If you are in the market to find a business just right for you, this is a very exciting time in your life. You are smart to at least consider the option of franchising. Instead of building on an idea of your own, you are investing in an established concept that has proven successful for others.

Franchising can be rewarding and lucrative when you find the right business concept that meets your lifestyle, goals and needs-and, equally important, when you are properly supported by the franchisor.

There are many benefits to investing in a franchise system. One key benefit is the franchisor's training program. Ideally, it should allow you to acquire skills rapidly through an initial training program, then reinforce these skills with ongoing training.

Keep in mind, being a franchisee implies that you are in an interdependent relationship. The franchisor is also evaluating you as a candidate and your ability to be trained. As you begin to consider the wide variety of companies to partner with, make sure you understand the amount of training each franchisor offers before you make your decision.

In order to fully implement a successful formula, a certain amount of training is necessary to promote your success and that of the franchise network as a whole. The amount of training that is offered by a franchisor can range from minimal to extensive.

Factors that can influence a specific franchise's approach to training include the complexity of its business model, available resources, company culture and communications style, and size of the up-front franchise fee.

The amount of training support can often be linked directly to the initial franchise fee. In many franchise systems, the fee collected supports the training resources needed to get each new partner up and running. If the franchise fee is lower than others, there may be additional charges for training.

Company marketing information, both in print and online, is a good place to start your research on a company. The issue of training is typically addressed at a high level, so additional research is needed to fully identify how much training support is offered. Training support is also discussed in the company's Uniform Franchise Offering Circular (UFOC). After you've requested more information about a company, typically, a franchise representative will call you for a telephone interview. In the list of questions you'll have prepared ahead of time, make sure you speak at length about the type of training offered.

You will want to ask about training immediately after you are awarded a franchise as well as ongoing training throughout your relationship with the company.

Following is a representative list of questions you should consider asking in that initial conversation

Another valuable source for training information can be gained in the validation stage when you are actually speaking with franchisees. It's important to keep in mind there are many variables that can affect a person's opinion about an experience.

The bottom line is that you should find out if they felt fully prepared to open their doors for business after the initial training period. Another question to ask is how available is the franchisor to the franchisee once their operation is up and running.

The goal of training is to transfer knowledge and skills. However, if systems or processes aren't properly documented, this may leave knowledge gaps. Another valuable source of information is the franchisor's operations manual. Although you will not have access to the manual prior to being awarded a franchise, during the validation stage, you should ask franchisees their opinion of the operations manual.

Is it all-inclusive, or do they find themselves on the phone seeking clarity over an issue not clearly addressed in the manual? This document typically provides operational, legal, administrative, marketing, staffing, safety and other essential information to use as you duplicate the process or formula defined by the franchisor. Another question to ask is whether updates to the operations manual are sent electronically or in hard copy.

As you get more serious about investing in a particular franchise, it can be valuable to visit its headquarters and meet face-to-face with company representatives. This trip presents another opportunity for you to find out more about their focus on training.

Ask to see their training facility. Seek out the details around how much in-person training is offered and if there will be on-site training at an actual franchisee's location. Seeing an existing business up and running can give you a good sense of whether or not this particular concept is the right one for you.

Once you've signed an agreement to be a franchisee, you typically can expect a week or two of initial training. A training program needs to prepare you thoroughly to run your new franchise business.

How well a program achieves this objective can say a lot about the company itself. It can show the level of care and concern the franchisor has for its business and for its franchisees.

This initial basic training typically requires a commitment of time on the part of the franchisee. Depending on the complexity of the business model, training is usually held at company headquarters, another franchisee's location or on-site at your new facility.

Find out if you can bring your managers and personnel to be trained. Are there additional costs above and beyond the initial fees paid? Again, during the validation stage ask how well the current franchisee felt they were trained.

In addition to the initial basic training, franchisors may also offer on-site training. This means that representatives of the franchisor will come to your business site and guide you through your grand opening and first week or so of business operations.

That allows you to get hands-on training and become comfortable with the daily running of your new business. It is also a very good sign that the franchisor is committed to helping you succeed.

The transfer of knowledge when opening up a new concept is obviously critical to its success. Once a business is up and running the challenges continue. As you research what a company has to offer with regards to training, look for the different ways a company provides ongoing training for their franchises. After initial training, competent franchisors will continue to consult with their franchisees.

Ongoing training and support from the franchisor can include newsletters, frequent meetings, networking opportunities, Internet sites, evaluations, toll-free phone lines, field operations support and additional training sessions.

It's no secret that incorporating technology in a company's operations can save everyone time and money. The far-reaching ability of the Internet allows franchisors to stay in constant communication with their franchisors. The bottom line is that you should try to get a sense of how much a company has invested in technology, how it uses that technology, and how much each franchisee must invest in order to stay connected.