Establish Your Franchise
Jack Swarbrick knows a thing or two about successful franchises and high impact brands. Recently I learned his view on the difference between the two.Mr. Swarbrick delivered a keynote address at the St. Joseph County Chamber of Commerce’s annual Salute to Business luncheon. He told some really interesting and insightful stories and anecdotes covering his years with amateur athletics in Indianapolis and now at the University of Notre Dame.The Notre Dame Vice President and Athletic Director is widely credited with bringing the Super Bowl, Big Ten Basketball Tournament, multiple NCAA Final Fours, NCAA Headquarters and the Pan-Am games to Indianapolis. He has also skillfully shepherded Notre Dame through building projects, conference realignment and coaching changes.What’s one of the secrets to his success? It goes back to a lesson learned from an old law school professor preparing for a case: What’s That One Thing that will make all the difference? For Swarbrick that has meant an organizational pursuit of “being great at something”.
Swarbrick was adamant about knowing your marketplace and then establishing your “franchise”. “Once you get it, you must keep it.” And that is where branding comes in. But I think some of us in the business world are making the mistake of focusing on our branding before achieving the excellence it takes to establish “the franchise”.
In fact, much is being written these days about “personal branding”. A quick search on Google or #PersonalBrand on Twitter will give you a library of information. But Swarbrick’s use of the word “franchise” stuck with me. That sounded like something much bigger and more profound. Your franchise…
Quick, what is Indianapolis’ franchise? Yes we have the Colts and Pacers, but the “franchise” – what Indy is known for? The Amateur Sports Capital of the World.
In 1997, when the NCAA asked for bids for a new headquarters, Swarbrick, as Chair of the Indiana Sports Corporation, knew that Indy had no choice but to win. “You can’t call yourself the Amateur Sports Capital of the World and not have the NCAA. We had to win.”
Likewise, although the 2012 Super Bowl was a great success for the City of Indianapolis, and something he’s very proud of, it wasn’t going to make or break Indy’s brand. What?!? The Super Bowl wasn’t a “must have” for Indianapolis? “Our reputation as Amateur Sports Capital of the World would not have been impacted if we had missed on the Super Bowl”, said Swarbrick.
Pursuing Excellence
This got me thinking: What’s really the difference between franchise and brand? “Brand” by its very nature implies that it’s something you can create, possibly even manufacture. The common advice: What do you want your personal brand to be? Make sure your “story” matches. Make sure that Google, your bio, Twitter and LinkedIn are consistent with your brand goals. These are all very relevant thoughts.
“Franchise”, however is about a relentless pursuit of excellence. Know your marketplace. Then deliver. Every time. It’s your foundation. Franchise is about truly being great and owning your space. Branding is the packaging needed to communicate and keep it. Franchise needs to come first.
I recently had a Twitter exchange with management guru Tom Peters on this topic. He said, “Become, through gut-busting effort, extraordinarily/noticeably good at something.” I protested a bit about “personal brand” being important in my reply. He responded back, “First things first. Too many put self-marketing before excellence at one’s task/profession.”
In other words, focus so intently on That One Thing and you’ll establish your franchise. You’ll have plenty to brand once you become great. The branding will help you protect the franchise you’ve built.
It’s why Swarbrick and his crew listened so intently during the initial bidder interviews with the NCAA. The NCAA wanted to change its franchise. They wanted more diversity and less hierarchy. And that’s what Indy delivered. Their presentation team was easily the most diverse of any of the bidding cities and he is certain this was a big part of why they won.
What’s the Risk?
Swarbrick and Peters are right. They may have come at it a little differently, but essentially the points are the same.
- Know your marketplace: Who are you serving and why? Why do your customers do business with you? What do your employees rely on you for?
- Build your franchise: Focus all your efforts in a relentless pursuit to be the best. What’s That One Thing that will make all the difference? If you’re the proclaimed expert in a particular niche, does your client roster reflect that?
- Protect your brand: Here is where the personal branding comes in to play. Once you get the franchise, you must keep it. Own your space.
But before you can protect it, you must build it. There are no shortcuts. You have to earn it. And that takes an unwavering focus on That One Thing.
So what’s the risk of creating a brand – be it personal or business – before you own the franchise? You lose focus on That One Thing that truly makes you or your organization great. You bid on a project that you shouldn’t. You join a committee or board that you’re really not committed to. You pursue a client that is not a match. All of those things then further erode your reputation and your brand, leaving your franchise unprotected and an open door for the competition.
So start at the beginning and determine what That One Thing is for you and your organization. Then go and pursue it with reckless abandon. Be great. Ultimately that will be your brand.
