On the return to “desk -life” from the “deck-life” after a week in Irvine, CA, watching US Swimming Nationals, I reflected on five life-long and valued lessons that swimming has imparted to me.
When we are younger, people are willing to give us as much support as we need. Parents, teachers, coaches, and good Samaritans always seem to be looking out for us, especially if we ask for help. As we get older we become more self-reliant and our safety net seems to get smaller and smaller until we don’t have one anymore. The support system we took for granted isn’t there anymore and we can feel alone. Some people thrive on going through life without any support, I am not one of those people. I am more than self-sufficient and can get along just fine on my own, but I thrive when I have the right team and support around me.
Franchising has traditionally been a man’s world. In 2015, an article in Entrepreneur Magazine stated that 71.9% of franchises are owned by men while only 28.1% are owed by women.” In analyzing franchising trends, experts believe women are quietly rising to the top of the franchise world. What is changing? Are women gravitating toward a specific brand? Have you missed the fast-moving train?
I can’t tell you how many times in my 14 years of franchising people open the conversation with “I’ve always wanted to own my own business”. The frustrating thing is that a lot of those people end up taking yet another job that they will burn out on, get laid off from, or grow out of. Here are 5 steps to finally getting off the “job treadmill” and on to becoming a BUSINESS OWNER.
As CEO of the largest franchisor of swim school brands in the U.S. (SafeSplash, SwimLabs, and Swimtastic), I often get propositioned by developers to add swim schools to their retail centers. In 2017, there seems to have been a marked increase in the propositions. The question is why are swim schools such a sought-after tenant in retail centers these days? Here are my top 5 reasons: