People who choose franchising usually have a certain element of entrepreneurial spirit. The word "franchise" means "to be made free." This freedom is realized through the granting of rights from one party to another. Through this system, individuals have the right to a known name or trademark and a proven operating system that provides support and services to help them succeed. Express Personnel Services has built its worldwide network of over 400 offices by carefully selecting its franchisees, and is one of the few companies that is 100 percent franchised. Robert A. Funk, founder and CEO of Express Personnel Services, believes that when people work together, they increase their power to succeed. "Success in our business depends on helping people," said Funk. "You are only as good as the last person you have helped."

Beyond a willingness to develop relationships and work as a team player, there are other attributes that a franchisee can bring to his or her business that can make the difference between an average and a great business owner. If owning a franchise sounds good to you, be very clear about the necessity of hard work. Carmen Hummel, owner of two Express offices in Centralia and Yakima, Washington, knows about hard work. As a young woman, Hummel left a life of poverty in Los Angeles to search for better opportunities. When still a teenager, she took a bus as far as her money would stretch, landing in Centralia, Washington, where her first job was picking strawberries. After several other jobs, she ended up signing on as a temporary associate at the local Express Personnel Services office, where she spent several years accepting assignments and getting to know about Express. Eventually, when the owner retired, Hummel was offered a chance to buy the business. Only two years after purchasing the office, she had increased sales by 200 percent. Although this success appears to have happened over a short period, it belies the hard work Hummel put into the business. She had taken a huge risk financially and had a personal mission to succeed in order to pay her debt. She was the business. She was responsible for opening the door in the morning and was the last to leave at night. She was the one who made the sales contacts and made sure her associates would show up on time. "I don't know if I could have done it had I tried to start the business from the ground up," she says. "There's no amount of money in the world that can buy the brand awareness you get when you purchase a franchise."

Unfortunately, money is often an issue that keeps many would-be franchisees from ever taking the first step of purchasing a franchise. Express realizes the start-up capital needed to get a franchise up and running can be discouraging to those who don’t feel comfortable putting their savings on the line or just don’t have the resources available to get started. In an effort to break down financial barriers, Express created the Bridge-to-Ownership (BTO) program. This program allows individuals with staffing industry experience the opportunity to become an Express franchisee without the initial start-up capital. With the BTO program, prospective franchisees only pay half the franchise fee, and then operate the office as a salaried employee while building the business, which is financed by Express’ International Headquarters. When the business reaches a level of success sufficient to repay the operating capital, the franchise can be purchased from Express upon payment of the remaining franchise fee. This can occur any time during a three-year period.

Another factor in determining franchise success is whether you are willing to follow the franchisor's system completely. An essential benefit of franchising is the consistency of product and service customers find from one franchise outlet to the next. When you display the sign and logo of a franchise, you are indicating to customers that you follow a particular system. People who are extremely entrepreneurial to the point that they do not like to conform to a predetermined formula should consider a franchise opportunity carefully. Dave and Eunice Kehlor wanted to go into business for themselves, but not by themselves. The Indianapolis couple purchased an Express franchise knowing they had the experience and the ability to operate a staffing company, but felt the challenges of starting from scratch were too risky. "We got a proven system," says Dave. "Express had been around long enough and had franchises all over the United States when we started." The Kehlors liked the fact that they had the support of a franchisor always available (the company has an 18-member assistance center open 14 hours a day, five days a week, with someone on call on the weekends.) The international headquarters of Express Personnel Services provides support and assistance in all areas, including legal, financial, risk and safety, human resources, marketing, public relations, advertising and technological support. "With Express behind us, we were able to get right into the sales part of our business," said Eunice.

Another consideration is whether you are a good fit with the corporate culture of the franchise. Are the franchisees of a particular company generally happy and successful? Does the franchisor follow through on commitments? Do the franchisees receive adequate training? Would they buy the franchise again? Do you like the people at the company's headquarters? One who can knowledgeably answer these questions is someone who has served on both sides of the fence. Pueblo, Colorado Express franchise owner Jim Quillen knew Express from the inside out. Jim had worked for nine years at Express' headquarters in corporate finance. He knew the company was solidly based. He had attended numerous annual conventions where he met other franchisees and learned about operations and sales. He liked the company culture and the attitude and professionalism of both corporate staff and the franchisee community he decided to join. "Working for the franchisor really opened my eyes to the possibilities for Express franchisees," he says. Jim and his wife, Dana, who is active in the business with him, had goal-oriented values and were able to translate their expertise easily into working as owners instead of employees of Express.

Express realizes the start up capital needed to get a franchise up and running can be discouraging to some who don’t feel comfortable putting their savings on the line, which is why Express created the Bridge-to-Ownership (BTO) program. This program allows individuals with staffing industry experience the opportunity to become an Express franchisee without the initial start up capital. With the BTO program, prospective franchisees only pay half the franchise fee, and then operate the office as a salaried employee while building the business, which is financed by Express’ International Headquarters. When the business reaches a level of success sufficient to repay the operating capital, the franchise can be purchased from Express upon payment of the remaining franchise fee. This can occur any time during a three-year period.

While they have varied backgrounds and distinctly different reasons for purchasing their franchises, these Express Personnel Services owners all agree on what makes their operations successful: it is the people who work with them and for them and the strong relationship that exists between franchisee and franchisor.

With the support of a franchisor behind them, franchisees feel they can focus on growing their staff and increasing their management and people skills. Franchisees brought together under one company identity can achieve things that individuals either cannot do or do not have the resources to do. Group advertising, buying power and the sharing of ideas and common experiences are just some advantages. Developing respect and consideration for and an interdependence on each other keeps the franchisee/franchisor relationship strong.

Both franchisees and founder stress their belief that an integral part of their success is their focus on the importance of people. "Our staff grows the business, not us," says Kehlor. "Our employees make our business."

Funk says essentially the same thing, illustrating the fact that franchisee and franchisor truly agree on the mission of Express. "Great people make your business thrive and your life worth living. Without people, Express would not have a purpose. To provide people with hope and to fulfill their dreams is why we are here."

Beginning with the individuals who sign to become Express Personnel Services franchisees and extending all the way to the workers they send to fill the positions of clients they have sought and served, the focus on people shows in the personality of Express.