Chris knew he wanted to be a business owner someday but was not actively
searching for a business opportunity. He couldn’t see how to make
his dream of being a business owner work with a full-time corporate job
and other responsibilities. That is until an “It’s Good To
Be An Owner” sign caught his attention while getting his hair cut
at his local Sport Clips Haircuts store.
The sign sparked an idea: What if it WAS possible to become a business
owner now?
Chris and his wife Deborah began to research the brand and its
management structure. The
semi-absentee business model would allow Chris to maintain his current commitments while building a
business on the side. Chris says, “It all started to fall into place
and it actually looked like something that could become a reality, not
just a ‘one-day thing.’”
As they learned more, Chris comments, “We appreciated how
the Discovery Process was designed to make sure this was the right fit for us. We spent time
in stores. We took our time. We know this is right for us and feel confident
as we move forward.”
Chris is a CFO with a consulting firm for a health group and Deborah is
a yoga instructor with an editorial background and office management experience.
Together they have two teenage sons. Deborah comments, “Finding
a business that would give us
the flexibility we need at this point in our lives was a top priority. We found that in
this business model.”
She continues, “We know running a small business can take a lot of
hard work. But buying into a proven model, with systems already set up,
and support and training as a resource, we feel confident in a shortened
learning curve.”
Chris adds, “The more we learned, the more it resonated with us.
The mission
of creating a championship haircut experience in an exciting sports environment was something we could get behind. We found everyone within the organization
available and transparent. They managed our expectations in a way that
gave us a clear idea of what lies ahead.”
Deborah adds, “Everything always came back to the tenant of “people
first.” This really stood out to us. They truly live out their mission
and vision and are dedicated to providing a quality customer experience.”
What also stood out to the Brandts was
the support system and available resources. Deborah, who has experience working as an office manager for a different
franchise, saw a difference with Sport Clips. “Sport Clips has incredible
resources and support systems for their Team Leaders. This cannot be said
about other franchise systems,” she explains.
Chris adds, “We also saw that this business has staying power. It’s
able to weather the ups and downs of the economy and generates recurring
revenue. We also liked how scalable the model is. We can grow our investment
in the future.”
The decision to invest in Sport Clips became clear to the Brandts, and
in October they signed on to become Team Leaders in the Minneapolis, MN
area. Deborah has this to say about becoming owners, “It all comes
down to following the business model. It is proven. We don’t know
what we don’t know. We don’t have haircutting experience.
What we have learned is that we don’t need to come in with everything
to make this work. We will have the support and resources to learn what
we need to learn.”
With their complementary skill sets, the Brandts look toward the future
and the opening of their first store. Chris says, “We are going
to focus on recruiting and retaining quality team members, as well as
marketing and growing store sales. Eventually we would like to scale the
business to include more stores. This is a long-term investment for us.”
To learn more about why its good to be an owner,
click here.
