"I'm not interested in flipping burgers or cleaning toilets!" These are the words I often hear from many of my professional clients. These individuals are used to managing teams or having P&L responsibility. They just can't seem to relate to franchise ownership. But those that are able to keep an open mind and are willing to explore possibilities, are often pleasantly surprised at the development level of franchise opportunities where their skills and knowledge are put to good use.
Tom Anderson
I met Tom Anderson in the spring of 2008 at our annual Franchise Show in Chicago. He had previously worked with one of our competitors, but didn't like the experience. In Tom's words, "In hind-sight, he was clearly only interested in selling me a franchise and kept pushing businesses models at me to look at. I was ready to drop it all together. Then I met you ..." We spent some time talking about his past career and future goals and dreams before I pointed him in the direction of exploring particular franchises at the show. I also promised that I'd be in touch in the near future and help him figure out his next steps.
Tom impressed me immediately as the executive type. Most recently, he was Senior Vice President of Supply Chain Management for Rand McNally & Company. But Tom had enough with the bureaucracy and politics of corporate America and was so frustrated in his last corporate role, that he had resigned from Rand McNally a year prior. He told me that he hated Sunday nights because of the anticipated stress of the upcoming week. Tom was presently in a career transition, exploring jobs and alternative opportunities. His entrepreneurial itch had brought him to the show. He was confident that he could succeed on his own
We started working together shortly after the show. Tom was drawn to franchises that specialized in coaching. He always enjoyed that role in his job responsibilities. He said, "I love to see the light go on in someone's eyes when they finally get it." But Tom wanted to build a business that would build equity and allow him to manage others. The "coaching model" is generally a single person business. So we explored service and manufacturing franchise business models that would allow him to build a team.
We went full circle. Tom was still drawn to the coaching element. He felt a calling to help others succeed and wanted to utilize his expertise in business management to help business owners excell to the next level. We focused in on Advicoach, a business coaching franchise. But we decided to explore that as a master franchise opportunity so that he could build a team of business coaches.
The term "master franchise" may be new to many of you. It is actually a development franchise where you work with the franchisor to develop a particular area. Often that area is a state or sometimes multiple states. As a master franchisee, you would be responsible for recruiting new franchisees, training and supporting them, helping them with their store build-out etc. You would be building a team of franchisees where you would be rewarded for their success just like a franchisor. Generally, a master franchise franchisee gets half of the franchise fee and half of the royalties. This can grow into a very lucrative opportunity. A franchisor looks for individuals that have management, communication and team building skills.
Tom certainly had the experience and skill set to be a master franchise owner. It would meet his objectives of building a team of coaches, along with residual income and equity build up. Tom validated Advicoach diligently. He liked the idea that it was part of FSBI, Franchise Source Brands International, a mini franchisor conglomerate focused around franchises that specialized in coaching in a variety of market niches. "I wanted to make a contribution, be part of a winning team and work into my retirement years. The opportunity to create wealth and equity, be rewarded for my efforts and have a flexible lifestyle made Advicoach a perfect fit."
Fast forwarding a couple of years, after purchasing Advicoach master franchise rights for the state of Illinios, Tom has expanded to add another FSBI brand in a different part of the county. He is building his team of Advicoach franchisees and is also running his own business coaching franchise. Utilizing Advicoach's Rapid Impact Solutions™, Tom coaches business owners to identify, solve and implement solutions so that their business will continue to grow and the owner will have time to enjoy the fruits of their effort. Tom is a true believer that "the business should be the vehicle to the life you want, not be your life". He teaches this to others and lives it as well.
Here's what Tom had to say about the TES process and our working together; "You helped me get clarity around what I was looking to get from the "rest" of my career. I knew I wanted to work with small business owners and share my skills and experience but didn't know how to get there. I will not forget our initial conversation. Before you introduced me to any businesses, we talked about my goals and needs and created a plan. You got to know me and that is a great model I follow to this day with my own clients! Our weekly coaching calls kept me on track and really helped me stay focused on MY NEEDS, not where the businesses wanted me to go! You also helped me keep moving toward my goals and wouldn't let me get stalled. I will be forever grateful to you for your help!"
If you own a business or know some that owns a business in Illinois, please call Tom Anderson at 847-496-7187. Tom or one of his competent coaches will be most happy to arrange a Complimentary Coaching Session to help you determine what needs to be done to take your business and lifestyle to that next level.
Tom found a franchise business that he enjoys and allows him to utilize his corporate skills, all without "flipping any burgers". He can continue to build his team of coaches while creating wealth and equity for his family.
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