Selecting franchisees in Belarus: how to assess candidates

It is easy to choose your first franchisee based on enthusiasm and willingness to pay. But these qualities do not tell you whether a partner can maintain standards, manage costs and resolve customer problems. Before offering an established business as a franchise in Belarus, put a clear selection process in place. Franchising brings together independent business owners: lasting relationships start with checking each other’s expectations, not collecting a fee.

1. Define the right partner through the needs of the business

Start not with a marketing profile of an ‘energetic entrepreneur with capital to invest’, but with the responsibilities the franchise buyer will take on. Look at your own outlet: which decisions does the manager make, which mistakes are costly, and where is a daily presence essential?

Use this to draw up your selection criteria:

• experience organising other people’s work, if results depend on a team;
• the ability to understand costs and cash flow;
• willingness to follow established rules;
• time to be involved in the launch and ongoing operations;
• realistic expectations about income and workload.

Divide the criteria into essential and desirable requirements. For example, experience in your particular sector may be desirable, while a commitment to meeting quality standards is essential. Do not present the owner’s preferences as objective necessities: training can sometimes compensate for a lack of experience, but it will not fix a habit of hiding problems.

For each essential criterion, specify how you will assess it. ‘Can manage people’ is meaningless without a question about relevant experience, an example of a decision or a practical task. This document will serve as internal guidance for everyone who deals with candidates.

2. Make the application form a screening tool, not a formality

The application form should help you decide whether to move on to detailed discussions. Ask for information that genuinely affects the candidate’s suitability for the model: their intended city, business experience, proposed involvement in operations, available budget, sources of funding and preferred launch date.

It is useful to include open-ended questions: ‘Why do you want a franchise rather than an independent business?’ and ‘Which decisions do you expect to make without approval?’ The answers will show whether the person understands the distinction between entrepreneurial independence and the obligation to follow agreed standards.

Distinguish between funding for the launch and money for day-to-day operations. A vague statement such as ‘I have the budget’ could mean personal savings, a loan that has not yet been approved or a verbal agreement with an investor. At the first stage, an outline of the funding arrangements is enough; discuss evidence that the funds are available when talks become more concrete.

Do not collect documents ‘just in case’. When processing personal data, take account of the Republic of Belarus Law ‘On Personal Data Protection’: define the purpose and legal basis for processing, restrict access and set a retention period. Do not automatically add candidates to a marketing mailing list simply because they have submitted an application.

3. Assess behaviour through practical scenarios

It is best to use a consistent interview structure. Otherwise, one candidate’s confident manner may carry more weight than another’s actual experience. Ask for examples of how the person has dealt with a cash-flow shortfall, corrected an employee’s mistake, handled a customer complaint or decided against an unprofitable course of action.

Then present several situations from your own experience, removing any confidential information:

• an employee suggests replacing a required material with a cheaper alternative;
• sales are below expectations, but rent and wages still need to be paid;
• a customer demands a refund, while the manager believes the complaint is unfounded;
• a partner wants to change the product range without approval.

Assess the candidate’s reasoning, rather than whether their answer matches a prepared response. Do they ask for missing information? Do they consider their obligations to the customer? Are they willing to tell the franchisor about a problem? Can they distinguish between a short-term saving and a breach of standards?

Follow up the discussion with an introductory visit to an operating outlet. Show an ordinary working day, including routine tasks. This is neither an unpaid shift nor a test of instructions the candidate has not yet received, but an opportunity for both sides to check their expectations.

4. Separate candidate assessment from legal eligibility

A good interview is no substitute for checking whether a franchise agreement can legally be concluded. In Belarus, franchising is specifically regulated by the Civil Code: Chapter 53¹ is entitled ‘Comprehensive Business Licence (Franchising)’. Article 910 defines the agreement, while Article 910¹ requires it to be in writing and registered with the patent authority — the National Centre of Intellectual Property. Failure to meet the registration requirement renders the agreement invalid.

A prospective partner may approach you as a private individual, but by the time the agreement is signed they must have an eligible business status. The franchisee may be a commercial organisation or an individual entrepreneur; whether individual entrepreneur status is permitted for the particular activity must be checked separately.

Do not confuse an application form, a successful selection decision and permission to operate under the brand. Passing the selection process does not in itself grant rights to use the franchise. Explain this distinction to the candidate before discussing the opening of an outlet.

5. Record the decision and reasons for rejection

After the assessment, prepare a brief conclusion covering confirmed strengths, unresolved questions, risks and the next step. Use three possible outcomes: continue discussions, reconsider once specific conditions have been met, or reject the application.

Conditions should be verifiable: for example, confirming funding or clarifying an investor’s involvement. Do not replace them with a vague requirement to ‘prepare more thoroughly’. If the rejection relates to an essential criterion, record that criterion rather than the manager’s personal impression.

Practical takeaway: before inviting applications, prepare a partner profile, an application form, an interview guide and a decision form. A consistent process helps you select members of your franchise network for their ability to run the business, rather than their willingness to pay quickly.