Happy 2013! Even though the Mayan calendar ended last month and we almost fell off the "fiscal cliff," we're still here. Life goes on and we still have choices to make to take control of our future. There will be tomorrows and the start of the New Year is a good time to revise your plan from last year and develop and implement a new plan.
I am excited to share the story of a former contemporary of mine that I thought it would be an inspiration for you in the New Year. Years ago he and his wife Barb had a vision of what they wanted their life to be like. They had yearly goal setting meetings for their career and personal life. They diversified their income streams, revisited their goals regularly and made adjustments. They are now "living the dream" and improving on it yearly.
Congratulations Leo and Barb and enjoy your continued success!
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Leo and Barb Wisniewski
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Leo Wisniewski is presently 51 years old. His entrepreneurial journey started around the age of 40 when he bought his first franchise. I would classify Leo as a serialpreneur; owning multiple businesses. But, let's go back to the beginning and learn about his journey.
Leo's educational background consists of a BA in Psychology and Business along with an MBA. Out of school he went to work for First Wisconsin National Bank which is now US Bank. Although Leo had no computer training, the bank was looking for bright young college grads to train to become computer programmers for their company. Leo was an excellent student and was eventually promoted to management. As a side perk, Leo met Barb and they later married.
From First Wisconsin National Bank, Leo took a job with Miller Brewing to help set up their distributor network and went on to become Director of Distributor Communications. From there, he moved to Chicago and took a position with Price Waterhouse as a management consultant and account manager. After that, he took a position as a consultant for E-Loyalty.
Leo was now about 40 years old. He was beginning to realize that something was missing in his life. He was looking for more control over his career and financial future. He and Barb were investing in commercial Real Estate as a side income stream, but they realized they needed something more if they were to become financially self-sufficient and "live the dream." Barb and Leo were very focused on their dream. They had yearly goal setting meetings and continue that tradition today.
While in this state of career flux, Leo experienced a life changing event. His neighbor of similar age died unexpectedly. Leo realized that life is a gift and that we have little control over the time we're allotted in this world. He wanted control over his time and didn't want to worry about losing a job. He didn't want to fill out paperwork every time he wanted to take a vacation.
Leo sought out the assistance of an Entrepreneur's Source Coach to help him identify a business model that he could build over time and support the vision of their dream. The E-Source coach took Leo through our discovery journey that I've mentioned in past stories. Leo wanted to keep his job while he started this new business and continue to expand until financially he could quite his job. Leo and Barb decided on Great Clips, a franchise hair salon concept that supports the semi-absentee owner model. So Leo and Barb opened their first Great Clips, thus implementing the next cog of their plan.
Leo continued to work at E-Loyalty for the next 9 months, but the entrepreneurial itch was starting to take hold. He really enjoyed the experience of working with his E-Source coach to identify the right opportunity for him. It made sense to him that since The Entrepreneur's Source helped get his dream in motion, maybe he should join the E-Source coaching team and help others achieve their dream. So Leo bought his second franchise, and was now an Entrepreneur's Source franchisee and coach, and that's how Leo and I met.
His wife Barb was now CFO for a small family business and helping out with their Great Clips salon on the side. Leo was now coaching prospective business or franchise owners around the country, helping out with the Great Clip Salon and monitoring their real estate investments. He decide to take things up a level and got his broker's license so he could sell existing businesses as well as helping individuals open franchises.
To promote his businesses and desire to educate others, Leo starting a radio show and called it "Living the Dream". It was a weekly radio show where selected experts were invited in to discuss entrepreneurial issues with his listeners. Leo's website, www.MyDreamBiz.net is still active today with dozens of archived shows and interviews.
During one of Leo's shows, he made reference to the fact that he and Barb had sent out greeting cards of appreciation to friends and employees. From that comment, one of Leo's listeners contacted him and told him about an opportunity called Send Out Cards. Send Out Cards is a MLM business opportunity that allows users to send out over 14,000 greeting cards for all occasions using their interactive website. Custom cards can also be made uploading your own pictures and text plus custom elements to make a truly unique card. Since Send Out Cards can be used by just about everyone, it makes for an excellent business opportunity. The cards are beautiful, substantially less than Hallmark, and they address the envelope and stamp it for you. All with a few clicks of your mouse.
Leo and Barb were enamored. They decided to become a distributor and promote the business as well use the cards daily in their business and personal life. For the past several years, Leo has been hosting weekly Send Out Cards informational webinars and hosting in-home opportunity parties. Whenever Leo and Barb take a trip to Mexico, I get a picture greeting card letting me "see" how they're "living their dream". If you'd like to learn more or try it out yourself, go to www.SendOutCards.com/68871.
Leo and Barb's business life has now progressed so that they have their yearly goal setting and planning meeting in Mexico. Their plan is to be involved only with businesses that can be run without their physical presence. During one of their goal setting meetings, they decided that The Entrepreneur's Source model was out, but Send Out Cards was in.
They continue to reach out to prospective Send Out Card owners while receiving their monthly residuals. The business side runs itself. They have expanded their Great Clips investment to include 6 locations, four in Illinois and two in Indiana. They have hired a scheduler that can coordinate the employee issues while they are on vacation. They are also looking for additional Great Clips locations.
Speaking of vacation and "living the dream", Leo and Barb have a goal of taking 12-16 weeks of vacation a year. They want their businesses to almost run on autopilot, with just checking in by internet or phone occasionally. This past year they have clocked almost 6 weeks of vacation travel.
Great Clips is an excellent franchise model for those that want to keep their job and build a business on the side. Most of their owners are multiple store owners and a few even own a dozen or more salons. Great Clips is recession resistant. Hair keeps growing, you can't outsource the service and you can't buy it on the internet. If you live in the greater Chicago area, have your hair cut at one of Leo and Barb's salons in Romeoville, Channahon, Morris, IL or St. John or Crown Point, IN. You probably won't see Leo or Barb in their stores because they're out living their dream, but you will get a darn good haircut at a great price.
Leo and Barb had a vision. They wanted to work to enjoy life and not just live to work. They planned and took the steps to implement their plan. They kept their vision at the top of their mind and made periodic adjustments. They are now, as many of us would say, "living the dream" and enjoying the fruits of their efforts.
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