Photo: Kirby Lee – USA TODAY Sports
While I am not this huge sports fan, I do have my favorite teams I like to follow. And when they’re winning, I follow them much more. I read all the articles on the team and the players; I listen to sports radio and I actually will sit and watch a game instead of doing umpteen other things at the same time. I find all the stats, strategies and stories fascinating. I got caught up in baseball fever with the recent World Series and now I’m into football. Being from a small town in Northeast Wisconsin, can you guess who my favorite team is? Yes, I am a Cheesehead!
There have been many analogies drawn between sports and business, and rightly so. Both are dependent on each individual doing his or her respective job. Both rely on teamwork to accomplish the highest goals possible. And both are only successful when each person feels an important part of the team and contributes to the job. Just like there are winning teams and dynasties, there are also winning franchises and family legacies.
Winning teams have strong coaching, talented players, and a successful game plan that players believe in and can execute. Likewise, successful franchise companies have a strong management team and franchise business owners that want to build a business for themselves with the assistance and coaching of those who have done it before. They want to reap the rewards of their hard work and minimize the risk. But not everyone wants to be a “player.” Not everyone has that desire or drive. Not everyone has the financial wherewithal. And that’s OK. This world needs both kinds of people.
So…what if you’re one of those who want to break free from the corporate world, who wants to ditch the politics, endless meetings or micro-management? Would you feel comfortable heading up your own team?
Take the time to evaluate yourself. What are your strengths? What are the areas where you feel you may have weaknesses? How much time are you willing to spend to get your business off the ground? How comfortable are you with the initial financial investment? Do you believe you will succeed?
Believing in yourself and your abilities is tantamount to achieving your goals. After years of being part of someone else’s organization, are you ready to strike out on your own? Are you success driven? Many times people feel they have nothing more to offer after years of corporate employment. And yet, when they start a new career as an entrepreneur, they become energized and enthusiastic and dedicated to achieving their goals. For example, San Francisco Giants baseball player, Travis Ishikawa, played nearly 1,000 games in the minor leagues and assumed he was done playing after this season. His baseball career was failing. Yet the Giants called him up because they believed he could help the team win. He believed he could help the team win. He succeeded because he, and everyone else on the team, did what they were supposed to do.
Your work ethic. Your integrity. Your ability to execute to the level necessary. These are the qualities that make a franchisee successful. Add to that the wisdom to choose the right franchise. Your goal is not to own a particular type of business but to find a business that will take you where you want to go in life. Is it financial stability? Is it freedom to take vacations? Is it the ability to have something of value to leave your children? Your first criterion is whether the business can give you the wins you are seeking for yourself. Whether the business enables you to do the job you are supposed to do.
You can start your journey from the minor league to major success today. Let me help you evaluate your needs in business ownership and apply that to a number of franchise opportunities to determine if they will give you the “win” you desire. I look forward to talking with you about your goals.