De Liberer Pour Liberer
Before I came to write this article I decided to research the true meaning of the word “accreditation”.
There were several dictionary definitions available online saying much the same thing-
“Accreditation is a voluntary activity initiated by the institution that requires a rigorous self-evaluation and an independent, objective appraisal of the overall quality by peers”.
“The action or process of officially recognising someone as having a particular status or being qualified to perform a particular activity”.
“Accreditation is necessary to any person or institution that needs to prove that they meet a general standard of quality”.
While all of the above definitions are undoubtedly true there is so much more to accreditation, particularly when such accreditation is to be used as a benchmark by those embarking on life changing decisions.
Such life changing decisions as to where to spend your redundancy payout when you are not ready to (or able to) retire?
How best to take your business to the next level when you are ready to expand?
How to attract the calibre of applicant who can best serve as ambassador to your brand?
Maybe even now that you are ready to become your own boss, where do you start?
The Franchise Alliance believes that THIS is really what accreditation should deliver, a tried and tested, reputable benchmark which illustrates that a true process of due diligence has been performed. An accreditation which reassures those looking to buy a franchise that the business model is viable. An accreditation which serves to attract potential franchisee candidates to a business who are serious about their applications.
One statement that I did come across while researching the various definitions was the link to the word “enfranchisement” which means “to set free”, “to liberate”. Now THAT surely is exactly what most of us are looking for when we decide to embrace the entrepreneur within and start out in business, and it can be no accident that “franchise” is contained within!