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Valeri Kozarev
Highlights
I watched a video of Alex Hormozi (American entrepreneur and investor) and I got pissed.
He was hitting why franchising your business is a bad idea, basically calling the whole thing a scam.
My humble experience as a business mentor is merely 7 months as part of the British Association of Business Mentors, however...
6 businesses in total expressed an interest in my mentorship skills. And it gets interesting.
Out of 6 businesses that sought my mentorship, five are on the brink of franchising.
Their sectors range widely, from an ice cream parlor dreaming of becoming a nationwide sensation, a caring service for the disabled and elderly looking to broaden its compassionate reach across the UK, a hotel chain with 17 establishments across Europe eyeing franchise opportunities, to a uniquely remarkable gate design business. Yes, you've read that correctly – bespoke, handcrafted gates.
I can tell you that none of them are looking to scam anyone.
What is my point?
The UK is witnessing a franchising boom, with over 900 franchise brands currently operational—a figure that has doubled in the last two decades.
I anticipate this number will double again in less than 10 years.
Currently, every seventh business in the UK is a franchise.
Despite hearing skepticism about franchising from successful entrepreneurs—calling it a scam, or questioning the rapid expansion for the sake of the owner's ambition—I stand firm in my belief.
If franchising were truly flawed, it wouldn't have sustained and grown over the years.
🚀 The Barbershop Ambition: A Lesson in "Cart Before the Horse" 🚀
Case in point: I was recently approached by an enthusiastic individual, eager to start a barbershop franchise. The twist? They hadn't opened a barbershop yet. Instead, their business experience was rooted in an e-commerce platform selling hair products and partnering with other barbershops.
Now, don't get me wrong, e-commerce success is commendable, especially in the competitive world of hair care products, hats down you cracked that one. But when it comes to franchising, there's a fundamental principle that seems to have been overlooked: Your business model needs to be proven and successful before it can be replicated.
Imagine for a moment launching a franchise without a flagship success story. It's like telling someone to follow you, then promptly walking into a wall. A successful flagship operation is not just a proof of concept; it's the blueprint, the lifeblood, and the heart of what future franchisees will replicate. It's your story of success, challenges overcome, and lessons learned.
Key Takeaways for Aspiring Franchisors:
-Proof of Concept: Your business should be more than just an idea or a product; it should be a successful, operational model that others can see, touch, feel, and believe in.
-Replication: A franchise's strength lies in its ability to be duplicated successfully. Without a working model, what exactly are we replicating?
-Credibility: Future franchisees invest not just in your brand, but in your proven success. They need to see a path to their own success, paved by your achievements and experiences.
In Conclusion:
While ambition is vital, it must be grounded in reality and practicality. The journey from a successful standalone business to a thriving franchise is challenging but incredibly rewarding. For those dreaming of franchising, let your first step be the establishment of a successful, brick-and-mortar testament to your business acumen.
Let's not put the cart before the horse. Instead, let's lead with success, making sure our ambitions are built on solid, proven grounds.
#Entrepreneurship #Franchising #BusinessModel #StartupLessons
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Mesh works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Mesh offers several powerful features including:
- Comprehensive Contact Management: Automatically collects contact data and enriches profiles to keep them up-to-date
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Mesh is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Mesh offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Mesh's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Mesh has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Mesh offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Mesh focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Mesh also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Mesh offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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User feedback consistently highlights Mesh's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Mesh as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Mesh eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.