-An Insider's Guide to Buying A Franchise-

It’s been a few days since my last post – evidence enough of what’s going on around here lately. It’s that time in a business startup when there’s more to do than there is time in the day to get it all done. Just name a topic and it seems it needs attention.

From working with the contractor and architect to tracking down details for the bank, getting all the new services set up, you name it. Things have been nothing short of chaotic. And there are a million and one new details waiting after all of these are handled. There’s simply no choice but to just put one foot in front of the other and get it done.

By the end of the afternoon, I actually felt like I’d made some significant progress. Now over to my bookkeeper’s to start getting the accounting set up. We’ll see what tomorrow looks like.

As you might have guessed by now, I’ve had to take some liberty with dates in order to reconstruct events of the last few months in this blog. I’m now close to catching up with real time so in today’s post I’ll bring it up to present day. There are going to be so many things happening in the next six to eight weeks but this is really a fun time…. no, really. (Say this repeatedly until you actually believe it…)

Tampa training was awesome. Even though this is a new franchisor and they don’t have the resources of some larger companies I’ve worked for, these folks put everything they have into it. The facility is professional, the content is relevant and well thought out, and the presentation is great. There were times where it was like taking a drink from a fire hose, but it’s normal to feel overwhelmed in this situation – there’s a lot to learn. We covered everything from marketing the product to hiring, equipment, inventory, vendors, you name it. And although a week didn’t seem like enough time to cover everything, I don’t think we could have absorbed much more – you just can’t expect to learn it all at once.

Back in Tucson, I’ll meet with the landlord and their contractor to get their demolition and my build out underway, start working with the franchisor’s vendors to line up things like equipment and inventory, set up accounts with my vendors, work on all the licenses and permits I’ll need – a LOT to do.

One thing that’s become very apparent is that everyone I talk to about this business seems to have a genuine interest in the product. They see the same fun and excitement I see and they’re anxious for us to get open. Time will only tell if that will translate into real sales. But for now, I’ve got a lot to do to get us open.

And, oh, there’s the brokerage business to think about! I have quite a few active clients and I’m really excited about a couple of new franchisors Rick has brought on board lately, but I’m going to have to devote some time to study their concepts before I can present them. Oh so much to do. This really is fun, this really is fun, this really is fun….