I have five kids. That should say it all for this blog post shouldn’t it. Every single one of my kids went through a phase of asking me why to just about everything in life. Some people may find that annoying, but I always enjoyed giving as intelligent a response as possible, only to hear why? again. Eventually I would give in and simply respond with – why not?

Its the cop out answer isn’t it, but one thing I have learned is that people can get stuck in asking the why questions for so long that there is no decisive action, and they are left in inaction, forever analyzing but never progressing. I was never too fond of those philosophical course I had to take at college, I have always been interested in action.

A number of years ago we had a board meeting to discuss methods of expanding our franchise concept, and we discussed many of the traditional as well as nontraditional channels we could use to get in front of the kinds of candidates we seek to award franchises to. We had the good fortune of a board that was stacked with intelligent and very experienced and successful entrepreneurs. During this discussion one of these respected board members, in response to asking if we should risk a lot of money on a unproven advertising channel, asked – Why Not? – we are all a bunch of entrepreneurs, what are we afraid of? I loved that response, and as well as the challenge that it presented.

Sometimes you have to do things you don’t know will work, you have to venture out into the unknown because if you don’t then you will never know what you could have had if you hadn’t simply asked the question -Why not? that’s what entrepreneurs do.

Just do it!

The best marketers will tell you that money comes most easily to those who understand the wants,
wishes, and needs of your customer. If you are selling watches to active adult men, it doesn’t make
sense to give them ribbon bands with ponies and unicorns on them, right?

The funny thing is, many companies have begun making their product offering so generic, they really
aren’t targeting anyone at all. They offer the plainest, most generic items available, usually with black
or grey color schemes, and expect them to move like hotcakes on the market.

The less specific a marketer or business owner targets, the more likely it is that nobody will be
interested in buying the product. It is vital to understand that you are not creating your widgets or
service to be thrown into a magic pit from which money comes out. These products are going to
people who purchase them to solve a problem or improve their lives in some way.

In Og Mandino’s classic treatise on salesmanship “The Greatest Salesman in the World”, the first scroll
suggests that a salesman walk among his customers for thirty days and repeat to himself the words “I
love you” to everyone he passes. Try doing this for a single day, and see if you feel any different about
your own product. Would you sell it to someone you love? Would someone who loves you sell it to
you?

The phrase “It is not personal, it is business” is an outdated concept. All business must be personal if
a lasting relationship with a customer can be built. They must know you, like you, and trust you if you
intend to do business with them. So ask yourself, Where’s the love?

Offering a top quality service or product is a key aspect of business. Conrad Kolba offers some great
thoughts on quality in his blog. Click here to read his artticle “On Quality”.

One of the life bloods of franchising is lead flow. Not much different than another of our franchisees business, or any sales and marketing company; you need to be bringing in new blood all the time. At Five Star we are constantly measuring lead flow, sales cycles, velocity, close ratios, and other various metrics to make sure we are on track. Recently, in a sales meeting we discussed two things that we could do to increase our franchise sales.

1) Volume. This can mean so many things, but it can start at the very beginning of the sales cycle – impressions, or in the middle – leads, or in the end – contracts signed. The reality is that you need to be constantly reviewing ways to increase the volume of people looking at your concept, so, that they can express interest and enter into the journey of learning if your franchise concept if the right fit for them. Here are a few ideas on ways you could amp up the volume:

a. Cast a wider net. For example, if you are advertising for the word painting franchise, why not consider something like home based business, or service industry franchises in your online advertising. Some people know what they want, and others have an idea.
b. Use different channels. Online advertising is a fantastic tool that can be approached through SEO, Pay-Per-Click, affiliates, directories, and on and on. However, what about trying something different like Career Builder, or Monster.com? Business brokers is a channel that many franchisors use to get in front of candidates, and many of them use these techniques themselves. Why not try your hand at marketing to the right candidates directly?
c. PR. Public Relations is a tricky tool that few are able to wield effectively. I have approached this different ways for different concepts. The key is that if you aren’t using PR in your marketing mix you should think about doing it now. Have no money to hire and expert you say? Well then pick up the phone and pitch your cool concept yourself until someone gives you the time of day. You need some independently written articles by a quality publication saying your cool instead of that testimonial from your grandma.
d. Social Media – yes, believe it or not I have had people contact me through my blog, Facebook page, and twitter account to request information about one of our brands. So how do you find the time? Well its 12am right now, so, now you know.

2) Efficiency. Getting more eyeballs on your web page is your first mission. Your second mission is to get them to click that submit button. Marketing is scientific, so, please, don’t make this about guy checks. Yes, you can start there, but measure, tweak, measure, tweak, measure, tweak until finally you can tell me you are at 25% conversion rates. 5 years ago I would have told you it wasn’t possible, but, today our team has moved the virtual mountains and now enjoy the results. This is something you can never stop thinking about. Here is a quick example of what we have done over the years.
Go to www.fivestarpaintingfranchise.net this site is our old franchise site. We have tweaked this site dozens of times, and it runs at about a 10% conversion rate. If you go to www.5starfranchising.com you will find very cool information and well-designed research site. This site is below 1%. Now if you go to www.fivestarpaintingfranchise.com you will see our main franchise site for Five Star Painting. I have many times shared these sites with people and have asked the question of which one they prefer, and which one they though would do best. Please remember, that the goal of your franchise site is to generate enough interest to get someone to click the submit button and begin the dialogue.

Of course there is more to franchise lead generation than this. So, with that being said: what do you do that works?

Sometimes the best way to learn something is to either do it wrong yourself or learn from someone else’s mistakes. I have had the pleasure of doing both. If you are thinking of franchising your business you have probably read, or been told about the pot at the end of the rainbow. Well like anything in life, if it is worth having, it’s going to be a lot of work. Here are three tips to avoid some disasters and maybe help you catch the leprechaun:

1) Mess of pottage. Why trade your franchisor birthright for a few dollars? In franchising, someone looking to buy your franchise will pay you a handsome franchise fee, some concepts as high as $50,000 at signing. The franchise fee is there to do a few things, like get skin in the game, cover the costs of attracting top talent to your franchise system, pay the tuition for all of you’ve learned, fund development of systems, etc. The challenge with such large franchise fees is that it’s often more money than you will get in royalties for a few years. Because of this, franchisors are more excited about closing that big deal than all the hard work to earn the royalties that come from years of business building; they trade their birthright to a share in a successful business for a short term boost to the bottom line. Some franchisors take all this money, go on a nice vacation, buy a new car, and don’t follow through with support. Not only is this not ethical, in my opinion, but it is extremely short sighted. Don’t fall into that trap, stay the course, support your franchisees, and make sure each and every golden goose is well fed and cared for.

2) Dictatorship. So, you’ve convinced a few people to buy your concept and on top of all that you have your 90 page franchise agreement signed, that some high priced lawyers put together for you. All the bases are covered- and the sweet talk stops, honeymoon is over and it’s down to business. Yikes. Nobody like being told what to do; if someone was smart enough to buy your franchise, they are probably smart enough to learn from your team, as well as your fellow franchisees. People like to be influenced, led, and shown your vision. Help them buy into not just your business model but, you and your team by demonstrating why your next big idea is one that they should adopt. I recently read a book called The Science of Influence; definitely one worth reviewing for those of you looking to see who prefer to use the carrot over the stick.

3) Partnership. I have often heard that a partnership is a sinking ship. In saying this, I will say that I have been fortunate to have some amazing partners, and that I have experienced the dark side of partnerships as well. When you consider growing your business, it is critical you get your business structure right, and if you have partners, roles and responsibilities are going to be critical to your success. Whether you form a partnership or not, there needs to be one President, CEO, Chief Pooh-Bah, or whatever title you make up. Every company needs a leader, so don’t make the mistake of approaching your business like a marriage, unless, you are into divorce.

There are plenty more things you could do to mess things up, but, I believe, if you watch for these land mines you are well on your way. Feel free to share your views on ones I missed.

This year, Chad Jones and I had the opportunity to attend the Utah 100 awards ceremony at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City. The room was packed. There were probably around 500 people there. 130 of the companies were there that were winners of some kind, including Five Star Painting. The Utah 100 honors the 100 fastest growing companies in all of Utah. At the ceremony, we learned we placed 33^rd among the top 100 fastest growing businesses. We could not be more pleased and proud.  We have won some awards in the past but have never before placed in the Utah 100. There are many great companies who placed this year and we are so excited to be numbered among them.

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Entrepreneurship can be a ball and chain, it never leaves you no matter where you go, but it can also give you a lot of freedom. Now with smart phones being as advanced as they are you can get into your network and access all your files right from the dock of your summer home on the lake. When I was visiting with a fellow entrepreneur about this we laughed about how connected we are with our businesses and actually kind of like it.

Passion for your business comes out in everything you do, you live your brand, it is part of you and your DNA and it makes life more enjoyable. Years ago when I worked in a more “corporate” environment, weekends were looked forward to, now I often look forward to the weekdays. Strange I know, I think I may be sick but for now I love it.

So why are people so interested in entrepreneurship? It is not only the freedom, but it is also acknowledged as the key driving force for the incredible growth of capitalism. As risk increases so does reward. You make your future, you make your schedule, you create the opportunities, and you feel fulfilled. That is the foundation to entrepreneurship.

What makes you tick? Is there something that you find yourself dreaming about while at the office? Whatever your dreams are, pursue it, life is too short and you will always wonder what would have happened if you did.

Click here for more information on entrepreneurship.

I have been teaching a class on entrepreneurial business planning now and have just finished up the course at the local University. As part of this course we brought in guest speakers from various backgrounds – entrepreneurs, managers, venture capitalists. Each of them had a great story to tell in the classroom about business philosophy, bootstrapping, big hairy audacious goals (I learned the BHAG concept in this class) and how to raise money. Probably the biggest take away from this class had nothing to do with business and everything do to with lifestyle.

For a short few years I put my time in a big office tower wearing suits all day and keeping busy with regular meetings with executives and people way smarter than me. As my father would say, the modern day coal mine. I punched in and punched out every day, missed a few holidays to get that report out on time and work hard to bring honor and glory to my employer and maybe even get a raise or bonus at the end of the year. The paycheck would arrive like clockwork and I felt warm in the corporate security blanket. During these years I learned that I was not made for Corporate America, but rather made to make corporations. This is what I believe drives franchising today and what has brought into an industry that I have come to love.

Say good bye to regular paychecks and say hello to a new life. As risk increases so does reward. You make your future, you make your schedule, you create the opportunities, you feel fulfilled. That is the foundation to entrepreneurship. What franchising does for the foundation of entrepreneurship is provide a few recipes for success, and improved probabilities for success.

I have regular calls with our owners and the most rewarding aspect of what I do is to hear people talk about what their business means to them, how it has helped them achieve their goals and in many cases those goals are not always monetary but time, freedom, sense of control.

There has been some debate over whether franchising is in fact entrepreneurial, and I have read a few articles and blogs on this subject. A quick read on the words definition should shed some light on the subject:

“Entrepreneurship is the act of being an entrepreneur which is a French word meaning “one who undertakes innovations, finance and business acumen in an effort to transform innovations into economic goods”. This may result in new organizations or may be part of revitalizing mature organizations in response to a perceived opportunity. The most obvious form of entrepreneurship is that of starting new businesses.”

We have had a lot of different buyers in our business from Kung Fu teachers, to Police Officers, to Actuaries and MBA students, all of them have started a business and many of them have brought to our business innovation, finance and business acumen. In my opinion, the title “Entrepreneur” belongs to our franchisees and fortunately the title is gaining the attention it deserves to be among the more noble professions in America.

If you have considered opening up a franchise, please feel free to learn more about Five Star Painting Franchise or give us a call at 1-866-965-STAR.

If you’ve got a great idea but need some cash to get it going, you’d better start working on your Elevator Pitch. Even if you don’t need the cash or you have figured out how to use bootstrap capital, you still need to be able to sell your idea to: clients and customers, potential suppliers and employees, and even your spouse!

What is an Elevator Pitch?

It is the term used for a two-minute presentation; the amount of time it takes to go from the lobby to the investor’s office on the top floor and to capture the investor’s interest (your audience could, of course, be someone other than an investor). Get it right and they’ll invite you into the boardroom for a more in depth discussion. It is also about the same time you need to convince other stakeholders that they should get involved with your enterprise.

Who is your audience?

The scenario goes something like this:

• You find yourself, opportunistically, in an elevator all alone with potential launch clients, possible future employees, VCs, Angel Investors, Bankers, Business Mentor or Coach.
• You remember to introduce yourself.
• You don’t forget to smile from time to time.
• You tell them what you are working on. Example: “Hi, I’m Mat Lafrance, President and CEO of a new service called GradeATechs.com. We do fast, on-site computer and network repair for homeowners and businesses.”
• You give it a short title. (“The title can’t be as long as the story,” Professor Max Neutze, Australian National University.)

What Makes a Good Elevator Pitch?

A good Elevator Pitch is made up of two key elements:

1. Lay out the pain statement. What problem is it that you are trying to solve?
2. Show the value proposition. How does your venture solve that problem for an individual client or customer?

Be specific—how exactly does your product or service benefit a single client or customer? Can you show, on a spreadsheet, in a compelling way, how by buying your product or service, a client will make money from it or lower their costs or do both? Did you introduce anything innovative into your business model and what is the ‘pixie dust’ or differentiated value in your model that will help you create a sustainable enterprise with a long term competitive advantage that results in some type of ‘franchise’ or ‘concession’ that you can exploit?

Example: “You know people can either disassemble their PC, put it in their car, take it to a local repair shop, be told it’ll take two weeks and will cost $150 only to find out that it will really take three weeks and cost 250 bucks and that their hard drive got accidentally wiped. Alternatively, they can log on to or call GradeATechs.com, make an appointment and have a highly trained, certified Grade A Tech come to their home or business and fix the problem in a couple of hours for $120, guaranteed.”

Give them some idea of how big the opportunity is and who the competition might be. Will this be an enterprise that will provide you with more opportunity than if you just took a JOB? Never say that if you could just get (say) 1% of this (really huge) market, you would be set for life. That sort of ‘stat’ is meaningless and undermines your credibility…Will the enterprise outlive the founder? Can it eventually continue without you?

Example: “The computer repair industry is huge and growing fast and the repair industry is full of ‘mom and pop’ shops—it’s an industry that the established players aren’t particularly interested in—in essence, we are tackling the ‘last mile of service’. Plus, at any one time, about 30% of the PCs and laptops in the US and Canada aren’t working up to their potential—that’s around 180,000,000 computers that need our help!”

Every great Elevator Pitch must meet four key tests:

1. Must be succinct. You’ve only got one or two minutes.
2. Easy to understand. Both your grandma and your grand kids have to get it. Your product or service should appeal to more than one generation or, at a minimum, at least you are able to explain it to multi generations.
3. Greed inducing. Investors want to make money. Clients want to know that buying your product or service is a negative cost—the benefits generated are greater than its cost.
4. Irrefutable. If your Elevator Pitch leaves the investor or customer with more questions than answers, you’d better go back to the drawing board.