The phrase “lifelong learning” resonates as a mantra among those who teach. The idea is that while you are still breathing you should continue to educate yourself. But how does this translate to an individual’s learning ability? What can franchisees learn and how should they think beyond the initial training from a franchisor?

As a franchisor, we are obliged to provide training programs ranging from start-up training to ongoing learning, one-off promotional activities, remedial or review learning and other forms of help for those who need it. That is part of the appeal of joining a franchise – when you need to know something, there is a support network that will teach you the ropes.

However, even if a franchisee attends every scheduled training activity, that is often not enough to run a successful business.

As a child, my only source of information was the Encyclopaedia Britannica, which my parents had diligently saved to purchase for me. These days, there is an endless amount of information available online through forums, blogs and the like.

So, how can a franchisee use this for big picture learning to go beyond what a franchisor provides? To answer this question I think about the comments of one of my greatest teachers, my grandmother, Thelma. Wise and witty, her advice would be:

1.  LEARN SOMETHING NEW EVERY DAY

The caf_ world is ever expanding. Every cup of coffee or bite of cake should field an opportunity for a franchisee to learn something new. Your competitors are your greatest source of knowledge – what are they doing well, what are they doing poorly, what can I translate to my business?

2. DO SOMETHING YOU LOVE AND YOU WILL NEVER WORK ANOTHER DAY

Choose a franchise business that you love. If you are passionate about food – buy a food business, if you don’t like customers – buy a storage shed! I am constantly surprised by franchisees (in many sectors) who openly admit they don’t like dealing with customers.

Whether you are selling finance, mowing lawns or serving a coffee, there are customers involved.

So start off with the right business for you – then everything you do will make you happy and will not seem like a chore at all. Those who are passionate about their business will naturally learn and will be the most successful.

3. YOU CAN LEAD A HORSE TO WATER BUT YOU CAN’T MAKE IT DRINK

A  franchisee might attend a class but that doesn’t mean they are going to learn anything. It is the same for beyond the classroom. Educators can try to instil a love of learning by making it fun and interesting; the use of various learning tools and methods encourages the search for more knowledge.

For instance, if you are comfortable on the internet, go online to further your understanding; if you feel comfortable in the face-to-face realm it is sensible to seek out skill-based learning. If you are engaged in a huge range of activities you won’t even know you are learning – whether you are inside or outside the classroom.

LEARN FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE

One last Grandma-ism to think about when considering the big picture: experience can be a double-edged sword. She would say that a person may have 10 years of experience – but it’s the same one year experience repeated 10 times. What she meant was that no matter what, some people just don’t want to learn anything new; they will opt to repeat what they know forever.

So be open to learning and make the experience count.

Natalie Brennan is national services and support manager at the Foodco Group