Launching a Franchise in Belarus: How Many Outlets Can You Open at Once?

Running a successful outlet of your own does not necessarily mean your team can open several franchisee outlets at the same time. A franchise network depends not only on a recognisable brand, but also on the ability to deliver on promises. Before you start selling franchises in Belarus, establish your launch capacity: how many new outlets your team can realistically support without compromising the existing business.

1. Measure the work involved in each opening, not the number of franchisees

The number of signed agreements is a poor measure of your team’s readiness. One franchisee may arrive with suitable premises and an experienced manager, while another needs repeated layout approvals and extra training. On paper, these are two openings, but the demands on the franchisor can differ significantly.

Map your team’s involvement from the start of preparations through to the end of each outlet’s first few weeks of trading. Include not just meetings, but also document checks, written feedback, travel, repeat approvals and internal discussions. Waiting for a franchisee’s response may not take up working time, but it can delay tasks and create scheduling clashes.

For each activity, record:

• what the franchisee should receive;
• who prepares it and who approves it;
• how much working time it requires;
• what information is needed before work can begin;
• what might cause the work to be repeated;
• whether it can be done remotely.

Use the actual hours spent on your most recent comparable opening. If you have no such data, run internal rehearsals of individual tasks: reviewing a layout, preparing a training schedule or checking an initial stock order. Mark these estimates as provisional, rather than established benchmarks. Then allow contingency time for revisions.

2. Identify the specialist who sets the pace

Total headcount does not tell you how many outlets you can actually open. A company may have administrative staff with spare capacity, but only one technical specialist who approves processes, trains staff and attends launches. That person’s diary determines the sustainable pace of expansion.

Calculate available time separately for each role. Deduct time spent supporting company-owned outlets and existing franchisees, as well as holidays, mandatory meetings and a contingency allowance for unexpected problems. Do not treat the owner’s evenings as a permanent resource: that model soon becomes dependent on overworking one person.

Illustrative example: after allowing for routine duties and contingency time, a specialist has 48 hours a month available for new openings. Each launch requires 24 hours of their involvement. This gives a provisional limit of two launches, but it is not a promise to open two outlets on any dates you choose. If both need the specialist on site on the same day, the schedule allows for fewer openings.

Build a weekly workload schedule for everyone in a key role. Pay particular attention to training, readiness checks and the first days of trading: these are often the points when several outlets need the same people at once.

Assign a deputy for critical tasks or prepare an external contractor in advance. Delegate work only when the required outcome and the process for checking it are clear. Simply having a contractor’s contact details does not create spare capacity.

3. Align sales commitments with legal obligations

In Belarus, franchising is specifically regulated by the Civil Code: Chapter 53 covers the comprehensive business licence, the legal framework used for franchising. Article 910 describes the granting of a package of licensed rights in return for payment, while Article 910-1 requires the agreement to be in writing and registered with the patent authority, the National Centre of Intellectual Property. The absence of a standalone franchising law does not mean there are no specific rules.

Registering an agreement does not, however, confirm that the rights holder has enough staff to support every launch it has sold. That is a management responsibility for the business owner. The legislation places obligations on the rights holder to provide documentation, information and assistance to the licensee; the precise scope and terms of those obligations should be checked with a lawyer in relation to the agreement concerned.

Before agreeing to a new opening, check the team’s promised involvement against its schedule. A sales manager should not independently promise a technical specialist’s site visit, bespoke training or an extra week of support unless the people delivering it have confirmed their availability.

Introduce an internal rule: any proposal specifying dates for specialist support must be approved by the person responsible for launches. Every additional promise should first be assessed in terms of hours and costs. If resources are insufficient, revise the proposal before taking on the commitment, rather than trying to reduce promised support after payment.

4. Set a limit and define when to pause sales

Your calculations should produce a simple internal document stating how many openings can be handled simultaneously, which staff will support that workload and when new launches must temporarily be put on hold. Base the limit on the busiest role, rather than on targets for initial franchise fee income.

Divide the pipeline into at least three stages: gathering initial information, active launch preparation and early operational support. Move an outlet to the next stage only after checking both its readiness and the team’s availability. Otherwise, several projects that have spent months waiting for premises or staff may suddenly require full specialist support at the same time.

Signs that the limit needs reviewing include:

• agreed training sessions being regularly rescheduled;
• a backlog of materials awaiting review;
• a key employee consistently working overtime;
• declining standards of support for company-owned outlets;
• recurring mistakes caused by rushed launches.

After each opening, compare planned and actual hours, recording the reasons for any overruns separately. If a task consistently takes longer than expected, update the benchmark and the schedule for subsequent launches. Do not compensate for an inaccurate estimate with endless overtime.

Practical takeaway: before selling the next franchise, make sure there is not only a buyer, but also time available in the diaries of the people responsible for delivering the launch. A manageable pace of openings protects both your existing business and your franchisees’ trust.