“I was working in Egypt and Iraq in the oil and gas industry for an international company rotating 28 days on and 28 days off, this allowed me to reside temporarily in Spain and I was quite happy, I liked living there. But in February and March 2020, Iraq became unstable and U.S. citizens were pulled out. Back in the U.S., I began to think about starting my own company that connected investors with innovators. It was something I had considered for a while. At the same time, I also wanted to start a business and do something entirely different, but I wasn’t sure how to do that.
I figured that a franchise was the best way to go because a successful model had already been created. I didn’t have to reinvent the wheel; I just had to work hard and make it happen, but I didn’t know where to start. I conducted internet searches and looked at well-established franchises. I began to randomly submit applications, even though they were not really what I wanted to do, there was no momentum. Then, I was approached by a woman on LinkedIn who asked if I wanted to be introduced to a franchise expert. I said, ‘That would be great,’ and she put me in touch with Terry Coker.
“Terry contacted me and we first got to know each other. Terry is very personable, I could feel how genuine he is. I want to point out something else that is quite special. The experience Terry has is tremendous, and when someone achieves a high level of experience like he has, they often tend to want to tell you how to do things. But Terry wasn’t at all like that. He has true humility, and that is very difficult to achieve.
“Terry explained his process. He said the way we would go about this was to set up a strategy. First we went through a series of really good questions. I’ve done dozens of management level psychological tests at corporations, but Terry really challenged me. One question in particular stands out. Terry asked what was really important to me, to make money or work at something I’m passionate about. And I thought, ‘Wow, that’s a hard one, I want to do both!’ But when I was put on the spot I said, ‘Well, I want passion.’ My logic is, when you are passionate, the money will come. So Terry was able to put that in black and white for me, which was great. The process was very good. Terry took his time to find out what would be the best for me. The combination of the FranChoice process and Terry’s approach is just fantastic.
“Another thing I liked about Terry is that he made recommendations for the future that had absolutely nothing to do with getting a franchise. He suggested creating an Instagram account and we discussed how to get followers. He sent me two books. He recommended sending thank you cards. His attention to detail for human relations and creating a good network is so important! I was coming from corporate and jumping into my own businesses, so these suggestions were so valuable.
“Terry recommended four franchises and three matched my profile in terms of my career strengths such as being part of a board of CEOs and coaching. But like I said, Terry digs really deep. I had told Terry that I love riding bikes and he remembered that. The last franchise we discussed was a Cyclebar studio that offers low impact/high intensity indoor cycling classes for all ages. I got really excited about that, and that is what I bought.
Terry was key in helping me discover what would give me the passion I was looking for and I could not have done that without him. I knew he was going to make money, but it never came across that way. Working with Terry never felt like a business transaction. Terry is the best salesman I have ever seen in my career, and I’ve been in oil and gas for 17 years, and I am a salesman! He was very impressive.
“And it’s not just me recognizing these things, other people see the same thing in Terry. When I was in the discovery process and I talked to other franchise owners, they asked how I learned about the company and I mentioned Terry’s name. Everyone, without exception said, ‘Oh, Terry is the best. You are in very good hands.’
“I don’t see Terry a franchise consultant, I see him as an educator, and in the short time we have been together, I see him as a mentor and I will be taking up more of his time in the future.”
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