Training and support for franchising in Colombia

A business may run well because its founder solves every problem. To franchise it, that ability needs to become a training and support service that others can use. Before expanding your franchise network in Colombia, define what you will teach, how you will assess learning and who will handle problems when the founder is unavailable.

1. Turn experience into observable competencies

The starting point is not putting together a presentation about the brand. It is identifying the tasks that franchisees and their teams must master to operate without guesswork. Review which decisions still depend on you and which could cause losses, put customers at risk or lead to non-compliance if handled incorrectly.

Group these competencies by function: outlet management, customer service, product preparation or service delivery, stock control and handling operational issues. Not everyone needs the same training or the same access to confidential information.

For each competency, prepare a summary with four elements:

• Expected outcome: what the person should be able to do without help.
• Learning activity: a demonstration, supervised practice or a case-based exercise.
• Evidence: what you will observe to check that they have learnt the skill.
• Responsibility: who teaches, assesses and keeps the record.

For example, stock control training involves more than explaining how to use a tool. The person must be able to record a delivery, identify a discrepancy and deal with it correctly. The manual provides a reference; training must demonstrate that the knowledge can be applied.

2. Design a pre-opening training pathway

Divide initial training into clear stages. Start with preparation covering the business model and the franchisee’s responsibilities. Follow this with practice in critical tasks. Finally, assess readiness to open.

Define who must take part: the franchisee, the person who will manage the premises and those responsible for essential functions. If someone new takes over a role, there must be a training pathway for their replacement; otherwise, knowledge is lost through staff turnover.

Do not treat attendance as sufficient proof of learning. Use observable exercises and assessment criteria shared in advance. If someone does not reach the required standard, provide further training and reassess them. Where opening depends on that result, the condition must be agreed in advance, rather than introduced as a last-minute requirement.

Prepare a timetable that distinguishes between:

• Remote and in-person training.
• Practical training at an operating outlet.
• Support during opening.
• A review of difficulties after trading begins.

Also clarify who pays for travel, accommodation, materials and additional training. The aim is not to set a universal fee, but to prevent an essential activity from being left without a budget or becoming an unexpected cost for either party.

3. Promise only the support you can provide

“Ongoing support” is a difficult promise to manage if nobody knows what it includes. Replace it with a defined list of support services: operational queries, technical incidents, sales and marketing guidance, and follow-up visits, according to the business’s actual needs.

For each service, specify the contact channel, service hours, person responsible and escalation procedure. Distinguish between response times and resolution times: a fault involving an external supplier may receive immediate attention without being resolved immediately.

Before taking on franchisees, calculate the central team’s workload. Include session preparation, travel, handling queries, follow-up and updating training content. Compare these tasks with the hours genuinely available, rather than assuming the founder has unlimited availability.

Log requests and review which ones recur. A recurring query may reveal inadequate training, a confusing tool or a process that needs adjusting. Sharing useful solutions strengthens the franchise network, provided each business’s personal data and confidential information are protected.

4. Put commitments in the contract and retain evidence

In Colombia, a franchise agreement is an ‘atypical’ contract: there is no comprehensive, dedicated law governing this relationship. As Colombia’s Ministry of Justice explains, it is governed by the agreed terms and the general rules applicable to commercial contracts. The Commercial Code is relevant, as are, where applicable, civil law rules on obligations and contracts, including good faith.

Include the scope of training and assistance in the contract or an annex: participants, content, delivery methods, assessments, costs, included support and terms for updates. Avoid provisions allowing unrestricted changes that impose new burdens without clear criteria.

To protect confidential know-how, consider Andean Community Decision 486 on trade secrets: simply labelling a document ‘secret’ is not enough; the legal requirements must be met and reasonable protective measures taken. If you retain participants’ personal data, Colombia’s Law 1581 of 2012 also applies.

Keep training records, assessment results and records of support requests handled. They provide evidence of the support delivered and a basis for improving it.

In practice: before offering a franchise, have a competency matrix, a training timetable and a defined list of support services with named responsibilities in place. If everything still depends on you, your experience has yet to become a capability that others can acquire.