| | JUNE 202519But Why Did He Franchise His Fried Chicken rather than Build a Restaurant?Harland soon discovered that running a restaurant business can be quite a daunting experience. It also needed a significant amount of funding. This is why he opted to franchise his best product instead of starting a new restaurant at the time. Burning with vigor, Harland went around the nation, meeting with restaurant owners and seeking to work out agreements with them to franchise his dish.More Franchises than any Restaurants at the TimeRestaurants began to sample his chicken one by one, and soon, he gained a small chain of franchisees. It became a huge success model that Governor Ruby Laffoon gave Colonel Harland Sanders the honorary title of Kentucky Colonel in 1935.However, by the late 1950s, his savings started to dry up, and it was at this that both he and his wife decided to set up a new headquarters for KFC and a restaurant in Shelbyville, Kentucky. His franchising approach started to show success, which had expanded to more than 200 locations by 1960. In a matter of three years, he had more franchisees than any other fried chicken company in the US and Canada, totaling over 600. As the brand continued to grow, the Colonel made the decision to hand it on. He sold it to investors in 1964 for $2 million, and two years later, they went public. By 1970, there were 3,000 Kentucky Fried Chicken (now KFC) locations throughout 48 nations.Never Without RespiteHarland decided to keep the show going by involving himself in brand promotion during the next few years. In just one year, this Colonel traveled more than 320,000 kilometers to promote KFC in TV interviews and advertisements. His popularity quickly spread throughout the nation, and KFC's sales soared.What Makes this Colonel Tough?Whenever he was beaten down to his knees, he always sprung up. He turned the problems into something bigger instead. His tenacity serves as evidence of the value of determination in leadership.His success was a result of both his innovative mindset and his culinary prowess. He explored new technology when conventional cooking methods failed what he was looking for, finally learning about the pressure cooker's capabilities.Harland's emphasis on customer service was one of the main factors that distinguished him from his rivals. He always prioritized his customers, giving them something extra and making sure they had a good experience, whether he was operating a restaurant or a petrol station. Armed with a set of pressure cookers and his very own seasonings, Colonel went out there once again to sell his fried chicken recipe at restaurants around the nation
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