I spent more than 20 years as an executive recruiter before I became a franchise matchmaker.
So when someone in their 50s or 60s tells me they've been out of work for 8 months after a layoff, I'm not guessing at what's happening. I sat on the other side of that table.
Here's the truth nobody wants to say out loud:
If you're searching for a role at the same level (or higher) than the one you lost, and you haven't done the exact thing the next company is hiring for, your search is going to be brutal.
Because corporate hiring at senior levels has gotten incredibly narrow.
Companies aren't looking for people who can learn the role.
They're looking for people who've already done this specific version of it, at this specific scale, in this specific industry.
Two decades of leadership, judgment, and results?
If it doesn't match their checklist line for line, it barely moves the needle.
That's the part that stings most. You're not unqualified. You're just not "exactly right" for a system that no longer has patience to develop anyone.
Franchising runs on a completely different question.
Franchisors aren't hiring for a resume match.
They're looking for someone who can operate a system that's already built, tested, and proven; and they care far more about how you lead than what industry you led in.
What they're actually evaluating:
→ Can you lead a team?
→ Can you read a P&L and make decisions from it?
→ Will you follow the system instead of rewriting it on day one?
→ Are you coachable?
→ Do you have the work ethic to show up when it's hard?
Every one of those is something you already proved over 20+ years in corporate life. None of it requires a "matching" industry background.
I've placed dozens of professionals into franchises across quick-serve restaurants, home services, logistics, vending, and more. Almost none of them had industry experience going in.
What they had was exactly the list above, and a willingness to bet on themselves instead of waiting for a hiring manager to take a chance on them.
That's really the shift.
Corporate hiring wants a perfect match.
Franchising wants a capable operator.
If you're willing to back yourself, franchising will back you a lot faster than another company will right now.
If you're in your 50s or 60s, out of work, and the job search is dragging on longer than it should, this might be worth 15 minutes of your time.
Let's hop on a quick, no-obligation call. I'll help you see what franchise opportunities actually fit your background, and what a real path back to income and ownership could look like.
Ever upward!
Keith Liscio
