Navigating the path to franchise ownership requires a trusted guide. In this insightful narrative, FBA Broker, William Huffhine, shares a compelling journey of patience, perseverance, and partnership between a Franchise Broker and Buyer.
Through the lens of his experiences, our Broker underscores the profound relationship dynamics at play in the franchise acquisition process.
Once Upon a Time…
“I am not a patient man. Just ask anyone who’s been on the receiving end of one of my support tickets, or working on a project I’m dependent upon. I’m a “Type-A” personality which means, at my worst moments, I can be chronically competitive, impatient, aggressive, and according to Wikipedia, even hostile. Yikes!
When I set a goal, I want to hit it quickly. When a destination is determined, I want to be there yesterday. And I am easily driven to those undesirable character traits by delays, detours, and indecision.
Being a Franchise Broker has given me opportunity after opportunity to further cultivate something I’ve been working on for most of my adult life, and that is learning to find joy in the journey.
With every candidate we work with, that’s what we are undertaking. A journey. There’s no place in our work for impulse decisions or thoughtless transactions. Our client’s lives, futures, and financial well-being are in our hands and GOOD Franchise Consultants must be willing to embark on a journey, leading to the destination best for our clients, not for ourselves, and never push for a careless decision just to close a deal and level-up on the leaderboard.
My relationship with Jeff was one such journey, one that can best be described as a long and winding road.
Jeff found me in October of 2023. I’m still not sure how, neither is he, but one day his information dropped into my inbox via the contact form on my website. I knew from our first discovery call that he was an outstanding professional whom I’d enjoy working with.
Our brand presentation meeting went great, leading to an introduction with a fast-casual restaurant concept, an IT solutions concept, and a men’s health concept. He felt all three may be a good fit, particularly the men’s health concept, he was eager to move quickly, and I felt confident we could bring Jeff to award day within 45 days or so.
He had all three discovery calls with the brands within about a week. Great start! Several days later Jeff visited a nearby location of the fast casual restaurant. He emailed letting me know that it was good, but not good enough to convince him that it was the best investment. We closed that file. I got another email within a few days. Jeff just wasn’t feeling the passion for building a business to provide IT solutions to businesses. We closed that file. And then the news came that the territories Jeff most wanted, with the men’s health brand he was most excited about, were unavailable, having gone into pending status with another candidate who was soon heading to discovery day. There were alternate territories, in another metro area about 7 hours away that he would consider, but would be a very difficult stretch for him.
This felt like it was slipping away for both of us, but Jeff, undeterred, asked me to do more research and see if we could find some alternatives to look at. I had just learned that the fastest growing painting concept had opened up for franchising in California, with an executive, absentee-owner model. I also spent time learning about a senior home care concept with an outstanding reputation and financial opportunity.
I introduced Jeff to both brands, and it really felt like we had struck gold with both swings. He loved the painting concept, navigated the process, and received an invitation to their January discovery day. He felt an instant connection with the franchise development executive at the senior home care concept, was very impressed with the professionalism of Mike and the team, navigated the process, and received an invitation to their January discovery day. Outstanding!
On a couple of our next weekly strategy calls Jeff shared that he was beginning to have some reservations about both concepts. Both would meet his financial goals quite nicely. But something internal was happening. He wasn’t sure how much passion he could bring to owning a painting business. And the senior home care concept felt like it would be more of a consuming demand on his time than he was hoping for. I honored his internal due-diligence and gave him space to process, affirming the need to make sure we checked all the boxes for long-term success and happiness.
Behind the scenes, I was beginning to struggle with how things were going. We were now a couple of months into this journey, and I began to feel like I was failing this client, pointing him in directions that all seemed to dead-end.
But then something amazing happened.
I got an email from the development team at the men’s health concept. Remember those two territories, right where Jeff lived, that were in pending status? They were open! The candidate went to discovery day, decided not to move forward, and now Jeff was about to receive his third January discovery day invitation. I couldn’t wait to make that call and give him the news. He was overjoyed!
On January 17th I stood in the Delta terminal at DTW having a final coaching call with Jeff, while waiting for a flight to Philadelphia, preparing him to officially accept the two- territory franchise award he had received 24 hours earlier. In September I’ll be flying to Southern California to be with him for his first ribbon cutting ceremony, and to take him and his partner out for a celebratory dinner.
I learned so much from this long and winding road. The greatest lesson was not a new revelation, but a powerful reinforcement of what I already knew and was cultivating in myself. The more we patiently put the hopes, dreams, and passions of others first, the more fulfillment and success we will find in our own work, allowing us to leave behind a legacy of lives and communities changed for the better by our selfless dedication to the well-being of others.
Enjoy the journey! It may feel uncertain and get tiring at times, but the scenery is beautiful, and the destination is breathtaking!”
Something GOOD Awaits
William Huffhine’s recount of his journey with Jeff highlights a critical truth for those looking to buy a franchise: the importance of a meaningful and trustworthy partnership.
For Brokers and Buyers alike, this narrative serves as a reminder that success in franchising is not just about making the right investment but also about making connections that respect, nurture, and fulfill the aspirations and passions of those embarking on this type of business ownership.
Yes, sometimes this journey is full of challenges to overcome… but also joys to discover, where the destination is as significant as the experiences gathered along the way.
It’s well worth it.