The same financial coaching approach works at the owner level, where goals and time horizons can differ greatly.
Consider the choice of opener in a conversation about exit planning with a new franchisee.
Instead of asking:
“Have you thought about when you might sell and what you’d want to get for the business?”
Which is likely to elicit a “Heck no!”
Try this:
“If you were going to sell this business or hand it off in five years, what would you want to walk away with?”
This framing may not yield a concrete number, but it will, at a minimum, create an opportunity to explore long-term growth goals and the levers for building enterprise value in the franchisee’s hands. One open-ended question turns a hypothetical someday into a process that yields real numbers for a long-range plan.
Use the Framework to Move Toward Action
From there, follow the structure:
Assess: What are the current risks that could reduce value?
Prioritize: Where could you get a quick win?
Brainstorm: Where does reliance on you to decide or approve things create bottlenecks?
Measure: What measurable goal could keep you on track with improving this?
Engage: Who needs to work the plan, what do you expect, by when?
Make the Long-Range Goal Part of the Coaching Conversation
By establishing long-range goals for enterprise value early in the coaching relationship, regular check-ins focused on profitable growth and building a solid infrastructure remain on point.
Instead of opening a planning session with:
“Let’s touch base on where things stand and how you can improve.”
Try this:
“At our last meeting, you set a goal for the value you’d like to create from this business. We agreed the next steps were to review the risk and return checklists and choose some priorities. What stood out to you on the risk side?”
The owner arrives prepared to explore an important, specific matter, not general business chat.
Let the Numbers Create the “Aha” Moment
The same principle applies when the numbers come into the conversation.
Instead of:
“I’ve done the math, and you will need about ten million dollars in sales to hit that number.”
Try this:
“At a realistic multiple and your current profit margins, what does this worksheet tell us about the sales needed to reach your target enterprise value?”
When a franchisee arrives at the sales goal themselves, it is their plan, not your lecture. This opens the door to exploring how better margins could deliver the same enterprise value with a fraction of the sales.
This is a serious “aha” moment that can lead to production efficiency targets or pricing adjustments. It also connects today’s actions to tomorrow’s business value.
Close With Commitment
Instead of ending with:
“Just keep thinking about it, and we’ll talk again next quarter.”
Try this next time:
“Hitting your enterprise value goal is about limiting risk and increasing profit. We discussed risk today. Next time, we’ll follow up on your risk priorities and choose a priority for scaling profit. Be ready to share the one action plan you believe would drive profitable growth, and we’ll explore more ideas that move the needle.”
A defined deliverable, a defined deadline, and a franchisee leveraging your expertise to work on their own ideas.