Many franchisees enter into a franchise business and think owning their own business will be much easier than it really is. Consequently, they often become discouraged from not experiencing the success they thought they signed up for.

The formula for franchise success includes these steps:

• Develop the proper "success" mindset:  Visualize, with absolute clarity, what you want.
• Become a life long student of marketing and business development: Starting and growing a business usually takes twice the money, three times longer than projected and four times the amount of effort and stress one thinks it will. There are 3 types of people when it comes to learning from others. 1. Those with big egos who make mistakes and don't learn from them. This person..."knows everything." 2. Those who learn from mistakes and tries to avoid making them again in the future. 3. The last type ..learns from others' mistakes and successes and uses that knowledge to capitalize on successes while minimizing mistakes. This person is armed with knowledge of what works and what doesn't work will, in almost every case, be more successful.
• Own your success: Success boils down to the principles of responsibility and accountability and/or the lack of execution.
• Accept Accountability: One of the biggest challenges in owning your own franchise business is feeling out of control. The extent to which we accept accountability determines the extent to which we are in control. And generally those franchisees in control are usually more successful.
• Execute and TAKE ACTION

Here are a few ways guerrilla marketing differs from traditional marketing:

1. Instead of investing money in the marketing process, you will invest in four different areas: 1) Time, 2) Energy, 3) Imagination, and 4) Knowledge.
2. Instead of using guesswork, guerrilla marketing uses the science of psychology and the laws of human behavior.
3. Profits are the only yardstick you use to measure your marketing. Don't just count traffic, gross sales, or even the response to your ads.
4. Geared towards small and medium size franchisees, not businesses with unlimited bank accounts.
5. Guerrilla marketing emphasizes and practices fervent devotion to customer follow-up.
6. Guerrilla marketing capitalizes on the little things.
7. Instead of competing with other businesses, guerrilla marketing teaches cooperation. Go out of your way to help others and let them help you.
8. Guerrillas are dedicated to developing relationships.
9. Instead of believing that single marketing weapons work, such as advertising, guerrillas know that only marketing combinations work.
10. Instead of growing linearly by adding new customers one at a time, guerrilla marketing suggests that you grow geometrically by enlarging each transaction. Go for more repeat sales and adding new customers.
11. Maintain your focus.
12. Don't just aim your message at groups. Aim at individuals.

Todd Woods-successful franchise owner of Jamba Juice starting from two stores expanding to 450 stores.