1851

1851: What was it that drew you into franchising?

Jonathan Christensen, Vice President of Franchise Development for <a href="http://www.gusfranchising.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=young-ones-to-watch-jonathan-christensen-of-gus-franchising-2705093" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">GUS Franchising</a>: You could say I grew up in the world of franchising.&nbsp; My father was a franchisee for East Side Mario&rsquo;s for a number of years, owning three different locations as well as an Irish pub. He taught me about cost control, exceeding customer expectations, and the importance of a strong economic model.&nbsp; When I left the family business, I joined the corporate side of the franchise world, working as a corporate trainer, area manager, and eventually managing design and construction for great brands like Cora&rsquo;s, Extreme Pita, and Boston Pizza International.&nbsp; I left the restaurant industry to take on the franchising role for GUS, Canada&rsquo;s fastest growing disaster restoration firm.

1851: What do you do to help your brand stand out from the competition?&nbsp;

Christensen: GUS is a well-established, privately-owned company, and has an extremely flat management structure.&nbsp; A small number of accessible decision makers provide our franchisees with the feeling of being a part of a start-up while working with a well-established firm with a large presence in the industry. &nbsp;

When I joined GUS, one of the first things we did was create the profile of the ideal franchisee.&nbsp; Once we had that profile, we were able to design a franchising program that specifically catered to that person.&nbsp; The result is one of the most aggressive franchise expansion plans I&rsquo;ve seen.&nbsp; We are attracting the best independent restoration companies in the country and in the last two years we&rsquo;ve seen over 200% growth in the number of locations outside our home base of Quebec.&nbsp;

1851: What advice would you give to other young up-and-comers?&nbsp;

Christensen: Two pieces of advice:&nbsp;

Get frontline experience.&nbsp; Many people believe that after post-secondary schooling they should be able to walk into a mid-level position, with several direct reports and a great mentor to guide them along the way.&nbsp; That just isn&rsquo;t the reality for many people.&nbsp; Mid-level management positions are being eliminated, and good mentors are hard to find.&nbsp; Exceeding the expectations of your boss and your boss&rsquo; boss, while grinding it out on the front line of your industry, will give you the credibility and recognition you need to propel your career forward.

Have high expectations.&nbsp; Have high expectations of yourself, and of the organization that you&rsquo;re working for.&nbsp; Hold yourself and the company to account for these expectations.&nbsp; Make a one year, three year, and/or five-year plans.&nbsp; Re-evaluate your plans on an annual basis and hold yourself to account.&nbsp; Are you doing everything you could be to achieve your goals?&nbsp; If not, what do you need to change?&nbsp; Share these expectations with your family and supervisors and ask them for advice. &nbsp;&nbsp;

1851: What advice would you give to someone deciding to own a franchise?&nbsp;

Christensen: Understand how you fit into the corporate culture of the business that you&rsquo;re buying into. Do you get along well with the people who own and run it?&nbsp; Speak with as many people from the company as possible, including existing and former franchisees.&nbsp; Understand what the company&rsquo;s goals are for the future and ask yourself if you share those same goals.&nbsp; If everyone is pushing in the same direction, it will make running your franchise mush easier.

1851: Who is one of your role models or influencers, and why?&nbsp;

Christensen: I&rsquo;ve had a lot of help and endless amounts of coaching but it would be too hard to narrow it down to just one:

<ul>
	<li>My Mum and Dad for showing me what work ethic means, the sacrifice, and benefits that make it worth it</li>
	<li>David Polny for taking a chance on someone with very little experience</li>
	<li>Alex Rechichi &amp; Sean Black for pushing me beyond what I thought I was capable of achieving</li>
	<li>Paul Pascal, for showing me when to push and when to be patient (or at least try and be patient)</li>
	<li>Jim Treliving &amp; family (Cheryl, Sam &amp; Candace) for showing me what it means to give back</li>
	<li>&nbsp; Ren&eacute;-Charles Landry for &ldquo;not saying no&rdquo; to many out-of-the-box ideas, and implementing them</li>
</ul>

&nbsp;

 Young Ones to Watch: Jonathan Christensen of GUS Franchising

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