My Franchise Journey…Progress
My Franchise Journey…Progress
Note: Post #24. Imagine being 60 years old with a Ph. D. and 35+ years of non-profit administration experience, most as Vice President or Assistant Vice President of Institutional Advancement in colleges and universities. Now you are buying a franchise and becoming a small business owner. This is my story.
We are now about 4 weeks from ‘skeeter season and the pace is definitely picking up! Not going to lie…I feel like I am behind; that is until I realize that given when I started, I am right on schedule. Here’s what is going on.
I am working on setting up the onboarding part of my recruiting/hiring system. This is a system recommended by the franchisor. Again, it makes sense to use them because they work with so many others in the franchise. Several things are already in place — company information, job descriptions, job postings, etc. It only takes a few tweaks, and those things are ready to be put in use. The onboarding detail is taking more effort on my part. Some of it is standard — I-9, W-4, State tax form, etc. Some takes a bit more work from me like uploading and manipulating a direct deposit form to facilitate payroll. It is detailed, tedious work — not my favorite — but essential. And, better to do it now than have to do it during my mosquito control season.
Another reason to do it now is that I made my first hire! Not all start-up home-based businesses need employees right away to scale properly. This one does. There is simply too much to do for one person, especially once the season gets started. I hired a part-time Field Technician who will also assist with marketing efforts in the early days as we build a customer base. I could not be happier to be hiring a recent college graduate who is able to be very flexible with his availability. He has decided to work a year or two as he prepares for his future. I am pleased to provide what may be a transitional work experience. This is very consistent with my corporate goals (see post #18).
Similarly, I am in conversations with a college junior about coming on as a Marketing Intern. I guess I can’t get away from the educator in me. I see the business as a way to provide a learning opportunity for students. I am offering a 10-week, 20-hour per week paid internship for someone willing to work on all aspects of marketing to grow brand identity and awareness. This includes distribution of door hangers and lawn signs, playing the role of Gunther, the company mascot (see below), and growing social media presence. Hopefully that position will be filled by May 1.
I picked up my service vehicle this week! Wrapped in bright orange with brown and tan accents, branded with the company logo and information, this van is a mobile bulletin board (see below). I had an interesting observation while driving the van home after picking it up. As you can see, it is quite conspicuous. After all, drawing attention is the point! You want the vehicle to be noticed. Yet, I realized I felt a little uncomfortable with the idea that people are likely looking at the vehicle I am driving and by extension, looking at me. While my working life has required that I be visible — leading meetings, hosting and MC’ing events, etc., the core of my work has always been about the mission of the institution for which I worked. I never felt the work was about me. Rather, it was about the mission. Business ownership feels different. The business and me are linked in ways that are different than the connections I felt in previous roles. Business decisions are my decisions. Symbolically and in some ways realistically, when you look at the business van you are looking at me. This necessitates my getting more comfortable with visibility by design, or “on-purpose” visibility. Its another growth point for me.
In addition, I took two tests that are needed for me to be licensed. I’ll be glad when this part is over. The material covered by these two courses and subsequent tests include knowing various mosquitos by their formal Latin names as well as identifying differentiating characteristics of each. Retaining such specifics has never been in my wheelhouse and that has not changed. I joked with one friend that I’d much rather be asked to write essays on the protocols and efficacies of mosquito, flea, and tick control than be required to take two tests, each eighty multiple choice and true/false questions!
Thankfully, business plans and financial projections are in my wheelhouse and these were also part of the last week or so. Using the template provided by the franchisor, I built out 5-years of conservative projections. Understandably, this exercise was much more detailed than the initial proformas I developed to evaluate franchise opportunities 5–6 months ago (see post #10). I am pleased that while the specific numbers are more refined, the trends I was able to identify in the exploration phase hold up under more detailed scrutiny. I reviewed my projections with my business coach (provided as part of the franchise agreement) and we agreed that they contained the necessary numbers and fair assumptions. All that remains is to execute.
Which brings me to the last thing of note for the week. Marketing material is on order and due for delivery by the end of next week. That means I will have everything I need to begin in earnest to get the word out that Mosquito Hunters of Cherry Hill North-Riverton-Mount Laurel is open for business. Distribution of this material through various means will soon begin. The digital marketing is already being noticed even though it has not yet been promoted. I received a call from a salesperson working for a company that prints the placemats for a local diner and I agreed to buy ad space for 3 months. It is a popular local spot, and the ad provides a low-cost way to gain some visibility in my territory. I have no doubt that the orange will pop off the placemat! I’m also beginning to build out my business Facebook page. This, along with my website, will be valuable pieces once the digital marketing cranks up in a few weeks.
The wheels are turning! Pun intended. Here are some pics of the van and Gunther. Happy hunting!
