4 Ways to Make Millions as a Franchisee

When looking at the backbone of a franchise company, it is set up to have successful franchisees. The corporate team is there is be the day-to-day support system and encourages and wants all franchisees to do well, so their business ultimately grows. You don’t have to be a genius to be a good franchisee, you just have to find the right company for you and follow the proven system. It literally is set-up so that almost any franchisee could be millionaires, but not all are. So, what makes some people stand out and get to this level? 1851 spoke with three different franchisees about their success in the industry.

1. Have passion and commitment.

Jeff Tews spent most of his career in corporate America. In 2006, he had an opportunity to get out of his current business and look for a new opportunity. In his mid-50’s, he saw this as a great opportunity for a life change to find something with passion and commitment.

“When I left my corporate job, I spent a summer to enjoy myself and search for something where I never felt like I was working,” noted Tews. “I never expected what I would find would change my life this much.”

After working with a career counselor and going through difficult times with his mother who suffered from Alzheimer's, he discovered his passion for providing good and quality senior care service. 

“I knew I wanted to own my own business but also knew I wasn’t an inventor,” said Tews. “When I learned about BrightStar Care and franchising opportunities I knew it would be a great fit.”

Tews’s success with the company has been unparalleled to any in the system. In addition to having many territories with BrightStar, he was also granted the trust and award to build the first Brightstar Senior Care Living Community. Currently, Tews is in the process of building his second living community.

“I think what has made me so successful in this business is my passion for the industry and commitment to live out the mission statement in every action,” said Tews. “We find employees that have compassion, we meet our clients and care for them as individuals not just a customer and we always look for room to go. Good senior care service is a needed service and I look at it more about helping others rather than just developing more locations.”

2. Be an early adaptor.

While Tews found his passion later in life, other franchisees like James Altiery from Wireless Zone found a franchise early on to be successful in an industry he loved.

“I started off my career working at Best Buy and always enjoyed myself the most when I was helping customers,” said Altiery. “That is when I decided to switch my degree to business management.”

After college, Altiery worked for a cellular service company, which is how he ended up in Dallas.

“When I moved to Dallas, I realized how much growth opportunity there was in the technology and mobile industry,” noted Altiery. “I decided to take a leap of faith and get involved with Wireless Zone being a franchisee and have never looked back.”

It seems almost every six month Altiery is opening a new Wireless Zone location in the greater Dallas market, he definitely found a goldmine.

“Looking back on my success and ability to grow, it is mainly due to the customer service I provide and I teach my employees to provide,” mentioned Altiery. “The majority of my customers are returning customers, which speaks to the high priority we put on customer service.”

Altiery knew he had a passion for technology and working with other people, what he needed was a business structure. Fortunately, he discovered Wireless Zone and a franchise system where he could bring his passions into a formulated business structure to become as successful as possible.

3. Find underdeveloped markets.

Similar to Altiery finding an underdeveloped market and capitalizing on growth, Checkers* & Rally’s Franchisee, Jiger Patel, was able to use to past experience in franchising with other companies to help him become the ultimate multi-unit owner and financially rule the system.

Immigrating to the United State in 2000, Patel has been in the restaurant industry for the past 17 years. He starting off his career as a franchisee with Dunkin Donuts under the SDA Management team. In franchising, business management teams are common and extremely smart. If you are staying in the same industry, the franchise team trusts that you are a profitable business owner and you have a system in place to ensure that stays true with each and every new franchise you develop.

“I was looking to diversity my portfolio in the food industry,” mentioned Patel. “I saw a lot of potential to build the Checkers bran in this area so I decided it was a great opportunity.”

Aside from being in business with Dunkin Donuts, Patel also worked with KFC, Golden Corral, Taco Bell, Senoco, Shell, Choice, Friendly Mart and then Checkers & Rally’s.

“The growth opportunity is tremendous,” said Patel. “I love the direction and leadership of the brand. Being familiar with the Philadelphia market, we felt we could make this concept flourish in the area and mike it a big hit.”

4. Choose good real estate.  

Owning and operating so many different locations and businesses isn’t as easy as it might sound – it’s not just a simple cash flow.

“The biggest challenge I’ve had to overcome to get to where I am now is controlling the operations,” said Patel. “We pride ourselves on providing consistently superior service and managing those expectations can be tricky at times. Finding the right real estate is a second challenge in this business. The perfect location is integral to success.”

There is no one specific industry or business that will make you finally successful, it is truly about the person behind the brand. Whether you are following you true passion in life in your second career, learning the approach to business while incorporating the importance of customer service or diversifying your already proven operations and management system, it is capable and very achievable to become a millionaire franchisee.

No matter what you define success and happiness to be in your life, when you find the right franchise business that allows you to live through those lenses, the possibilities are endless.