“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” – John Quincy Adams

The Trip

The story of how Franchise Your Freedom came about may not be the most exciting business origin story you’ll hear, but it’s definitely one of the most “roundabout” ways to develop a business. My wife and I were on a skiing trip with a group of other entrepreneurs who wanted to go heli-skiing (that’s where you ski downhill from a point that’s only accessible by helicopter). As these things often do, the exhilarating day ended with our group relaxing in the resort’s hot tub. The conversation was split between discussing each person’s business and their love of skiing. At some point, I piped in with, “How long did it take before you felt like you could go on a trip like this?” The answers varied from 8-16 years, with several over a dozen. That’s how long it took before they felt confident enough to not only afford such a trip but afford to be away from the business.

The Epiphany

A dozen years. I was shocked. I kept rolling this over and over in my head. I had only been in business for five years and I could afford to go on the trip. My lovely wife had just purchased two locations of her franchise 18 months before and she was sitting right next to me. These men and women were every bit as smart, intuitive, and hard-working as we were, so I just couldn’t figure out how my wife and I could have accomplished so much comfort and stability with our businesses in a fraction of the time. Then, it dawned on me – my wife and I were franchise owners and they were not. Long ago, we had learned something indispensable – that your goal should be for you to own the business, rather than the business own you – and franchising gave us that opportunity.

The Follow-Through

All the way home, my mind was running a mile a minute, and it was from that very simple conversation that Franchise Your Freedom was born. We realized that there must be tons of would-be entrepreneurs out there who wanted desperately to succeed but were simply unaware that franchising could offer them the perfect opportunity to fulfill their dreams of owning a business. We began sketching out exactly what it would take to help these would-be business owners go from speculative entrepreneurs to full-fledged franchise owners. We developed a plan that would allow us to instruct these go-getters on not only the advantages of owning a franchise but how to find the right franchise to fit their business goals and personal tastes. And wouldn’t you know it – our support system worked immediately.