Episode Transcript
Speaker 1 00:00:05 Hello, everybody. Scotty, my Scott Myas franchise coach.com. Another episode of All Things Considered Franchising. Uh, don't be afraid to wanna know, and what's your why? I have the pleasure. And I have to say I'm pretty excited about this because, you know, I've been in the industry for a long time and I've met a lot of people. And most people in the franchising industry are interesting. Everybody has their own kind of character, uh, associated with them. But my guests today, red Boswell is probably one of the most unique, qualified, interesting people that I've ever met in the franchising industry. Um, he is kind of that north star, uh, that is, you know, just kind of bright that shines over the industry. Uh, probably one of the best master of ceremonies I've ever met, somebody who probably knows every element about franchising. Just an all around great guy, great guy, family guy, kids, um, president of I F P G, international Franchise Professional Group, and we'll get into that in a little bit. Everybody, please welcome Red Boswell, all Red
Speaker 2 00:01:20 Scott, I'm, I'm looking for my tissues here. I'm, I'm, I'm blushing. Oh my gosh. I'm honored to be on here when Scott Milas snaps his fingers. Red jumps. Let's do it.
Speaker 1 00:01:29 Yeah, yeah. But, uh, you know, uh, I hope everything's going well. And, and, you know, I guess my first thing I would just wanna mention, can you believe it's almost Thanksgiving?
Speaker 2 00:01:40 No joke, man. This year has been the greatest year ever in franchising and in I P G, and yet it's flying by.
Speaker 1 00:01:47 Yeah, it is. It's, uh, it's, uh, and, and, and, and, you know, it's a great lead in to, first of all, maybe share a little bit about yourself because you're, your tenure within the industry, uh, and, and, and a lot of different aspects, a lot of different positions and your knowledge. And of course to tie into I F P G, which has really kind of solidified itself, uh, at this point, and will continue probably to be the number one referral network for consultants like myself, um, in the US and probably internationally, I would think. Um, and to be transparent with everybody on this, uh, I am a member of I F P G. Um, I, I, I don't call it a quote franchise, but I do call it quote a license agreement. In some ways, it's kind of got some of those, uh, uh, tailored, uh, qualifications.
Speaker 1 00:02:41 And I rely on I F P G for things and questions that I have reaching out to you, the I F P G team. And of course, more importantly for my clients, those 400, 500 brands that are really strongly validated. Uh, and, and we know that their systems are, you know, there are no red flags, at least that we're aware of in our due diligence to be able to present as options to our clients. So maybe take a few minutes red and just tell everybody about yourself, maybe your, your, your story, and of course, I F P G, and then we'll get into some more things about the, uh, the, the, the franchise industry.
Speaker 2 00:03:19 Oh, when you say my tenure is, is significant, it makes me sound old, but maybe I am <laugh>. Um, and by the way, we're at 600 brands now. Wow. Wow. And growing, growing, really blessed. Um, I, I've, I've been a entrepreneur for over 40 years, you know, since grade school. And then helping people achieve their dreams in business for over 30 years. Uh, been, uh, focused fully on franchising for about 20 years and have, has the best 20 years of my life having a blast. And certainly these last four years, uh, running I F P G has been the highlight of it all. Um, I started out in franchising as a franchisor. I, I founded a unique service concept, realized I wanted to take it nationally through and help other people do what I had done and achieved that success. And so I did it through franchising.
Speaker 2 00:04:07 It was a real blessing for about seven years, and then helped other brands do a lot of what I did and specifically not make the mistakes that I had made along the way. And then, uh, transitioned into a chief development officer role for over about a four year period over to, uh, global brands. And then about four years ago, was blessed to transition here, to take it at scale. I mean, if you've done it ior, I was the largest Z within that system, franchisor, franchisee. Then I helped a lot of franchisors do it. And then I led, uh, some global brands to do it. And I thought, what could be better? Well, helping a bunch of brands do it, right? And so now I get to help brands, help consultants, help suppliers, and really just, mm, I, I wake up before my alarm every day cuz it's so fun.
Speaker 1 00:04:54 That's great. You know, one of the things about I F P G and what makes it really kind of an an interesting, unique, uh, re uh, network of franchising professionals is that not everybody in the I F P G family has come from franchising. Sure. We have our people that were franchisees that are now consultants. We have people that were franchisors and, you know, like myself, who helped build a franchise system, are now consultants. But we have people from all professions that we have trained, or you have trained I F P G that have become very successful consultants and had a ma and have made a difference in people's lives. Kind of that, you know, uh, life changer, uh, slogan that you, you know, you that you have developed. But tell me a little bit about what your feelings are about the consultant industry, how it's changed. And we all know for someone like me who's been in this, what seems to be like a lifetime, how the role of the consultant, not the broker, cuz we're not called brokers anymore, we're consultants, has changed. And the value it brings to someone who's looking for that life change event, uh, business ownership for the first time.
Speaker 2 00:06:12 Wait, what a great topic. Uh, Scotty, we've got, th there are a couple thousand franchise consultants out there today. Okay. And people ask me sometimes, wow, is it, is it saturated? Is it, is it, is it gonna keep growing man, it's gonna keep growing cuz people need us. We, uh, it's like, I think it's like the real estate or realtors were in the 1950s. I bet in the 1950s there were people going, man, I think the real estate game is saturated. And here we are 70 something years later, and it's a hundred times bigger. Everybody needs, if you're looking to be an entrepreneur, if you're looking to right, take control of that career path and own it, you need a, an expert, you need a guy, you need somebody who knows the ins and outs of this life decision. And so the, the industry is still in its infancy, I believe.
Speaker 2 00:07:03 Uh, we've matured a lot. Maybe we're in the teenage years now. Uh, but it is, it's, it's come a long, long way from, uh, manual spreadsheets. Now, the technology backing us to help us, the consultants help their candidates, our candidates way better. I mean, back then we had, you know, you had a couple, three dozen brands that you could work with. Now they're, as you heard, hundreds and hundreds. We've become referral consultants. We've become the number one source of awarded franchises outside of organic leads. Number one that was announced about two years ago. And it continues to grow and grow and grow. We're, and yet of all the, the franchises awarded, we're still just shy of 20% right. Of them come through consultants. So, so much room for growth, and yet we've come so far.
Speaker 1 00:07:57 Right. Um, you have had your finger on the pulse of the franchising industry, as I said before, for a long time. And this industry has, um, had some great things said about it, and it's had so not so nice things said about it. And the, the, the evolution of franchising, you know, when you kind of look at it, um, you know, every once in a while you'll see something posted on social media or LinkedIn about, uh, somebody who invested in a franchise that it didn't work out, and they don't have some nice things to say about whether it's a consultant or the brand. Um, where do you see the industry today as far as playing a role in someone's career, uh, to develop wealth, um, to kind of escape that corporate America, kind of that balance in life? Where is, where is the industry today compared to what was, and where do you see it going?
Speaker 2 00:08:57 Yeah. Well, no matter how good you are in a, as a person or as a company or as an industry, you're always gonna have, we're a fallen world. You're gonna have issues arise. I, I go to a church, boy, people talk bad about the, uh, the pastor and yet, right. I've never seen him do a thing bad. You know, same thing with franchising. You're always gonna have something go wrong. Fortunately for us in North America, especially Canada and the us, the consumer protection oriented, uh, government regulation surrounding our industry has elevated it to such a level of professionalism and risk, uh, I should say extremely low risk. You know, most people don't realize that across the pond, across Europe, franchising is very much like network marketing. Now, I'm not hitting, hurting our, the perching, if you will, besmirching. Now we're marketing <laugh>, but it's, it's the wild west still today in, in that arena, you can say you're gonna be rich and there's no, uh, there's no nothing people can do about it.
Speaker 2 00:10:00 With, with franchising, the buyer is so protected in North America with the legal regulations, what a franchisor can say and not say. How we can prove are not prove, uh, our our financial performances and the representations around them. So yes, we have come so far and it's the consumer wins, right? Unfortunately, you know what, when the consumer wins, the franchisor wins, and the whole industry wins because we are now that trusted opportunity. When someone wants to buy a business, when someone wants to be their own boss, do they do it on their own? Less and less they're going to approve a model. A model was to support a model with guidance, with branding, with everything needed, with the community. Much like I F P G to support you, you grant faster, you have better profitability, you have better buying power, you have it all. And the risk plummets because of the, the consumer protection oriented nature of franchising in North America. So it's really come a long way. I couldn't be prouder of it. I frankly, I say this all the time, people at my office get tired of hearing it, but there's never been a better time than now to be in franchising.
Speaker 1 00:11:06 Right, right. The, the audience that th there may be some, there're gonna be a quite a few people listening to this that, um, may have never reached out to a franchise consultant before. Um, and, uh, have always said, well, you know, what do I need a broker or a consultant for when I can do this on my own? Um, I've had these conversations with people myself, and I think the most important part, uh, in, in, in, in the consulting part, at least in, in my clients, is building that trust factor, that comfort. I've always said that, look, you don't have to love me or really like me. You just really have to trust me and build that trust. So in your perspective, speaking to the audience that, that may be listening, that's considering reaching out to a consultant for, uh, guidance, expertise, education on franchising, what are some of the things that they should c consider or questions that they should be asking that consultant? Um, you know, I, in their due diligence to find the right person to work
Speaker 2 00:12:13 With? Well, you have nothing to lose in every, uh, sorry. You have, yeah. Nothing to lose and a whole lot to gain. Right? By working with a consultant, not working with them, you can make some bad, bad mistakes. I have occasionally, probably once every couple months, I have a friend or friend of a friend come to me and ask me for guidance, ask me. And usually almost every time, frankly, they already have a plan. They're planning on buying x, y, z franchise. Hey, great, let's talk about what you are looking for. Why are you looking? And I start asking them, as you do, Scotty, and as any good consultant does, ask them a lot of questions, get to understand their why, their motivation, their time allotment, their likes and dislikes, the amount of, uh, their exit timeline and strategy, their expertise and lack thereof. All those things.
Speaker 2 00:13:01 And many more. We dive deep and understand. And guess what, I don't think there's been a single time that someone's come to me looking for advice and already have an idea of what they're going to buy. Right? That they bought that, right. Because they suddenly realize, oh my goodness, there is so much more to this world than a brick and mortar restaurant that I thought I might wanna acquire. And so, and nothing wrong with brick and mortar restaurants, if that's your ideal opportunity, but likely it is not because there is so much more, uh, from a profitability standpoint, from a time requirement standpoint, from expertise. And so, um, when someone is looking to work with a consultant, uh, one good conversation, and you'll have a pretty good handle on if they're the right fit. Do you feel comfortable with them? Do you hear a level of expertise?
Speaker 2 00:13:52 Do you see them as a trusted advisor? Cuz that's what they are. They're like a marriage counselor. They're advising you on the biggest decision of your life, perhaps next to your religion and your spouse. I mean, this is bigger than a house purchase, right? This is what you're gonna do for the next 10, 20, 30 years and invest your life savings in beyond and your time and everything. So, such a huge decision. Do you gotta work with somebody that really is going to guide you through the steps and handhold you as you're looking at the F D D? Because the cons, the franchisor, no, it's a, it's, they're dating you, you're dating them, but still, it's good to have a wingman, a wing woman on the side giving you insights, telling you questions to ask, reminding of you of why you're doing this and that, and just really handholding you kind of from the backseat of that car. The franchisor is driving you right through the process, but that consultant's still patting you on the back, reminding you, whispering in your ear and helping you make the wisest decisions for you and your family because they know you and what your motivations are about as well as you do at this point.
Speaker 1 00:14:54 Right. You know, one of the things, one of the, one of the biggest human elements, or the psychology of human behavior in the relationship between a consultant and a client, uh, is, uh, fear and anxiety. Uh, you know, I always tell people, look, this is the fun part when we get started looking at brands and everything, but, you know, fear and anxiety does set in. I mean, uh, I'm sure when you were making a decision to become president, uh, and you were talking to Don and everything, at some point it may not be an extensive, but there's fear and anxiety on that side on both sides. So there's always fear and anxiety. How would you suggest for people that are, you know, at that fear and anxiety level in the beginning, just to pick up the phone and start talking to someone? Where do you, where would you guide them? Where would you, I mean, you talk about you got nothing to lose. Yes. It's, it's ten, fifteen, twenty minutes initial phone call outta your time before you really start getting into that process. But other than you got nothing to lose, where would you say, you know, kind of tell somebody or guide somebody into really kind of digging into their soul or their thought process? How do I make that step? Where, where do I go from here? Well,
Speaker 2 00:16:09 I'm very visual and, uh, I am a fanatic of knowing yourself. And so as a candidate, really understand you, you know, uh, reading books and listening to great podcasts like this, I, it helps me understand me. And so once I've gotten to that level of understanding me, I, I put it down on paper when I'm looking at opportunities, the pros, the cons, you know, that whole Ben Franklin T-Square where you're looking at, okay, what do I like, what do I not like? And then I'll do it several times. I'll wait a few days, do it again, wait a few days, do it again, and then put those t's together to look at what was really important. Because a lot of things I'm concerned about, don't make it so more than one. Um, I'll also realize this is, this has helped me so much and a lot of my candidates that I've worked with, it's not decision time.
Speaker 2 00:16:57 Guys. When you have that first date with someone looking for a marriage partner, you've got that fifth date still not marriage time, <laugh>, you're dating, it's learning, it's learning about them, learning about the franchisors, learning if it's a good fit. So you're dating, you're not deciding. I, I get that. If you can get rid of the, sorry. One thing that will really help you get rid of fear of anxi and anxiety is I'm still learning. I'm still dating. Yeah. There's no decision. And I'm gonna mark down my questions. I'm gonna put down my concerns, my fears, and then I'm gonna look at maybe with my my consultant, uh, my advisor, what are really legitimate fears and what are things, I just need to realize that that's gonna be there. Right? I can't control what Russia's gonna do next month, and even if they do something bad, is it gonna matter for my business? Right? So taking a level, I tell my candidates, if you get to a level of 80% in love, 80% feeling good, you're about there. You'll never be 100% guaranteed. This is it. So take a, you gotta have some faith combined with expertise, knowledge, and common sense. Right?
Speaker 1 00:18:05 I think that a lot of that also, um, you know, uh, when addressing or talking to your clients and, and, and at least for me is, is that nothing is perfect in life. I mean, there, there's, you know, so when we say the perfect business, I kind of shy away from terminology like that. I say no more of the ideal business because look, yes. E even if it was perfect, it doesn't mean it, it's still gonna be hard work. You still gotta build it
Speaker 2 00:18:30 <laugh>. I mean, there's, you're not, you're not perfect, you know? Exactly. Right. Right. Expect to
Speaker 1 00:18:35 Be. So, it, it, it's really interesting. Let's flashback three or four years, uh, three or four years ago, RH because I always found this to be an interesting discussion, uh, regardless of, you know, what political spectrum you come from, but the pa the pandemic came on upon us pretty quickly. It hit us. Um, and a lot of people, um, at least for me, I know I had my, my my my, my secret drawer that I pulled out my folder that my disaster plan, you know, kind of my plan B if this wasn't gonna work out. Um, were you surprised at what transpired? Um, as far as the more people, you know, investing in a business, getting outta corporate America in the last two and a half, three years as I was, I mean, I mean, is that a fair question?
Speaker 2 00:19:27 <laugh>, each one of these questions could be their own 30 minute topic, you know? Right. Yeah, of course. I mean, what, what an un uncharted territory. We went in giving up so many of our rights for the sake of safety. And there's pros and cons there, but the fact that so many people have gotta work from home. And so many people have always thought, man, I think I wanna work from home, but I don't know. I think I wanna be my own boss, but I'm not willing to take that risk. And now they're forced to work from home, and in a way, they are their own boss, cuz no one's looking over their shoulder like they were in the office. They have more flexibility, they have more time to research. They've realized, I do like this home thing. I do like not having to commute forever in traffic.
Speaker 2 00:20:08 Wow. And then they do the research. They, they've had the test drive of working from home and test drive of partially being their own boss. I don't want to go back to that old life. And so, yeah, we've been, uh, an end an onslaught of people looking for the first time been beautiful. And now as we transition out of that world, people don't wanna transition back to the old world. Right. We got the freedoms to go back to the office. They don't want to, they want to go. Right. And you know, the, I know the stock market's up and down all the time, but we've had a incredible stock market. And even with the whi, which is a funding source for franchises, and even with the interest, interest rates going up, they're still really low compared to the last 50 years. Exactly. Exactly. So, and they make, even if they go up a couple points, they're gonna make such a minimal difference in your payments versus the benefit, uh, that you get when you're owning your own business.
Speaker 2 00:21:02 I think people that are fear-based blow that way out of proportion, right? No, I can't do anything, can't do anything now cuz the market's down 5% or the, the interest rates are up 3% <laugh>. You, you hear that and you know, guys coming from, from you and I, I'm just, uh, maybe I'm saying more than I should <laugh>, but we're sitting there trying not to laugh out loud, you know? Right, exactly. We're just going, are you kidding me? And so you have to answer them a reply respectfully and kindly, but also try to call 'em out on it and go, guys, seriously, you're, you, you, you've been traveling 90% of the time and you want to see your children's soccer games and you're gonna let a 5% dip in the market or a 2% bump in interest rates. Steal that from you. Right. Put it in perspective guy. I use that term so often, put it in perspective. Let's put it in perspective <laugh>, because suddenly the why is so gigantic and the obstacles are so tiny, you're getting in your own way with these lame excuses.
Speaker 1 00:21:59 Yeah. Well, there's the quantitative decision and of course then there's the qualitative decision, you know, where, where do you, where, what's your priority? Is it qualitative or quantitative? I mean, obviously if it's quantitative, then you know, you're probably gonna struggle being successful anyway. And that's not to say that you don't want to know the numbers, of course, you want to know the numbers, the validation. I mean, I, I, I've been working with a client, uh, you know, who, who is just knee deep into the validation. And I said, look, I said, that's great. I said, but do you like the system and do you like the brand? I mean, do, can you see yourself being successful? I said, because if you can't be or see yourself in that position being successful and following the systems and the best practices, I said, everything else is irrelevant. Yes. I mean, they, they could tell you they're making $20 million a year, but if you don't think you can do it or you don't believe in it, it doesn't, doesn't matter.
Speaker 2 00:22:50 <laugh>. It's like you're dating, you're dating someone and you're going to the level of meeting the parents and meeting the family. You don't need to go meet the parents of family if you don't love her or him. You know, it's like, right,
Speaker 1 00:23:00 Right.
Speaker 2 00:23:01 You're, you're now validation's critically important. You wanna have great validation and understand and ask those questions, but you don't get to that stage unless you're about almost to the altar.
Speaker 1 00:23:11 Right. Um, let's circle back to the consultant business. I, I, you know, you and I have talked about, you've mentioned, uh, I F P G and the, the consultant's role. Um, if someone is interested in becoming a consultant, much like what I do, what you've done, um, what should they be thinking about? What, what's, you know, uh, obviously they can reach out to me and I'll put them in contact with the right people, uh, at I F P G to talk about, you know, the investment and the training and everything. But as a, a consultant or someone who's considering or wanting to say, Hey, this is something I think I can do, what are the, what are, what's the personality, the qualifications that somebody should have to think about going into this line of work? Uh, as a consultant?
Speaker 2 00:23:59 Yeah. Well, certainly at the beginning, Scott, that's a great question. You want to have that passion. You don't have to be obsessed with it, but a passion for people caring, you know, helping people achieve their dreams is wonderful for the right person. It's very fulfilling for the right person. So if you have a desire to be that trusted advisor, consultant role, that's a, that's a foundational. Now to me, there are three things to be successful. Three, uh, uh, traits is the wrong word, but three things to be successful as a consultant, number one, you gotta manage yourself well, you gotta have that discipline. You know, you're at your house, man, ain't nobody cracking the whip on you. You get up, you hit the, the job, you get the Java, and you go to work. You're not out mowing the yard in the middle of the day.
Speaker 2 00:24:39 You, you know, you are doing what matters, income generating activity. So number one is that, number two, you, uh, you gotta be rela uh, a trusted advisor. I mean, if you have a, a horrible voice, if you are selfish and don't come across as a trusted advisor, forget it. People are looking to you for guidance and advice. You don't have to be 60 years old to be a great consultant. You could, you could be 25 all day long and be a good consultant, but you better be a mature, emotionally mature guiding force that's not afraid to have the tough love conversations, guide people through next steps and deal with people that are making a life choice. So you gotta have that mentality. And lastly, you gotta get some leads. I talked to folks, you know what I mean? I talk to guys and gals that are like, all right, well, I'm like, okay, what are you doing?
Speaker 2 00:25:29 You ready? You got trained? Boom, you're, let's go take over the world. They're like, all right, well, next week I'm going to the Chamber of Commerce luncheon. And then the week after, I have a, uh, you know, a, a optimist club meeting one evening. Okay. Okay. Okay, cool. I like networking too. What else? Well, you know, I'm, I'm gonna post something on, on, on, you know, LinkedIn tomorrow. Come on, we gotta fill the pipeline. So get some good lead sources. Of course IG provide you with all that. But those three things are, you know, yep, we go, we go through another 50 that are all good and helpful and add upon and add upon success. But really, those three, if you don't have 'em, don't do this.
Speaker 1 00:26:04 Right.
Speaker 2 00:26:05 Yeah. Well,
Speaker 1 00:26:06 Red, you know, your enthusiasm and, uh, within the industry, uh, you know, puts you in, uh, that ideal position, uh, to be president of I F P G. And I, and, and, and I can tell you that, you know, everybody has their own fit. You know, uh, you know, I, I, you know, uh, fortunately for me, this is, uh, only my, you know, this is my third move within the industry, and I think it's, it, it, it's safe to say that the culture, you know, I found that culture fit because I think that's important for people. Uh, so I, you know, again, I I I hope that I F P G continues with that, uh, that culture and staying in lines of the ethics of what we do. Yes. Because I think that's important. Yes. I mean, the ethics of, of making sure that we're guiding people and consulting with people in the right way and not providing misinformation. You
Speaker 2 00:26:58 Know, you know, Scott, thank you for saying that. And I'm gonna interrupt you because we have a balance that I continue to try to walk that tightrope. We're a very libertarian culture, not politically, but worldview freedom. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, I, I mean, this is, this is an extreme statement, but if you're not lying, cheating, and stealing, come on. Well, we're gonna have fun together, right? Right. Work as much as little as you want. Guide people through the process. While at the same time, if you have that freedom unlimited opportunity worldview, you gotta have some boundaries. Cuz people are gonna try to take advantage of it sometimes. And so we, as far as I know, are the only organization that has an ethics committee in this industry, right? We have an ethics committee of members, mostly consultants, making sure people aren't stepping outside the bounds and doing things that are unscripted, list making earnings claims they shouldn't, et cetera. So, yes, I'm with you. Freedom, fun, libertarian culture, that's everybody wins with an unlimited, uh, uh, opportunity mindset while still keeping the highest level of integrity. You heard me say it, retreat, the I and I F P G stands for international officially, but I believe it stands for Integrity and Independence just as equally independent group with integrity changing lives.
Speaker 1 00:28:10 Yep. I, and well, listen, just to put a plug in, uh, you know, for a consultant and, and, and, and if you are interested in pursuing this career, you know, there, there are a lot. Look, you gotta find your own comfort zone into what network you wanna belong to, but you get to keep a hundred percent of your money. <laugh>,
Speaker 2 00:28:29 <laugh>.
Speaker 1 00:28:32 So, I mean, appreciate, you know, I don't wanna always wanna make it about money that qual you know, that, that, uh, that quantitative, cuz there is the qualitative part I discussed, but Oh yeah, it, it's nice when you help somebody out and get them through the finish line and they, they call you up and thank you. But you, you, you, you get to keep
Speaker 2 00:28:48 <laugh>. Well when you're looking, you know what Scott, when you're looking for an organization to tie your ship to, to be a part of integrity of leadership, financial model, well who gets the money? Uh, technology, inventory, ongoing support, culture, all those, I just grabbed six outta my head. All those are very, very important. If any one of those is off, step back, wait, wait a minute. Is there one that they're not all off, right? Because we strive every day to have our the best integrity, best technology, best inventory, best support, best events, best, best, best, best, best. And if, if we have that, we're gonna track the right people. The best consultants.
Speaker 1 00:29:27 Right? Well, I think if, if, if it's something that you wanna do, you can do it, be the best. If it's not something you don't wanna do or don't care to be the best, then I think that's where the dominoes really start to fall. And the, that's when issues start coming up.
Speaker 2 00:29:42 Well to true. And yet, some, some folks want to, but they don't have any resources. And we have 'em with our partner with Princeton. We have got every resource needed. We've doubled just in the last few months, doubled the size of our space. We're hiring folks left and right, top notch, senior level executives to help us take it to the next level. We're acquiring, uh, complimentary brands that give more value to you, our members really taking it where we are so far ahead of our, our friendly competition that we have, that it would, anybody that doesn't see us as the only option is, is someone we'd rather not work with. Cuz the <laugh> respectfully, they're not a good fit. <laugh>,
Speaker 1 00:30:24 Well, red look this time, believe it or not, our our time is winding down here. But, um, one last quick question for you. I mean, we have people that are listening that are still going through. Should I or shouldn't I, should I pick up the phone and investigate and research being my own, you know, owning my own business? Um, again, franchising isn't for everybody. There are certain, you know, uh, personality, there's a certain personality, certain character, uh, the ability to follow a process, uh, but also someone who can delegate. And that, and, and again, business ownership may be an independent. And of course, my belief is, I'd rather you find out now through our process that franchising is not for you than after you've made a considerable investment. And then six months, a year down the road, you find out, wow, I should've listened to that person, my consultant when they told me this wasn't a good idea. But, um, is it safe to say that, you know, if, if you're just a little bit intrigued, pick up the phone, call a consultant, call somebody who's an expert in the industry, or somebody who is knowledgeable about the industry. Somebody who has a passion about helping others, just,
Speaker 2 00:31:32 Well, if you're, if you,
Speaker 1 00:31:34 You know, yes,
Speaker 2 00:31:35 Absolutely. Do the research and, and connect with some folks. If you're a know-it-all, don't, if you're a know-it-all and you, you, it's your way, the highway, you think you're the smartest person in the room and in the, in the country. Don't go to franchising route if you wanna be in business for yourself. But as we always say, not by yourself, right? You want a true support structure, guides, uh, the investment is cuz we're 10 times what it really is because of the support, the comradery, the buying power, and all the other wonderful things that franchising could give. So yes, do a little research, you owe it to yourself, your family, and your legacy and your livelihood. Two, look at your options. Life is short. Why live? Why live your life in a miserable or unfulfilling, unrewarding, financially or otherwise position when you have legitimate options. And a lot of these options you'll never find on your own without a guide like Scotty and Myas and so many wonderful others. So yes, absolutely do the research. There's never an obligation
Speaker 1 00:32:37 And the franchising industry still is strong. It continues to get stronger. Uh, it's a player in, uh, entrepreneurship. It's, uh, it's, it's definitely a, a, a big option, uh, to think about. It's not a, it's not a small blimp on the radar anymore. <laugh>, it's a big blimp. It's
Speaker 2 00:32:53 Trillion dollar business.
Speaker 1 00:32:54 It's, uh, you know, when you think about 4,000 brands out there, uh, worldwide, it, uh, uh, having somebody to help you steer that course and, and, and kind of find that ideal business, something that you can be successful for is, uh, is great. So, uh, it is red. Any closing thoughts? Anything you wanna add? Uh, I appreciate your time.
Speaker 2 00:33:15 You know, I get asked to do a lot of calls and I don't do 'em all because, uh, they're a waste of time sometimes. Yours is not. You are one of the very best in the world, and I respect you so much. I even put on a jacket for you. <laugh>. So
Speaker 1 00:33:28 <laugh>,
Speaker 2 00:33:29 I, I,
Speaker 1 00:33:29 Man, I, I feel bad that I, uh, you know, I'm in my comfy, uh, uh, you know, my comfy clothes. We won't talk about the waist habitable, you know, my comfy clothes for the coffee flows for the,
Speaker 2 00:33:40 I like the hat. I have PG 10, 10 anniversary hat. Yeah, brother. Well, if anybody wants to learn more, iof pg.org is certainly our website. Um, tell you what, if, you know, have a little handle on what we do and you're interested in really understanding even more, uh, if you go to I, my LinkedIn profile, so Red Boswell, r e d Boswell, it's on the screen there. Um, and let's connect on LinkedIn or you don't even have connect with me. Just scroll down my, my, uh, profiles public. Just scroll down a hair and you'll see the featured section. I did a video there in the featured section. Very first thing you'll see, I think I have a light blue shirt on. I might redo it soon, but it's, I go, it's about 22 minutes. But I just explain all the things you should consider when looking at becoming a franchise consultant. So people tell me that's really helpful to help them understand not only I p g, but franchise consulting as a whole. And then if you're looking to buy a franchise or invest in franchises, nobody better than Scott. Scotty right there, <laugh>.
Speaker 1 00:34:36 Well, thank you for the kind words. Red, I, uh, listen, I don't know if I'll get a chance to talk to you before, uh, Thanksgiving rolls around, but, uh, I wish you and your family, uh, a great Thanksgiving. It's a great holiday. One of my favorite, my favorite holiday. I mean, it's, uh,
Speaker 2 00:34:51 We have so much to be thankful for.
Speaker 1 00:34:52 Yeah, it really is. Uh, it's, uh, you know, uh, we're in a great country regardless of our hiccups. What we think are, are our hiccups. They're probably not hiccups. Uh, I always call 'em a little blimp on the radar, but, uh, we live in a great country and, uh, uh, entrepreneurship is alive and well. Um, freedom and small business is, is, is at. And, and believe it or not, and I'll close with this, a lot of people think that franchise is not an independent business. In some ways, it is an independent business. You are running your business, you know, you own it. The, the, the thought, the thought process that a franchisor is gonna run your business for you, you know, you, you gotta run it. And, uh, you, you, you have a say in it. So, uh, exactly. But red, thanks very much. I appreciate your time. Time, uh, we'll have you, uh, you know, the, uh, the website, your LinkedIn profile up for people to run, um, uh, to contact you or reach out to me and I can, uh, help you, uh, help you kind of talk more about being a consultant or a franchise. But, uh, but then again, so this is Scotty, my, uh, Scott, my franchise coach.com. Uh, another episode of All Things Considered Franchising. Know, you Know, and Know Your Why. Uh, thanks, red. Thanks two, one.
