Melissa started her career in sales at Xerox and very quickly realized that the corporate world was not for her. She moved from Chicago to Denver and started her franchise career with a small franchise company called Maui Wowi Hawaiian Smoothies and Coffee as their Director of Marketing. She joined them when they were a very small franchise and helped them grow to a few hundred franchises.
That’s where she also fell in love with the franchise industry. She says, “I saw a lot of people fall in love with the product of Maui Wowi, without truly understanding the business model.”
Melissa started as The Franchisologist to help people make more informed decisions based on knowledge and research so that they could truly find the franchise that would get them to the life of their dreams.
Below are highlights of the interview:
Tell us about the inception of the company. What did you see in the franchisee consultant industry that needed to be changed or updated?
I started as a franchise consultant in 2004 and I noticed that there was a real need to help people make informed decisions, and not just buy a franchise because they loved the product or service.
The biggest mistake I’ve seen in my career is that people fall in love with a product or service and try to retrofit the business model to fit them. This is a disaster waiting to happen!
I reverse engineer the process and understand the person (skills, goals, time commitment, schedule, budget, comfort zones, etc) and match them to franchises that will fit them and the life they want to lead.
Which are the major consultant services of the company and how do they help customers to get success? What value-added services does the company provide?
The major service my company offers is the matching of people to franchises based on the person’s skills, goals, and personality. I also guide them through the analytical research process, so they are equipped to make an informed and educated decision.
What are your responsibilities as the founder of the company? What is the happiest part of your daily routine?
The happiest part of my daily routine, which has fueled me for almost 20 years, is helping people to move past their fears and limiting beliefs to gain control of their lives and achieve their dreams!
What are the most important aspects of a company’s culture? What principles do you believe in and how do you build this culture?
I believe that there are three traits that make a franchise owner successful:
- The ability to follow a proven system
- The ability to implement the system-action is very important.
- The ability to build strong, quality relationships with people
What has made you successful? What do you value?
I live and breathe the franchise industry! But the key to my success has been a genuine desire to assist people in breaking free from corporate handcuffs. Watching them embrace being in control of their lives (and future!) and so brave to overcome uncertainty to take control of their lives–this is the fuel to my fire (and always will be!)
I value being in control of your life, your time, having financial security, and having control of your finances. Overall, it’s having the ability to truly enjoy a life that you control. And I want that for anyone who is willing to work hard for it!
What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position in the franchise space for the first time?
To someone who will become a franchisee, I would say that they must realize that being a business owner is challenging, but that the challenge is part of the process. Pride is on the other side of uncertainty and doing hard things!
The best training to become strong in business is to get comfortable in uncomfortable situations. And always remember to keep going!
What is your vision for the future of the company?
My vision is to continue placing top producing franchisees and empower people to push past fear and uncertainty to enjoy all the benefits of business ownership.
