Owning a franchise is a lot of work. If someone tells you differently, you can bet they’ve never done it before. Having said that, it can be very rewarding and challenging, which is a plus for many franchisees. One thing that is important to remember, even when you’re in the trenches with starting up your franchise or digging through the multitude of Colorado franchise opportunities—keep learning. When are you going to keep learning when you’re in the midst of opening? Here are a few suggestions about how you can squeeze learning into your life when it’s busy with opening a new franchise.

• Listen to books on business, leadership and similar subjects while you are driving or getting ready for the day. This is time that can be utilized for passive learning. Just plug the headphones into your phone and go about whatever you need to.
• Read books of the same subjects before going to bed at night. Reading is said to have a relaxing effect. Reading a book in print, rather than on an e-reader, will help your brain adjust and prepare so you get a better night’s sleep.
• Meeting with other franchisees and talking business. This may not seem to be a learning, but there may be strategies they are using that you can pick up on and learn more about.

Remember, repetition is key for retention. It’s okay if you can’t retain information the first time learning it. Give yourself grace, allow information to slip through and listen or read again. You will likely be tired, so retention of facts and information won’t be as high as it is usually. That’s okay. The great thing about working to learn even while you’re busy starting a franchise is that if you build the habit early on, it will become second nature when you get into the groove with your franchise.