Life coach and motivational speaker Jeff Crummie used his 25 years of tech
industry and management consultant experience to help empower high school
students and the unemployed. Taking a page from his own book, Crummie
decided to take control of his future. He recalls, “My wife and
I looked at each other and said, ‘Let’s retire, sooner rather
than later.’ The only problem was we didn’t want to have to
rely on our savings to do so. It was then that we knew we had to find
a way to earn residual income.”
This desire to retire led Crummie to consider franchising. After an exhaustive
search of more than 50 brands,
he determined a semi-absentee business model would best fit his personal
and financial goals. “I didn’t want to be tied down to the daily operations of
a business. I wanted some flexibility,” he says.
Crummie also wanted to get into an industry he could relate to and enjoy
working in, commenting, “I just couldn’t get excited about
pet grooming or fire and water restoration.” Sport Clips Haircuts,
however, was something he could get excited about, saying, “The
sports theme is fun, and I enjoyed the positive interaction with clients
that comes with the championship experience.”
Stability of the industry and the flexible business model also appealed to Crummie. “Hair grows all the time and haircutting
isn’t something that can be outsourced. It is a stable industry.
The semi-absentee business model gives me the daily flexibility I was
looking for,” he explains.
Speaking with other team leaders and
attending Discovery Day further validated the brand for Crummie. “It was clear there was
a solid system in place,” he states. “There was plenty of
support, all one had to do was follow the system.”
Today, Crummie has five thriving stores in the Peters Township area of
Pennsylvania. He says, “Hiring good managers is one of the most
important things you can do. You have to be intentional about who you
hire. Thankfully Sport Clips provides resources for everything including
hiring and even providing sample questions to ask when you are interviewing
managers.”
He continues, “I came into this with no industry knowledge. They give you everything you need to be successful: detailed playbooks,
manuals, and systems. The Grand Opening Playbook was very helpful, it
let you know how and when to do everything. It was invaluable to cutting
down on the learning curve.”
Right now, Crummie’s biggest challenge is getting payroll done while
sitting on the beach in Florida.
In becoming a team leader, Crummie achieved the lifestyle and financial
goals he set for himself and now has some advice for new team leaders
coming into the system. “Don’t expect to be hands off in the
beginning. Get involved and know what’s going on,” he recommends.
“But also, be careful not to micromanage. Be intentional with your
hires. The right people make all the difference.”
Hear more from Jeff Crummie on this month’s Validation Conference Call.
