Starting a franchise in Belgium: test it without the founder

A successful business does not automatically make a replicable franchise model. Customers may come because of you, you may handle every exception, and you alone may know the details of your supplier agreements. Anyone looking to build a franchise network in Belgium must therefore first answer one practical question: can someone else run the business without constantly relying on the founder? A clearly defined trial at your own outlet will reveal that dependence.

1. Turn your absence into a controlled trial

The aim is not to prove that you are unnecessary. You are examining which knowledge, decisions and contacts still depend too heavily on you. Ideally, use a company-owned outlet where a manager temporarily takes over day-to-day operations. This allows you to test whether the model can be replicated before an independent franchisee invests money and takes on business risk.

Define the scope of the trial in advance: opening and closing, staff rotas, ordering, customer complaints, cash checks and routine commercial decisions. Choose a period that also includes more challenging situations, such as a missed delivery or an unexpected staff absence. One quiet week tells you little about how the business operates under pressure.

Set out three things in writing:

• Decision-making authority: what can the manager decide independently?
• Escalation: when should they seek help, and from whom?
• Emergency procedure: when will you intervene immediately, for example if safety is at risk?

Explain to staff how the trial works. Ask them not to seek informal answers from you. Otherwise, the outlet may appear to be operating independently while you are still handling everything behind the scenes.

2. Record interventions, not just turnover

Turnover alone does not tell you whether the model can be replicated. Results may remain strong because the manager is working excessive overtime or because you are providing guidance by phone every evening. Alongside business performance, record the effort needed to achieve it.

Use a simple intervention log. For every request for help, note the situation, the missing information, the chosen solution and the time spent. Distinguish between unclear procedures, insufficient practice, a lack of authority and genuinely exceptional events.

Also track a few indicators suited to your business:

• hours worked, including your remote support;
• complaints, remedial work and refunds;
• stock shortages, waste or missed appointments;
• gross margin and discrepancies in cash or business records;
• decisions left unresolved until you return.

Compare the results with a comparable trading period and note circumstances such as promotions, holidays or roadworks. Do not draw firm conclusions from a difference largely explained by the timing.

A useful question to ask is: could a future franchisee solve this problem using the resources provided? If the answer always requires one of the founder’s personal contacts, the solution is not yet sufficiently transferable.

3. Address dependencies and repeat the difficult parts

After the trial, discuss not only what went wrong, but why. An employee who asks for approval for every refund may not need more training, but a clear limit on their authority. An order that goes wrong may point to arrangements recorded only in your inbox.

Link each dependency you identify to a specific action. For example, make supplier agreements accessible, clarify procedures for exceptions or appoint a second point of contact. Assign someone responsibility for each action, then check whether it actually resolves the problem.

Focus the next round of testing on the areas where the first trial ran into difficulties. Let the manager handle a complaint, arrange staff cover or resolve a stock shortage without you stepping in unprompted. Naturally, stop the trial if safety or compliance with legal obligations is at risk.

Decide in advance what outcome would give you enough confidence to proceed. Base this on your own quality standards and financial capacity, rather than an arbitrary universal benchmark. If intensive personal involvement is still needed, postpone recruitment. This protects both your existing business and future members of your franchise network.

4. Do not mistake an internal trial for a franchise without legal obligations

A trial run by an employee within your own business is different from allowing an independent prospective franchisee to operate your model. The latter arrangement may fall within Belgium’s rules on commercial cooperation agreements. Calling it a ‘trial’ or ‘pilot’ does not automatically exempt it from those rules.

Belgium has specific pre-contractual rules in Book X, Title 2, Articles X.26 to X.33 of the Code of Economic Law. Where the arrangement falls within their scope, the prospective franchisee must receive the draft agreement and the pre-contractual disclosure document at least one month before the agreement is concluded. Restrictions on commitments and payments also apply during that period, subject to statutory exceptions. Have any external trial arrangement legally reviewed in advance.

Keep your trial results in context, too. A company-owned outlet with experienced staff is not the same as a new franchise outlet. Present the findings as evidence from practical experience, not as a guarantee.

Practical conclusion: first plan a controlled trial in your absence, record every necessary intervention and retest your improvements. Only recruit once you can explain how someone else can genuinely take over day-to-day operations.