Learn from Brett Blair’s journey and take his expert tips to start your own successful business franchise!
Are you considering starting your own business franchise? If so, you’ll want to hear from Brett Blair, owner of Jim’s Pool Care division, who has shared his top tips for starting a successful business franchise. Brett has an inspiring story of how he transitioned from project management into the pool care industry and built a business with over 130 franchisees under the Jim’s banner.
In a podcast interview, Brett sat down with Joel Kleber to share his journey and offer valuable insights for aspiring business franchisees. Throughout the conversation, Brett emphasized the importance of passion, hard work, and willingness to learn. He shared his personal experience of starting as a franchisee, working his way up to franchisor, and eventually purchasing the pool care division.
One of Brett’s key takeaways for franchisees is the need to work smarter, not harder. He recognized early on that it wasn’t just about providing labor services, but also offering retail products such as chemicals and pool equipment. By diversifying his revenue streams, he was able to increase profits and work towards his financial goals.
Another piece of advice from Brett is the need to constantly learn and adapt. He stressed the importance of having a learning mindset and always seeking out new information and strategies. This includes staying up to date with the latest trends in technology and marketing and being willing to implement changes in your business accordingly.
Brett’s passion for customer service was also a recurring theme throughout the interview. He was drawn to Jim’s Pool Care because of Jim’s own dedication to providing exceptional service, and he has since instilled that same value in his own franchisees. Brett believes that customer service is the foundation of any successful business and that franchisees who prioritize it will reap the benefits.
So, whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting out, Brett’s tips and insights can provide valuable guidance for anyone looking to start a successful business franchise.
By learning from his experience, you can save time and avoid common pitfalls, and work towards achieving your own financial and personal goals. Be sure to read on to learn all of Brett’s advice and insights!
What Makes A Great Business?
Starting a successful business franchise requires a combination of dedication, hard work, and attention to detail. As Brett Blair points out, it’s the little decisions that count.
Many new business owners tend to focus on one big idea or strategy, hoping it will be the silver bullet that makes their business successful. However, according to Blair, it’s not just one thing that makes a business great. Instead, it’s a combination of lots of different things that are consistently implemented over time that will lead to success.
One key factor in this equation is the business owner. Blair stresses the importance of providing excellent service, showing up on time in uniform, making customers happy, building rapport, and becoming the key person of influence in the industry.
These are all one-percenters that can easily be overlooked or dismissed as unimportant, but it’s these little details that ultimately add up to create a great business.
Another key to success is discipline. Making consistent, value-based decisions and being disciplined in implementing them is essential for any business owner.
This is where the hard work comes in. It’s about doing everything you can in those first few months, really getting out of your comfort zone, and challenging yourself.
Blair encourages new franchise owners to follow the roadmap laid out for them and to keep pushing themselves even when things get tough.
One common pitfall for new business owners is time. They often underestimate how quickly time can run out and how important it is to make the most of it. Once you start running out of time and money, your behavior changes drastically. You either step up and start doing everything you’re supposed to do because it’s a survival mechanism, or you shut down and want to get out because it’s too hard.
Blair stresses the importance of being proactive and doing everything you can in those first few months to build a strong foundation for your business.
One way to do this is to immerse yourself in the theory of business. Read books, ask for advice, find a mentor, join a networking group, and learn as much as you can about your industry. This will help you stay motivated and focused on your goals, and it will also help you become the best you can be.
Starting a successful business franchise requires a combination of dedication, hard work, attention to detail, and a willingness to learn and grow. It’s not just one big idea or strategy that will make your business successful; it’s the consistent implementation of lots of different little things over time.
So, take Blair’s advice and focus on the one-percenters, be disciplined, and immerse yourself in the theory of business. With dedication and hard work, you can build a successful business franchise with Jim’s Group and achieve your goals.
Find the Right Business Opportunity
Success starts with finding the right business opportunity. Brett stresses the importance of being clear on your passion and making sure it aligns with the business you’re considering. It may sound cliche, but finding your passion and staying focused on it is crucial to succeeding in any business venture.
Brett emphasizes the need to imagine yourself doing the business for the next three, five, or even ten years. Can you see yourself waking up every morning and feeling excited to work on growing the business? If you’re not passionate about it from the start, there’s a higher chance of failure. It’s not enough to just like the idea of a business, you have to love it.
It’s a good thing that Jim’s Group has over 50 divisions to choose from so that you’ll be able to dedicate your energy and passion to doing what you love!
In the pool industry, building relationships with customers is key. Brett’s advice to his franchisees is to make every interaction count. You never know where that first-time customer could lead in terms of ongoing service and future business. It’s important to always show up like it’s the first job of the day, even if it’s the last one.
Customers deserve the best version of you, and it could make all the difference in building a long-term relationship.
Brett also shares his personal experience starting as a franchisee in his own region. He recalls the moment he realized he was in business and had to get off the couch and start marketing himself. He grew his business quickly in the first 12-18 months by following a list of proven strategies provided by Jim’s Group.
Finding the right business opportunity and being passionate about it is crucial to starting a successful business franchise. Building strong relationships with customers and making every interaction count can lead to ongoing service and future business.
Following the Jim’s system can also help grow the business more quickly. Remember, starting a business is a challenge, but with the right mindset, guidance, strategy, and focus, success is possible.
Motivate Franchisees and Employees to Achieve Goals
One of the keys to running a successful franchise is motivating franchisees to work together towards a common goal. When everyone is aligned and working together, it can create a powerful momentum that propels the business forward.
However, getting franchisees on the same page isn’t always easy, especially when they are spread out across different locations and have different personalities, work styles, and priorities.
That’s why effective communication and engagement are critical. Brett talked about the importance of regular team meetings and professional development and an annual conference. These are all great ways to bring franchisees together, share best practices, and build camaraderie.
Franchisors can also use technology to stay connected with their franchisees. As Brett mentioned, he and the other franchisors meet up every six weeks via Zoom teleconferencing to bring back feedback from their groups and always look for the next best thing that’s going on in the marketplace to help the franchise or team and the franchisee.
By using technology, franchisors can quickly and easily communicate with their franchisees, get feedback, and share new ideas and initiatives.
Another important aspect of motivating franchisees is to foster a culture of learning and growth. As Brett said, “always be learning.” By providing ongoing training and development opportunities, franchisors can help their franchisees stay up-to-date on industry trends, learn new skills, and stay motivated to improve.
Brett also said that it’s important to encourage franchisees to share their feedback and ideas with the franchisor. By giving franchisees a voice and allowing them to contribute to the direction of the business, franchisors can create a sense of ownership and investment among their franchisees. This can lead to increased engagement and commitment to the success of the business.
According to him, franchisors should lead by example. If they want franchisees to do something awkward, they should do it with them. By showing franchisees that franchisors are willing to roll up their sleeves and do the work alongside them, franchisors can build trust and respect. This can lead to increased motivation and commitment among franchisees.
Motivating franchisees to achieve shared goals requires effective communication, engagement, a culture of learning and growth, franchisee feedback and ideas, and leading by example. By focusing on these areas, franchisors can create a strong and motivated franchisee network that is committed to the success of the business.
Cultivate a Winning Culture!
One important aspect that can make or break a business is the culture that surrounds it. Cultivating a winning culture is essential in creating a team that is passionate, motivated, and driven to succeed.
Brett Blair knows this firsthand. Through his efforts in building a winning culture, he was able to grow the Jim’s Pool Care franchise to over 130 franchisees. He did this by focusing on improving communication channels, creating an environment where feedback can be shared openly, and fostering a sense of teamwork and responsibility.
Brett knew that the success of his franchise relied heavily on the culture he created. He wanted his franchisees to be passionate about their own businesses while being part of a larger team that cares about their success. He made sure that franchisees understood their role in affecting the brand and customer expectations. He encouraged them to take responsibility for their business and to provide excellent service, show up on time, and maintain a clean uniform and van.
This created a culture of excellence, where franchisees were proud to be part of the Jim’s Pool Care team.
But cultivating a winning culture isn’t easy. Brett had to face some challenges along the way. He implemented changes that made some people uncomfortable, which caused the franchise to go sideways for 12 months. However, he knew that there was a bigger picture in place, and he persevered until the changes took effect.
Brett flew around the country to meet with franchisees and franchisors to get their feedback on why they weren’t attending meetings or training. He listened to their concerns and implemented changes that made training more interesting and engaging. He created a forum where franchisees could talk and share ideas without feeling threatened.
Brett also believes in goal-setting as a crucial tool in achieving success. He sets his goals every year, both personal and business-related. He believes that everyone should do the same, as it helps provide clarity and focus.
Brett had a goal of having 100 franchisees, and he achieved it in eight years instead of the ten he initially thought it would take. Brett’s story shows the power of setting goals and having a clear vision of where you want to go.
Cultivating a winning culture and goal-setting are essential in starting and growing a successful business franchise. As Brett’s experience with Jim’s Pool Care has shown, building a culture of excellence takes time, effort, and a commitment to open communication, teamwork, and responsibility.
Setting clear goals and regularly reviewing them can also provide a roadmap for success. By following these tips, aspiring franchisees can increase their chances of success and build a thriving business franchise.
Traditional vs. Online Marketing
In today’s digital age, it’s easy to forget about the value of traditional marketing methods. However, Brett highlights, getting out there and meeting potential customers face-to-face is still an important part of generating leads and building a successful business franchise.
While online marketing is undoubtedly a powerful tool, there’s no substitute for repeat referral business. If franchisees do an amazing job every time and do the right thing for the customer, they’ll generate repeat business and referrals that are more powerful than any online lead.
It’s the age-old adage of word of mouth being the most effective form of marketing, and it still holds true today.
Brett also emphasizes the importance of becoming a key person of influence in your field. To do that, you need to get really good at what you’re doing and then let everyone know about it. Utilizing technology, such as LinkedIn and your website, can help you promote yourself as the best person for the job.
When it comes to increasing your referral rate, great customer service is one strategy. Another is to incentivize customers to give you work through small gifts or a personal plea. Brett emphasizes that these strategies are zero to low cost, and many franchisees fail to execute them consistently.
In the end, it’s up to the individual franchisee to take responsibility for their marketing and business growth. Jim’s Pool Care provides a local area Marketing Guide and training, but it’s up to the franchisee to execute and commit to the activity plan.
It’s about finding what works and repeating it, especially in the low-cost space of referral-based marketing. By doing so, franchisees can become the key person of influence in their area and build a successful business franchise.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Brett Blair’s story and expert tips for starting a successful business franchise are valuable resources for anyone looking to start their own business. From working smarter, not harder, to cultivating a winning culture and utilizing traditional and online marketing methods, Blair’s insights are practical and actionable.
If you’re considering starting a business franchise, remember to find the right opportunity that aligns with your passion, stay disciplined, and immerse yourself in the theory of business. Focus on the one-percenters, motivate your franchisees and employees, and cultivate a winning culture that fosters open communication, teamwork, and responsibility. Don’t forget to utilize both traditional and online marketing methods and become the key person of influence in your field.
At Jim’s Group, you can find the support, training, and guidance you need to succeed as a franchisee. Take the first step towards achieving your financial and personal goals and join the Jim’s Pool Care franchise network today!
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Hosted by Joel Kleber