I was delighted to read about my candidate and new franchisee, Boris Okong, in Arkansas Business, a weekly business journal. (Link to article is in first comment below.) 📰
Boris attended a presentation I did with SCORE East Bay. He’d recently left a company after 17 years as an engineer. Originally from Cameroon, Boris worked internationally in senior management positions that kept him traveling much of the time. Now, raising a young family, he wanted to be a part of his family’s major milestones, not the parent missing birthdays, school sports events and everyday reasons for celebrations.🤸♀️⛹️♀️🎂
Boris, like most of my candidates, didn’t know what kind of franchise he wanted. He did know that opening an independent business from scratch was not his first choice. A franchise appealed to him because of the built-in systems. As a former executive of a successful corporation, he appreciates the value of infrastructure and systems.
Many of my candidates come to me thinking of food franchises or brick-and-mortar. But Boris kept an open mind. He wanted to know about additional opportunities, especially those service-based businesses that have a lower investment, rapid break-even and are thriving in our current environment. 💹
Boris filled out a short online questionnaire to start. Then we had an in-depth consultation call to discover his goals, interests and skills. It was important for me to learn what he wanted to accomplish in business. After that, I wrote up his “Franchise Business Model,” which characterized the attributes he sought. I provided three strong franchise options that were a match for him and were available in his geographic area.
Boris wanted to grow and scale a large business, but he also ranked being a contributing member of his community high on his list of priorities. He loves interacting with people, so being the face of his business seemed a natural fit.
He investigated each franchise company thoroughly and we kept in touch weekly so I could answer questions and give him additional info as needed. In less than three months he had narrowed down his choices and decided to invest in a home improvement service company.
As he said to Arkansas Business reporter, Kennadj Harris, “I wanted a franchise where I could serve clients because I love meeting new people. I love doing a good job and seeing a satisfied customer,” Okong said.
If you are looking for an alternative to the corporate grind, or simply want to be your own boss, while being more connected to your community, I can help you explore the franchise opportunities. You might be surprised by the variety of options out there.