jhuntlearning.com
Sample report
Sample Franchise Onboarding Review
This is a sample. Nettlewood Pet Grooming is a made-up franchise, and every finding below is invented to show what a J Hunt Learning Franchise Onboarding Review looks like. It is not based on a real client.
Summary
Nettlewood has a strong operations manual, but no induction programme to teach it. New franchisees get the manual, a two-day visit and a WhatsApp group, then are left to work it out. That gap explains the three problems the founder raised: late launches, repeat questions to the support team, and a shaky first three months.
The three changes that would make the biggest difference
- Turn the manual into a sequenced induction plan that covers what to learn, in what order, from signing to day 90.
- Add simple check-ins at 30, 60 and 90 days so problems surface before they need rescuing.
- Build a “where to find it” guide so franchisees use the manual instead of messaging the support team.
What I reviewed
Over one week I looked at everything a new franchisee sees and does between signing and day 90.
- Documents: the operations manual (84 pages), the brand guidelines, the pre-opening checklist and the welcome email.
- Conversations: 45 minutes each with the founder and the support lead, plus short calls with two franchisees who opened in the last year.
- Records: six months of questions in the franchisee WhatsApp group, sorted by topic.
What’s working well
Nettlewood is starting from a good place, so the job is to build on what’s there rather than start again.
- The manual is thorough and up to date. Grooming procedures, van set-up and booking software are all clearly covered.
- Franchisees value the founder’s visit. Both franchisees I spoke to named the two-day visit as the most useful part of their start.
- The brand is clear. The tone, values and customer promise come through consistently, which makes them easy to teach.
Findings by stage
Most of the problems come from before opening, when franchisees are handed information but not shown how to use it.
Signing to opening
- The manual arrives all at once. New franchisees get all 84 pages on day one, with no guidance on what to read first. Both franchisees said they skimmed it and “learned on the job”.
- The pre-opening checklist mixes admin and skills. Insurance tasks sit next to grooming standards, so nothing shows what must be learned before opening and what can wait.
- No one checks readiness before opening. Launch dates are set by when the van arrives, not by whether the franchisee is ready.
Opening week
- The founder’s visit depends on one person. It works well, but there’s no agenda, so it changes from visit to visit, and it can’t scale past one or two openings a month.
- Opening-week tasks aren’t written down. Franchisees weren’t sure what “a good first week” looks like.
First 90 days
- Support only happens when franchisees ask for it. The only contact is the WhatsApp group, so struggling franchisees go quiet until a problem is serious.
- The same questions keep coming back. About two in three WhatsApp questions over six months were already answered in the manual. The top three topics were booking software, pricing add-ons and van cleaning routines.
- There is no measure of a successful start. Nobody has defined what “on track” means at day 30, 60 or 90.
Prioritised action list
Start with the first three: they cost little and tackle the biggest causes of late launches and repeat questions.