Building a growing franchise means always planning for the future Simone Cooper Change is the only constant in business and franchising. The ability to meet the challenges posed by change and keeping a franchise growing requires all franchisees to acquire planning and goal setting skills.  Fortunately, franchisees are able to lean on the expertise available from franchisors and also obtain information and assistance from their financial advisor when they need it, says Simone Cooper, Head of Franchising and Enterprise Development at Standard Bank.  “However, there is no substitute for local knowledge. It is a franchisee’s knowledge that puts him or her in the best position to identify what strategies should be considered when planning for future growth,” says Ms. Cooper. Planning for a prosperous future requires three growth strategies to be considered:  Setting growth targets: Setting short-term and medium-term growth targets for the enterprise. Setting ta...