I got off a call last week with a retired Army officer who's exploring business ownership.
He walked in the way most people do… curious, but with no real way to know which direction to even start looking.
That's where I come in. I brought 37 franchise categories to the table, and we worked through them together to figure out which ones actually fit him.
By the time we hung up, that list was down to a handful. Here's exactly how it happened.
Every candidate I work with runs through an entrepreneurial assessment before we talk about categories.
It's been specifically developed for the franchise industry and shows how you actually operate, not just what you say you want.
It can also scientifically match candidates to specific businesses where others with their profile have already succeeded. That's something you can't get by just searching on your own.
His results were clear from this assessment: strong leadership instincts, sharp operational thinking, and the kind of steady hand franchisors specifically look for in an owner.
Years of Army leadership translated almost directly.
That gave us a starting point.
No brand names yet. Just categories. We worked through them methodically and sorted each one:
→ Cleaning started as a maybe. Then he mentioned the local demand he'd already noticed in his own neighborhood, instant yes.
→ Home improvement was a fast no. He'd looked into it before on his own and already knew it wasn't the right fit.
→ Moving and junk removal was a clear yes. He already had a brand in mind before we even got there.
By the end, the shortlist wasn't built on excitement alone. It came from three things lining up at once:
→ What his profile said he'd genuinely thrive in.
→ What he actually wanted to spend his time doing.
→ What was realistically viable in his market.
When those three agree, you've got a real shortlist. When they don't, you've got a brand you liked the logo of.
My job now is to go do the research and bring him back 6 to 8 vetted options inside the categories that made the cut.
If you've been browsing franchise websites for months and feel like you're going in circles, it's almost never because you haven't found the right brand yet.
It's because you're evaluating brands before you've settled on the right category.
Flip that order, and the whole process gets a lot shorter.
Curious where you'd land?
One directed conversation can save you months of scrolling. If you want to run through your own yes/no/maybe list, grab 15 minutes with me… no cost, no obligation.
Ever upward!
Keith
