Developing your right-hand person

As a franchisee, you build your business with the support of a team.

Some employees are part-time, some are full-time, and others may be contractors or outsourced professionals. In the early stages, this works well because you are heavily involved in every aspect of the operation.

You are the general manager, trainer, problem-solver, and often the person making the majority of key decisions. Your accountant handles the books, your lawyer provides legal support, and your franchisor typically assists with technology, branding, strategy, and sometimes even accounting support.

As a franchisee, you start with a team and build from there.

As your business matures, however, it should require less day-to-day intervention from you. That doesn’t mean you stop working hard. Instead, your focus shifts from working in the business to working on the business. Ideally, revenue grows, profitability improves, and opportunities for expansion emerge.

Unfortunately, many franchisees become the bottleneck in their own growth. Every decision runs through them, every issue lands on their desk, and every team member depends on them for direction. The solution is to intentionally develop a strong second-in-command.

Developing a right-hand person provides succession planning, creates additional leadership capacity, strengthens support for your team, and gives you greater freedom to focus on growth. The question is not whether you need one, but when and how you should begin developing them.

Here are five considerations when approaching this process.

1. Start Early

Don’t wait until you desperately need help before developing your next leader.

Leadership development takes time and is most effective when approached gradually. Once you identify someone with potential, have an open conversation about their career goals and create a development plan together. Small investments made today can create significant benefits down the road.

2. Select the Right Person

Not everyone is suited for a leadership role.

Look beyond technical skills and focus on mindset. If the right candidate is not already on your team, consider hiring with future leadership potential in mind. Skills can be taught. Accountability, initiative, and a desire to grow are much harder to develop.

The right person does not need to know everything on day one. They simply need the willingness and capacity to learn.

3. Identify How They Complement Your Strengths

A strong second-in-command should complement your abilities rather than duplicate them.

Consider where your time is currently spent and which responsibilities could be delegated. Perhaps they take ownership of daily operations, staff scheduling, or customer service issues. That may free you to focus on marketing, financial management, strategic planning, or business development.

The goal is not to reduce your involvement. The goal is to maximize the value of your involvement.

4. Clearly Define Roles and Responsibilities

One of the most common mistakes business owners make is creating leadership positions without clearly defining authority.

As your future leader takes on additional responsibilities, everyone on the team should understand who is accountable for what. While roles will evolve over time, clarity reduces confusion and prevents unnecessary friction.

This is important not only for the person being developed but also for the rest of the team.

5. Schedule Purposeful Development Meetings

Leadership development should not be left to chance.

Schedule monthly milestone meetings and commit to them. Consider booking them well in advance. Ask your future leader to complete a brief self-evaluation before each meeting, highlighting where they are succeeding and where they are looking to improve.

Keep these meetings focused, purposeful, and outcome-oriented. Thirty minutes is often enough if both parties come prepared.

Choosing the Right Future Leader

Identifying the right person to develop as your assistant, operations leader, or eventual successor is one of the most important decisions you will make.

Many emerging leaders lack experience simply because they have never been given the opportunity to lead. What matters most is finding someone with the right mindset.

Look for accountability, strong communication skills, a desire to contribute to something bigger than themselves, and a genuine commitment to the success of the team. Don’t rush the decision. Instead, have regular conversations with employees about their goals and aspirations.

These discussions help strengthen relationships while also revealing who may have leadership potential.

One challenge many franchisees face is treating employee development as a transactional activity rather than a strategic one. Without a clear objective, development becomes inconsistent and opportunities are missed.

The Additional Benefits

The benefits of developing a right-hand person extend far beyond reducing your workload.

When you invest in someone’s growth, you often earn a level of loyalty and engagement that is difficult to measure. You also gain another set of eyes and ears on the business. New leaders bring fresh ideas, different perspectives, and valuable feedback that can strengthen your operation.

Perhaps most importantly, you become a stronger leader yourself.

Developing others requires coaching, communication, patience, and accountability. As those skills improve, so does your ability to lead your entire organization.

Investing a small amount of time today in developing your next leader can have a significant impact on your business tomorrow. The strongest franchise businesses are rarely built by one person alone. They are built by leaders who intentionally develop other leaders around them.

Brian Bazely is the founder of Bazely Consulting and 7th Inning Franchising, advising franchisors and franchisees on growth, operations and franchise development across Canada.