From USAF Engineer to Franchise Mogul: Jason Anderson’s Strategic Ascent with Vast Coworking Group

Jason Anderson is president of Vast Coworking Group, a growing multi-brand franchise in the flexible office space industry. He recently spoke with 1851 Founder, Publisher and CEO Nick Powills during his regular podcast, “Meet the Zor.”

Anderson’s journey into franchising began with his engineering background in the Air Force, where he developed a systematic approach to problem-solving. After leaving the military post-9/11, he ventured into real estate, using his VA loan to buy, flip and sell houses. He eventually opened a one-stop real estate shop in Dallas, Texas, growing it significantly. However, despite his success, he noticed that the major players in real estate, like Keller Williams and RE/MAX, were franchises. This realization led him to research franchising, ultimately transforming his business into a franchise and selling it to a publicly traded company.

His entry into the world of franchising led him to join United Franchise Group (UFG), where he served in various capacities. His entrepreneurial mindset and engineering skills found a perfect outlet in UFG. Over the last 13 years, Anderson has contributed to the growth of several brands within UFG, including Venture X, a flexible office space brand that he helped expand.

Anderson credits his success to his ability to adapt and grow through challenges, a skill honed from his time in the military and his early experiences in business. His relationship with UFG and its founder Ray Titus has been crucial, allowing him to harness his entrepreneurial spirit within the supportive structure of a franchise group. This has enabled him to thrive in franchising while continuously innovating and expanding the brands under UFG’s umbrella. His involvement with Vast Coworking Group began through strategic consulting, ultimately leading him to play a pivotal role in the company’s growth and expansion in the flexible office space industry. Vast Coworking Group currently oversees three leading brands — Office Evolution, Venture X and Intelligent Office — with over 190 locations across 9 countries. 

A transcript of Anderson’s interview with Powills has been included below. It has been edited for clarity, brevity and style. 

Nick Powills: Let’s start with your background. How did you accidentally fall into franchising? What’s your franchise backstory?

Jason Anderson: Sure. I was an engineer in the Air Force and was active duty during 9/11. My mind was already geared towards creating systems, processes and procedures because of my engineering background. After 9/11, I left the military and started using my VA loan to buy and flip houses. I eventually got my real estate license and had this crazy idea to become the “CarMax of real estate.” I ended up getting my mortgage, insurance and real estate broker’s license and opened a one-stop shop.

I was doing well, growing my business to a couple dozen real estate agents in Dallas, Texas. Eventually, I left Keller Williams and started my own brokerage. At that point, I realized that all my major competitors, like Keller Williams and RE/MAX, were franchises. That sparked my interest in franchising. I Googled “how to franchise your business,” turned my concept into a franchise and eventually sold it to a publicly traded company. That was my introduction to franchising. Later, I connected with United Franchise Group through LinkedIn, and that’s how I got started. I’ve been in franchising for 13 years now.

Powills: There’s a lot to unpack there. First, let’s talk about being an entrepreneur versus being entrepreneurial within a system. How do you balance your entrepreneurial spirit with following the systems and processes inherent in franchising?

Anderson: That’s the beauty of franchising. I like to make big comparisons — I’m an analogy person. Franchising, to me, is like what Apple and Steve Jobs did with the iPhone. They knew you couldn’t just make something once and leave it at that. There’s always room for incremental improvements and changes, just like the iPhone went from 1 to 2 to 3 and so on.

In franchising, I apply my entrepreneurial mindset by constantly striving for improvement. My background in Lean Six Sigma and my personal development as an ENTP personality type have equipped me to focus on continuous improvement. I believe that if your franchise looks the same today as it did 10 years ago, you’re not growing at a substantial pace. I encourage my franchisees and staff to embrace constant evolution.

Powills: How does United Franchise Group keep you, a natural entrepreneur, engaged and not off creating your own thing?

Anderson: That’s a great question. Ray Titus, the founder of United Franchise Group, recognized my entrepreneurial spirit early on. Ray himself is an entrepreneur at heart. I’ve willingly moved back to Florida twice to be closer to Ray and his family because of the environment he’s cultivated. He saw that I didn’t need to go off on my own because I had an outlet here to flex my entrepreneurial muscles. Franchising checks off all my boxes — it’s international, it touches all industries and it’s constantly evolving. I also get to work on starting, buying and selling brands within the company.

I considered starting my own consulting franchise company, but I realized I’d just be recreating what I already had here at United Franchise Group, surrounded by people and resources I like and respect. So instead of leaving, I proposed a new venture to Ray, and he immediately supported it. That’s how we’ve managed to create a relationship where I can have my cake and eat it too.

Powills: It seems like you’ve been able to turn struggles into fuel. Do you recognize now that those experiences were building blocks toward your success?

Anderson: Absolutely. I grew up as the youngest of 10 in a blended family, moved out at 15, and joined the military at 17. My life has been a series of both unfortunate and fortunate events. For example, I joined the Air Force a year before 9/11, got my real estate license a year before the Great Recession, and we acquired Venture X a year before the pandemic.

These experiences taught me to operate under intense pressure and find silver linings in difficult situations. When the Great Recession hit, I went into the same mode of survival and innovation that I did in the military. It’s the same with the pandemic and our Venture X brand — when others were retreating, I saw opportunities and we were able to achieve our goals a decade sooner than planned.

Powills: Let’s touch on the business model for Venture X. What’s the vision, and who are you looking for as an operator?

Anderson: I started my real estate company out of a Regus office back in 2007, when flexible office space wasn’t as popular as it is today. At that time, you were kind of looked at as a second-class business citizen if you were in a flexible office space. But then companies like WeWork came along and made the whole industry cool and mainstream, similar to how Tesla did with electric vehicles.

After launching our consulting company with Ray, I came across Venture X, which had a sold-out flexible office space in Naples, Florida. We did an industry analysis and found that WeWork was a $50 billion company and Regus was a $4 billion company. We saw an opportunity to expand in this space by offering a superior product and service through franchising. Now, we’re looking for operators who are passionate about being part of this growing industry and who understand the value of providing a high-quality, flexible workspace to their community.

To watch the full interview on YouTube, click here.