Franchise Scout

How many times have you said “someday I’m going to own my own business”? But it hasn’t happened yet. Fear is often at the root. Don’t feel bad - it just means you’re normal. Instead, understand and harness it! Our guest, Mark Holland, is a clinical counselor with a lot of experience helping people through career transitions. We bring fear out into the open and discuss why people get stuck before starting, spin their wheels in the middle, and get paralyzed at decision time.  Make your someday finally happen.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed or off the rails when starting down the path to finance your franchise. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Our guest, Don Nicol of RBC is an expert on financing franchises. We cover a wide range of topics from picking your bank - and banker, to how the whole process works, how long it will take, when to start... and what your bank really needs to see in order to help you get the funding to make your plan come to life.

Technology is the silent killer-app that makes franchise systems roar. It doesn’t get the recognition it deserves, but will surely be one of the key selling features of any franchise you might investigate. We talk tech with our guest, Nabeel Rahman from Vonigo. Hear how the magic happens with their back-end solution, helping beautifully unsexy service business franchises become weapons of competition-destruction. You’ll develop an appreciation for what technology can do that will help you in your research.

There is nothing more terrifying than SALES to the non-salesperson. Every business needs customers, so how will you go about picking a business that works for you? In this episode of the Franchise Scout podcast, we explore the essential topic of sales and selling. Our guest, David Hiatt, is an authority on the subject. Formerly a sales trainer franchisee, he now oversees franchise sales for Sandler Sales Systems. Uncover the different types of business development along the Sales Spectrum - from low to high sales. Learn how to truly understand the business development role in your research (and how to honestly assess the fit). This episode is essential listening, particularly if sales and selling is uncharted territory. Sales: it’s not such a dirty word, after all.

With experience comes wisdom! We have a fireside chat with Michael Del Pellaro, a long-standing franchisee, to discuss the evolution of the owner’s role from startup lead to top operator. With almost 20 years of franchising experience under his belt, Michael shares his wisdom on things like technology changes, standing out from the competition, and how to keep the energy and passion high heading into your 3rd decade.