I met an owner doing $100k sales per month.
He started from zero just 2.5 years ago.
Running it from his garage.
With just one employee!
I’m sharing the full story on YouTube in a few weeks. Until then, here are 3 lessons:
1) Family + Fulfillment
Graig spent years in Corporate America, building a business for someone else.
The money was good, but he wasn’t happy.
In 2022, he burned the boats to open a Bloomin' Blinds franchise in the Philadelphia suburbs.
He knew it wouldn't be easy, and his income went to zero.
Graig believed in himself and the brand. Failure was not an option.
The hard work didn't feel like a grind. It felt different because he was laying the foundation for this family.
These days, he teaches his kids about blinds, shutters, automation, sales, customer service, the cost of goods, taxes, and net margins.
His 8-year-old son was very proud to show me the award his dad won last year.
Both of them talk about starting their own business someday.
2) No Excuses
When Graig started, he sat around for 3 months waiting for digital marketing leads.
They trickled in but not at the speed he needed.
He could easily sit at his desk, firing off angry emails complaining to the franchisor and stirring the pot with other franchisees.
Graig took a different path.
He realized the business wouldn’t build itself from behind a computer. He signed up to become an entrepreneur and would do whatever it took.
He attended community events, met with realtors, and put out yard signs and door hangers. He treated every customer with white-glove service, which led to repeat business and referrals.
We visited a commercial customer who spent $6k a few months ago, $8k that day, and asked him to quote a 3rd job.
A franchisor provides the systems, tools, training, and playbook. Everything is laid out, but it’s 100% up to you to follow the instructions.
I know it sounds silly.
Why would you buy a franchise and NOT follow the system?
Unfortunately, it’s very common. Some people like the idea of the playbook more than actually running the playbook.
3) Humble, Helpful, & Hard-Working
Graig is fully in the "I do it" phase.
He handles 100% of the sales and assists with the installation.
This is great for margins but limits the capacity of the business.
He wants to hit $3M/year within 3 years, which requires moving into the "we do it" phase. This is the hardest jump for every business owner to make.
Nobody cares as much about the business as you do. The best you can do is hire for core values, not based on a resume or experience.
Graig is looking for someone humble, helpful & hard-working:
- Humble - puts customer needs first & remains open to learning
- Helpful - a consultant solving a problem, not a pushy salesman
- Hard-working - everyone is happy to do whatever it takes
What are your company's core values?
More about Bloomin’ Blinds
His franchise, Bloomin’ Blinds, is a family-run business out of Dallas.
They started franchising in 2014. Today they have over 80 franchisees across the country.
It doesn't require a huge investment or overhead. You start in your garage, then grow by adding more vans & staff.
A lot of great markets are open.
Complete this short form to learn more.
My team will check if your market is open, introduce you to the brand, and help you through the discovery process. Zero cost to you.
Cheers!
Brian
P.S. If you're not subscribed to my YouTube, click here to fix that. I'm putting out new videos every week.
