For me personally, taking a Friday afternoon off meant having the opportunity to build up and foster relationships with new and old associates. This focused energy on how I could set myself free and proved critical when starting out on my entrepreneurial journey.
I spent a good 5 to 7 years every Friday afternoon networking and connecting as much as I could; meeting as many new contacts as possible. Many of these relationships still exist today. Unsurprisingly, relationships take work and aren’t going to be built up if you do nothing or simply the bare minimum.
You have to nurture your relations. Yes, approach someone in order to shake their hand, look them in the eye and introduce yourself. But it’s also important to have a niche to offer them. So, try and establish a niche or identify what your niche is first then you can focus on building up that niche product or service.
Quick story. I visited a trade and franchise show in Calgary in 2019 and walked up to a franchisor who owned a successful senior care franchise at the time. I introduced myself, gave him my card and shot the breeze with him for 5 minutes. I circled back with an email a few days later to say it was very nice meeting him and that I was looking forward to talking more. I wanted to remind him I had several buyers interested in his brand and it could be a win-win for us together. Fast forward and I have since sold his senior care corporate territory in Vancouver for $1.4 million and have offloaded many senior care franchise territories for this brand as the years have gone on. This one introduction and approach, by coming in cold and introducing myself, has produced over $250k in revenue for my company and is still re-occurring.
Using technology
It goes without saying that using technology to network and connect with new customers is another means at your disposal. I’m a big fan of doing both networking old school and using tech to do so as well.
Key focus areas on your entrepreneurial journey:
- Build up relationships and relations with both new people and existing ones
- Go on the offense to build up your niche; business and franchise
- Establishing a side hustle can be a nice entry point as an entrepreneur
- Hand out your card – Oh you don’t have any? Well get some as they’re still important. Who cares if others say they aren’t used anymore. Indeed, many of them have never built up a business
- If you aren’t willing to build up your business on your own then focus on a franchise where the systems can be readily embraced and then take those systems and grow them further
- Your franchise territory and location is yours and yours alone. We all need to build up and foster relationships in the community. Hence, for me, waiting on someone else to do it isn’t the best recipe for success. Many franchisees make the mistake of focusing on the head office and what others are doing. Where you should focus is on what you can do and understanding the market to make your business better. Then connect with the customers and the community to allow for a fruitful situation to take shape.
- Join Canadian and local associations and go to events where your clients and business interests lie. Do these values line up with your brand and your business? If they do then go to these shows, online groups, etc.
- Try and read as many entrepreneur books as you can. I read 4 to 5 a year and it motivates me even more.
In the end no one is going to going to drop success on your lap. You have to go out there and get it done as an entrepreneur and franchisee. You have to have a thick skin. Hearing the word ‘no’ should actually motivate you more each time you hear it; because eventually you’ll hear the word ‘yes’. So go out there and build up something special as you are special in your own way.
