{"id":13555,"date":"2014-10-08T15:28:50","date_gmt":"2014-10-08T15:28:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thefranchiseking.com\/?p=13555"},"modified":"2016-09-14T19:55:35","modified_gmt":"2016-09-14T19:55:35","slug":"change-franchise-world-franchisee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thefranchiseking.com\/change-franchise-world-franchisee","title":{"rendered":"How To Change The Franchise World As A Franchisee"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"changing<\/a><\/p>\n

Before I share my thoughts and ideas on how franchisees can change the franchise world<\/strong>, it\u2019s important for you to understand where my Crown<\/del> head is at\u2026where I\u2019m coming from.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s begin.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"packing<\/a><\/p>\n

My Baggage<\/h2>\n

It comes with me wherever I go. Your<\/em>\u00a0 baggage comes with you too, although you may not be aware of it.<\/p>\n

By \u201cbaggage<\/em>\u201d I mean the things I’ve experienced. In this post on How To Change The World As A Franchisee<\/strong>, I\u2019m only going to talk about my franchise<\/em>\u00a0 baggage\u2026the things I’ve experienced in franchise management, as a franchisee, as a franchise broker<\/strong><\/a>, and finally, in my current role as a franchise advisor. Makes sense, right?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Franchise Management Baggage<\/h2>\n

I worked for an idiot. Actually, I used to work with a lot of idiots<\/em>, but I\u2019m only going to talk about one.<\/p>\n

The last idiot I worked for\u2026which turned out to be the last person I ever<\/em>\u00a0 worked for, was not a good businessman. His operation (s<\/em>) were all a mess, and all of them were run the same way; by intimidation.<\/p>\n

The owner of the business I worked in hired a hot-headed, not very nice person to run his operation\u2026to be his General Manager. This GM was a yeller\u2026a screamer. It didn’t help that he was screamed at himself by the big boss, but nonetheless, he was a jerk, and the entire situation was ugly.<\/p>\n

It was dysfunctional beyond belief.<\/p>\n

I got fired from that job<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Thank goodness.<\/p>\n

From my About<\/strong><\/a> Page:<\/p>\n

\u201cMy last official, \u2018job\u2019 was so dysfunctional, it still hurts my brain even thinking about it. Heck, Dr. Phil could have brought his entire crew in to tape a full week of episodes without even scratching the surface of all the sickness that was taking place at the automotive franchise that I was attempting to manage. It was bad. After I got downsized, (fired) from the franchise mentioned above, I set my GPS on \u2018No Idea Where The Heck I\u2019m Going,\u2019 and landed in my Dad\u2019s franchise consulting business. Now, I\u00a0didn’t\u00a0wake up one morning saying to myself, \u2018I want to work with my Dad and be the part-owner of his business.\u2019 But, before I joined him, I did wake up every\u00a0morning with the thought that things did have to change. I ended up taking over my Dad\u2019s local franchise consulting business (which just so happened to be a franchise), and during the next 10 years, I succeeded in helping a lot of people start their own franchise businesses in my role as a franchise consultant- franchise broker.<\/em> \u201c<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So, my firing was a blessing in disguise, although I wasn’t feeling very confident about the future as I walked out the door of that dysfunctional franchise operation, briefcase and my little girl\u2019s car seat in hand.<\/p>\n

Freaking out.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"my<\/a><\/p>\n

(My little girl, a little before I was fired<\/em>)<\/p>\n

The baggage from that<\/em>\u00a0 experience comes with me wherever I go.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Franchisee-Franchise Broker Baggage<\/h2>\n

This is where it gets interesting.<\/p>\n

A few months after getting fired from the franchise automotive dealership I helped manage, I joined my father\u2019s franchise consulting business. And, I didn’t even really want to<\/em>\u00a0 at first. But, he convinced me, and I\u2019m grateful he did.<\/p>\n

The franchise brokerage group he was a part of was a franchise\u2026at least that\u2019s what he told me. My dad said it had all the necessary criteria to be a franchise business, but that it just wasn’t registered with any of the 50 states in the U.S.<\/p>\n

(Eventually\u2026right before I left that brokerage, the new owners lawyer-ed up and registered the company as a franchise<\/em>.)<\/p>\n

Anywho\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

For a while-a few years as a matter of fact, I enjoyed my role as a franchise broker. The money was good, (it was great, actually<\/em>) and it turned out to be an almost perfect fit for <\/strong>my skillsets and personal traits<\/strong>. (Sales, relationship-building and public speaking<\/em>)<\/p>\n

But, something happened. A couple of things, actually.<\/p>\n

I was sick of paying for marketing (paying into a franchise marketing fund<\/em>) that wasn’t working.<\/p>\n

 
\nClick To Tweet<\/b>: It was the dawn of the internet, and my franchisor was waaaaay behind the eight-ball when it came to online marketing https:\/\/ctt.ec\/00eSP+<\/a>
\n <\/p>\n

\"marketing\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I took it upon myself to learn about the internet-and its possibilities. As a matter of fact, the blog you\u2019re on right now is a product of learning about online marketing. The Franchise King Blog<\/strong><\/a> (as far as I can tell<\/em>) was the 1st<\/sup>-ever blog on franchising. Am I proud of that fact?<\/p>\n

You betcha!<\/strong><\/p>\n

This blog has been-and continues to be<\/em>, a game-changer for my business. Heck, it helped me secure a book deal<\/strong><\/a>! Not bad for a guy who didn’t even make it through a year of college.<\/p>\n

I found out that I was better at marketing than my franchisor<\/em>. That was one of the factors that lead to me leaving the franchise brokerage I was with and going out on my own.<\/p>\n

(There were other factors, but I\u2019m not going to relive the past today. I have too many good things going on in my life to expend any negative energy on some of the people in that organization who I truly dislike and really\u00a0aren’t\u00a0worthy of my\u00a0time<\/em>. )<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Other Thing That Happened<\/h2>\n

As a franchise broker, I was able to help a good number of people get into franchise businesses. My candidates (notice I\u00a0didn’t\u00a0say clients<\/em>) wanted to be their own bosses-for lots of different reasons, and I helped facilitate it for them. Great. Dandy.<\/p>\n

Until it\u00a0wasn’t\u00a0so dandy. <\/strong><\/p>\n

A few of the people I played franchise matchmaker to, started to struggle with their businesses. Then, a few more started to struggle. And, a few more. Until\u2026<\/p>\n

They lost their businesses<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Major guilt set in.<\/p>\n