Paul Masters is no stranger to building successful businesses. He’s been there, done that and sold it. With decades of leadership experience and a knack for strategy, you’d think he’d recognize an incredible business opportunity immediately. Not so fast. In fact, it took three years before Paul found himself ready to acknowledge the importance of focusing on the business opportunity and not the panache of the product or service.
When evaluating a business ownership opportunity, one of the best ways to find the right fit is to set aside your bias, let go of preconceived notions, divorce your corporate identity and look at how owning that business can help you reach your professional and personal goals.
Paul’s story is telling. He freely admits that he never in a million years thought he would be the Atlanta area Master Franchise Owner of a commercial cleaning franchise. “I came from the world of cool and sexy technology and now I was going to be a janitor, NO WAY!” Yet here he is.
When he sold his IT firm in 2013, he agreed to stay on board to help with the transition but found over time the differences hard to handle. “When you’ve been your own boss for so long, it’s difficult to suddenly have someone else dictate the decision making, strategy and focus.” Going from a 65-employee startup to a 1,600+ employee business, then to a 65,000-employee corporation was a culture shock for Paul. “I found that being in a larger organization it was more difficult to see the result of your actions every day. I wanted to feel like what I did mattered and I wanted to see the direct impact my work had on my employees and their families.”
Helping Others Achieve Their Dreams Is What It’s All About
So, when he reached out for help with his next business venture I suggested we begin with the FranNet Personal Franchise Assessment, which Paul says really helped us both understand his “giftedness”, as Paul put it. The custom business model we developed together didn’t name any specific brand or products. It was about the characteristics of the businesses that would fit Paul best. It was about the role of the owner. It was about seeing the opportunity for growth. For Paul, it was about finding a business to fulfill his need to be connected to his team and to his customers – to be close enough to see the difference he makes every day.
While he was initially skeptical about the commercial cleaning industry, I asked him to look at the business offering closely before drawing any conclusions. Once he set aside his personal bias, he was immediately drawn to Anago’s business culture, “what really stood out what the fact that it’s family owned, they take care of each other, that’s the world I lived in before I sold my business and where I knew I wanted to go again.”
In May, Anago Cleaning Systems officially welcomed its newest Master Franchise Owner in Atlanta and Paul Masters could not be more enthusiastic. “At Anago, we work as a team – when one of us succeeds, we all succeed.” Master franchising (or regional development) is a larger way to grow a franchise business throughout a defined territory or region.
When we caught up recently, Paul filled me in on his growing team. One prospective unit franchise owner came to him with the dream of being able to purchase her home. He also mentioned one of his young franchisees who Paul helped double his revenue in just 90 days. “When we met, this young owner was frustrated and seriously considering getting out of the business; within a very short period of time we had him well on his way to achieving his financial goals, now he’s absolutely giddy!”
Paul’s words echo my own when it comes to the joy that is derived from helping others achieve their dreams, “forget for a minute the economic benefits of franchise ownership and think about the fulfillment of helping people get to where they want to be, it’s bigger than I ever dreamed.”
Had he held on to his personal bias and dismissed the opportunity to become a major player in the Atlanta commercial cleaning market, Paul may never have seen the bigger hand he can play in the lives of his team.
Whether you’re exploring business ownership as an encore career or as a way to more clearly benefit from the fruits of your labor, click here to schedule your free consultation and find your perfect fit.
