important to them.
This business is very simple. Again, you’re providing care. The other half is working with your team and understanding what the structure of your day looks like.
As we learn how people learn and what’s important to them, we can shift the focus of the conversation in a way that makes more sense to them.
Again, this also goes back to their “why.” Why is this important to them? What’s important to them as far as the business goes?
We also use it to look at the other side.
If they’re very compassionate and their heart is in the right place, that’s fantastic. Now let’s look at the business aspect.
It’s not just about providing care. It’s running a strong, successful, profitable business.
That’s going to require doing certain things. Do they have those qualities as well? Are they going to be comfortable managing the business this way?
We have everything laid out. Are you going to be okay doing these things daily, weekly, and monthly and following these metrics?
That’s how we bring it full circle and use those types of assessments.
John: If people complete one of these assessments — I like DISC for lots of reasons; it’s inexpensive and has been around for decades — there are also others that are tied more specifically to franchise opportunities.
Requiring people to complete an assessment is so important, but a lot of franchisors don’t do that. What’s your position on it?
Del: We find it very valuable.
Again, it’s a way to look a little deeper into the owner and understand their “why.” It can validate things or provide an opportunity to ask more questions.
Someone may come in extremely excited about the opportunity and excited about moving quickly. But then we may find something that’s intriguing and say, “Let’s have a conversation about this.”
Maybe they want to go, go, go, but they’re also very process-oriented in a way that doesn’t seem to align. Let’s go back and have a conversation and understand how they’re going to approach this.
We would be hesitant about someone who is going to go off on their own, do their own thing, and doesn’t want to take direction. That isn’t a good fit for the franchise model.
We can recognize that and ask whether there’s a way to align it.
As we continue through our discovery process, they have opportunities to show us that they’re going to follow the system, ask good questions, stay true to the process, and not simply veer off and do their own thing.
We find those assessments quite valuable.
John: How does the broker network help you develop your franchise brand across the United States?
Del: It helps more people understand everything we’re talking about today.
Building relationships with broker consultants means they can share some of this upfront as someone is navigating where they want to go with a potential opportunity.
If senior care is one of those options, the consultant can talk with them about what we’ve discussed.
“Are you aware that you’re going to be working with caregivers every day? Are you aware that you’re going to have to do this and this every day?”
If that’s a hard no, then let’s not move forward.
If it’s something that still interests them, then have a conversation with me and let’s dig a little deeper.
John: Great, Del. Thank you. This has been very enlightening.
You’ve answered my questions, which aren’t always easy questions for people who come on the Hot Seat, but that’s the way it is.
You shoot from the hip and give straight answers, and I appreciate that.
Ultimately, we love franchising and want it to succeed. The only way for that to happen is to find people who can succeed in brands that are good fits for them.
That’s what this was all about.
To my viewers, if this changed how you think about franchising, subscribe and tune in for more of these episodes. Share this information with someone you think might be interested in franchising, and tell me in the comments what surprised you about our conversation.
Thanks for joining me.
Del: Thanks. I appreciate you.