The Blade: Sylvan Expects Franchising To Rebound This Year

The actual number of small businesses failures in 2020 has not been calculated, but two months into 2021, it has become clear the coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc on small businesses. However, franchising is expected to bounce back quickly.

In a recent article with The Blade, Tracy Rickman, Toledo market consultant for FranNet, a consulting service that matches would-be franchisees with franchise opportunities, stated that despite the pandemic, the Toledo franchising scene stayed fairly steady in 2020.

Rickman stated, "I think the reality is that when the pandemic hit, franchises — because they have that infrastructure built into their system — were able to pivot. But during the pandemic, a lot of people were downsized, and there wasn't an opportunity to get another job because nobody was hiring."

Caren Beckett and her husband, Craig, own seven Sylvan Learning tutoring franchises, including one in Holland and two satellite locations in the Toledo metro area. Sylvan Learning has more than 750 points of presence throughout North America and is the leading provider of personal learning for students in grades K-12. Beckett said the franchise model was very supportive and helped the couple better adapt their business to virtual tutoring.

"We've been at this for 20 years, but 2020 was very different to say the least. There were definitely a lot of adjustments we had to make because of the lockdown and such," Beckett said. "But we had really strong franchise backing that let us adapt quickly and continue our teaching. It really helped."

Beckett also said Sylvan franchisees nationwide showcased support, exchanging tips on how to better serve clients and manage expenses during the pandemic.