Franchises are often viewed as a tried and true method for people to get into business. They're popular particularly among those who used to have a corporate job and want to make the shift to owning a business, but don’t want to start from scratch.According to International Franchise Association statistics, franchises in 2014 provided over 8.5 million jobs and contributed $844 billion to the U.S. economy.The franchise contribution to the economy continues to grow, according to IFA numbers. And 2015 is expected to be no exception.That growth isn't hard to understand. A franchise gives the advantage of a proven business model and marketing support from a recognized brand—often a nationally known brand or household name. Franchises have systems, so as a franchisee, you don’t have to create those on your own. You can follow the system instead of wondering where to start. A franchisor provides a roadmap to follow.Yet, why is it that whenever you start looking around at franchises, you can find happy franchise owners and dissatisfied franchise owners, often within the very same franchise? Complaint sites and forums—such as UnhappyFranchisee.com—are full of tales about failed franchisees, some of whom complain vociferously about the franchise they bought into. Sometimes, though, successful franchisees may jump into the comments section to praise the franchise they're loyal to.In certain cases, the franchise just may not be a good bet. If failures are excessive, it becomes pretty clear there’s something wrong at the franchise home officeIn other cases, though, the franchisees are so successful, they buy multiple outlets of the same franchise. They become what’s known as a multi-unit franchise owner—and that apparently is where real wealth can be built by a franchisee business owner. The Good, Bad and UglyI’ve often wondered why one franchisee was unsuccessful, while another seems to be doing well. A recent trip to a resort town showed that the reasons aren't really that difficult to understand. Let’s take a typical franchise restaurant. In Ohio, I have a favorite pizza restaurant. I love the product, it’s close by, the place is spic and span, the employees (although young) have been trained enough to smile at customers and handle orders adeptly.In this resort town, except for the sign on the building, I’d hardly know it was the same franchise. The door handle is filthy when I go to pick up my pizza. The staff barely grunts at me. The counter person goes from handling a pizza to taking my cash, without gloves or anything. The counter next to the cash register is literally full of stacked used pizza pans. The pizza—well, it doesn’t even seem it’s made from the same recipe. It looks different, it tastes different. It is different—it’s just plain bad pizza. This isn’t some franchisee’s dream business—it’s a nightmare.Yet every one of those issues is fixable. Now let’s take a different situation. In Ohio, I love the franchised dry cleaner I go to. The place is friendly. They accept old wire hangers for recycling. The turnaround time is reasonably fast. The clothes are cleaned well, and they do alterations. They even have a truck that will pick up large items like draperies.In the resort town, the exact same dry cleaner—just a different franchisee—is like night and day. The lights are almost all off, leading me to wonder if it’s open for business. When I walk in the door, there’s a black trail on the carpet to the front desk. In Ohio, the carpet is spotless, even in winter, when you can expect people to track in snow. Yet for some reason, in the resort town where the weather is beautiful, the carpet looks like it’s never been cleaned. The owner is complaining to someone about how hard it is to get customers. (Apparently I must be the potted plant!) He goes on to complain that the franchisor wants them to do more pickups and deliveries, but he doesn’t like to because “it’s too much work.”Once again, all the issues are fixable.Elements of a Successful FranchiseeIn these cases, the locations were equally good. The stores were all visible from the street in convenient areas with good parking. So location wasn’t the difference.Rather, all the issues start with the franchisees, and end with the franchisees. These issues include:Great customer service. As a franchisee, you should pretend to be a customer a few times (or pay a secret shopper) to understand what the experience is like. Many issues could be fixed simply by walking in the customer’s shoes. Curb appeal. How your business looks matters. Dirty, unkempt places of business put customers off. They suggest you have no self-respect for the business. That can’t be blamed on the franchisor—it’s purely a local issue.Staff training. Getting good help is hard. But there’s no excuse for poorly trained employees who don’t know enough not to handle food and cash interchangeably. Owner attitude. Attitude is everything. Running any business takes creativity and work. You get out of it what you’re willing to put into it. And if you aren’t willing to put forth some extra effort, why would you expect your business to be successful?While these points are directed to franchise businesses, they can apply to any kind of business. It’s a list we all could stand to remind ourselves of.Read more articles about franchising.Photo: iStock