"If you don't build your dreams, someone else will hire you to build theirs." It is a famous phrase from Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, and a clear message for those with an entrepreneurial soul: it is in your hands to be your boss and build your own project or work for others. But Jobs also had another famous phrase: "The only way to do great work is to love what you do." And it is that uniting entrepreneurial ambition with passion for a sector or activity is key to achieving success.
In the business world, there are multiple success stories of people who, in their day, knew how to unite their love for a new business idea and their willingness to undertake. But more and more are joining an already consolidated brand and concept that has already amply demonstrated its profitability. Hence, franchises in sectors as diverse as catering or design and decoration do not stop growing.
According to the Spanish Association of Franchisors (AEF), in Spain there are more than 1,380 franchisor brands and, after the pandemic, the number is increasing again. The advantages are clear for an entrepreneur: it has a proven business model and the prestige of a consolidated brand and receives the help, advice and training of the franchising company. But, in addition, there are other strategies that can be key to achieving good results with your project.
Starting a business in a booming sector is another key factor to ensure success. In the case of the furniture sector, it grew by 18% in the last year, to 3,350 million euros, according to INFORMA's DBK Sector Observatory. The good figures also accompanied one of the leading brands in Europe in design and decoration of kitchens and home furnishings, Mobalpa, with franchises of proven profitability. “We are experiencing a boom in home renovations. The confinement made it clear that our home, and the kitchen as the nerve center, are key spaces for our well-being. Since then, the reforms to live more comfortable and better have not stopped growing”, points out Matt Stephens, head of Expansion of Mobalpa in Spain.
Having a passion for design and decoration, however, is not enough to be successful when starting a business in the sector. According to experts, the entrepreneur must have qualities (or train to obtain them) such as knowing how to communicate passion and enthusiasm for their project, being tenacious, having a good network of contacts, being predisposed to change or knowing how to manage a professional team.
The latter is a key skill for Mobalpa, which ensures that to continue growing as a franchise "we are looking for people who are truly in love with the sector and with experience and leadership skills to lead a team of designers - salespeople", says Matt Stephens. "The great advantage of franchising - he adds - is that we train the entrepreneur and his team and we accompany them in all facets of the business."
Mobalpa is looking for entrepreneurs who are passionate about design and decoration and retail trade, with experience in selling products and services to end customers and with the ability to lead sales teams to continue growing throughout Spain. And it is that the company plans to open up to 15 establishments in Spanish territory in the next three years and highlights Madrid, Catalonia, the Valencian Community, Andalusia and northern Spain as priority areas for expansion.
Born in 1907 in the heart of the Alps as the family carpentry workshop of Eugène Fournier-Bidoz, today it has 310 stores around the world, the majority in France and countries like Belgium and Switzerland. Among the keys to its success is the creation of personalized solutions that adapt to the needs and budget of the client and a century-old tradition that gives it a unique 'savoir-faire' in the market.
