From Corporate to Caring: One Couple’s Journey to Franchise Ownership

Meg Schmitz:
Hello, Hello, everyone. And welcome to, or if you’re familiar already, welcome back to my podcast. It’s called the free agent with Meg Schmitz. I am your lovely host. The discussion with this podcast is all about free agency and taking control over your financial future. The mission of my show is to share inspiring conversations with real people who took the leap into self employment, business ownership, franchising, and freedom.

From corporate refugees and executives tired of the desk job to entrepreneurs and investors looking to share camaraderie and inspiration through their own business journey, my podcast aims a spotlight on real people who stepped into the unknown, took control of their destiny, and became their own boss. And today, I’m doing something a little bit different with my guests. They are in the process of evaluating franchises. So I thought it’d be a great opportunity to talk about the ins and outs of the the machinery that goes into doing a really thorough research project. And I wanted Joy and Joe Fowler to do this interview because from a textbook standpoint, they’re like as perfect as it gets when it comes to doing the research, following the process, and really being thorough and complete while their world is in motion, and we’ll get into what that means.

So welcome, Joe, and welcome, Joy. Thanks for joining me today.

Joe Fowler:
Thank you for having us.

Meg:
Well, it’s been a real pleasure to work with you thus far, and you’ve just done such a tremendous job with the balancing act of kids and work and Joy looking for a new job, potentially looking at different opportunities and how this business is going to fit in with your life. So why don’t you tell the audience a little bit about who you each are and then how it was that we got introduced.

Joe:
So I came from the tech background, and almost a year and a half ago, I was laid off. I spent a lot of my time there working in project and program management, which was solely focused on the enablement of the associates within the department that I worked in, and so really worked to make sure that the employees in that department had everything that they needed to do their job properly. So that’s where I focused a lot of my work. And I’ve always been kind of driven by helping other people. I don’t like being in the spotlight, and so it was like, the best place for me to be was really to help support others.

Prior to that, I did work in banking and, you know, had a lot of other jobs prior to that, but all of the jobs that I’ve had up until this point are all focused on helping others, and that’s really where my passion kind of lies. And so, yeah, that’s where I am. My cousin is the one that introduced us to you. Meg.

She came to me one day and, you know, was this big surprise. Hey, I bought a franchise and I said what I, you know, Joe and I have been looking into franchising. We just didn’t know how to get into it. And so, long story short, we ended up connecting with you and it’s just been a whirlwind, but it’s been amazing working with you. Thank you.

Meg:
Well, it was amazing to work with your cousin as well. It must be in your DNA. Joe, your background is really interesting, including your time in the military. So that’s a big piece for my audience and it resonates with them quite a bit. So go ahead and tell us about you.

Joe:
Yeah, so I do have a background in the navy, although it seems like it’s quite some time ago now. Started kind of my adult life enlisting in the navy. I didn’t really have any direction as a teenager. I didn’t have a professional calling after that. I found myself working both traditional and non traditional academics in what would now be called customer success.

Through a very long set of circumstances, like everybody does, different opportunities that presented themselves, we found ourselves moving. I got caught up in layoffs, and through that, I wound up desperately applying a litany of companies and wound up working in software sales. And I cut my teeth on that for a couple of years before I wound up with my current company and have been there doing a version of customer success or kind of a post sales management job for the better part of eight. Eight years, give or take. 

And one thing she didn’t mention was that about a year and a half ago, she got caught up in layoffs.

Well, and so, yeah, as she had mentioned, you know, we discussed franchising. We discussed, you know, opening our own business, but we just. We didn’t have the background. We didn’t know where we would kind of aim ourselves. So the plan for us is that I’m going to stay in my current role, doing what I’m doing until hopefully she’s got the business up and running and it makes sense for me to permanently step away and then we’ll run the business together.

Meg:
Perfect. The fun of getting to know you. For me, it starts with a questionnaire that you filled out in the first conversation. In that longer consultation, it became clear to me that you’re different in your skill sets, but very complementary. And so then the fun began of finding a way to launch into a business that would.

That would be suitable for both of you. I so clearly remember we were talking about ins and outs of customer success being a force in the community. But then also, you’ve got your two daughters that you’re still spending time as parents. So talk about the early stages of our conversations and some of the maybe dinner table conversations that you were having about excitement and also trepidation, I think.

Joy Fowler:
For us, you know, our oldest, she’s just started her second year in college, and so the conversation started while she was either ending her first year or we were already in the summertime. And it’s always been a dream of ours to be able to put her through college, not have her worry about finances or anything like that. But with my layoff, that was no longer an option for us. And so when we really sat down and started talking about what we’re going to do and what this could do for our family, that came back into our focus, as well as knowing that we’ll then be able to do it for our younger one, who just turned 13. You know, we have a few more years for her, but it’s this idea of being able to become financially independent, you know, personally independent. And there is a lot of excitement around that feeling.

And just like what you said, but it’s terrifying at the same time, mainly because we’ve never done anything to this scale before. The other thoughts around investments where, well, maybe we’ll buy another property and rent it, and for whatever reason, it’s like, that sounds easier than starting your own business for whatever reason, but you’re still looking at spending a lot of money to do that. So we talked a lot. Yeah. I mean, every ten minutes, we’d start a conversation. You know, 15 minutes later, we’re like, okay, we got to get back to work. And then after one of our calls was over, it’s again, like, hey, you know what? I thought about something else. And so days, and still to this day, we’re still doing that sort of, you know, back and forth. Like I thought of something else.

Joe:
So that’s a common thing. Right. And I. I think at every stage, I would assume that it’s common. Right.

But for us to kind of to hit on the dinner table conversation, a lot of it was. Was focused on the how. Right. So context, it. I don’t know if it took us longer than other couples, but I would wager to say we discussed it more than other people behind the scenes.

Right. We did our first round of after we spoke with you, and let’s think about these. Pick a couple of businesses, and then we’ll meet with them and vet them out and see if they were a good fit. And we each had our own opinions on that. And again, to your point, we see things very differently.

We operate, we think very differently, but we are a good team, and that’s how we’ve always been. Right. And once you kind of realize it, your significant other does not always see things the way you do. Then you kind of shine that up and use it for a strength instead of trying to push against each other. It’s like, all right, well, let’s meet in the middle and see what makes sense.

And so we did our first round, and every night at dinner, and then every night in the evening when the kids were down, it was how, how, how. Right. Um, and that first round, I probably was a blessing, because while nothing really materialized from it, although we thought we were much farther in the process if it felt like it. Um, but it did give us some insight into, let’s. You have to think about the next level and then five steps ahead.

Like, if you’re really going to make a commitment to doing this, um, with. I mean, for us, the end goal is individual and financial freedom, right. So we have to be able to anticipate whatever it’s going to be and know that we’ll be able to meet those challenges and overcome those obstacles. So every night it was, well, what about this? How would we do x, y, and z?

And when we got through that first round, there was a point where I realized the one that I was interested in, we came to an agreement on a final one, and we just realized, like, we weren’t going to be over. We weren’t going to be able to overcome the. How. It wasn’t the right fit for us, which you had mentioned, you know? And so then it was back to the drawing board, and then that caused us dinner time after the kids are in bed and well into the evening discussions, and we talk about something for a half hour, and then we’d kind of step away.

We’d be thinking about it, and then one of us would say, oh, well, what about, you know, x, y and z? And then through that process, we came to where we’re at now. And both of us, it was pretty obvious that one of the final two that we were vetting out was going to be a fit. Not right away, but it was different. And we knew it when we were talking about it, and that it meant something to us personally.

It was something we could envision ourselves doing. And I know my wife’s strengths in putting processes together. And I was like, this is gonna work for us. There’s gonna be no illusions of hard work. Right.

But that’s why you meet with the owners and do all the other things. Right. But there was a lot of nighttime talks that were always focused on the how. And we got to the end of it. When we finally had that answer, it seemed like we knew what we were gonna do.

Meg:
And I also distinctly remember in going through that first round of companies that we hit a wall, we hit a physical wall on capability of the two of you in order to physically participate in that, in the growth of that business based on some limitations.

This is what’s so interesting for me. It’s the layers in the context of your life that aren’t immediately, obviously, that the more we talked and you, too, weighing the options and the realities, really the realities of those businesses and coming to the determination that, yeah, well, they looked really great, and one seemed like a really nice fit. It had to be no so that we could then move on and find other things. Those are the reasons why I like to have the weekly conversation with you.

And it may seem like I’m asking obscure questions or activities, hobbies and interests, like, what does that have to do with owning a business? But as we discovered, it has a tremendous amount to do with the business that we had to say no to and then could shuffle the deck again and move forward.

Joy:
Yeah. 

Meg:
And the direction that we ended up in, it really isn’t too much different. There’s still a huge upside in the community and what you’re doing. Go ahead and talk about the last two options, that you can name them by name or just philosophically, theoretically, what the businesses are and why they’re such a great fit for you each.

Joy:
So one of the things about the way I kind of came to, you know, these two being a good fit is in my previous role, I would do this exercise because I mentored a lot of people. I would do this exercise where I would say, what are your talents? What are your passions? And from those two things, we’ll get that opportunity. And I. So that was something that I kind of did when looking through the other. The new options and home care came in as something that fit my passion of, you know, helping others and just talent wise, I am very organized and everything like that.

And I thought that that home care would be a good opportunity for us and not just on the professional side, but just personally. Those are some of the things that, that aligned with my background, just the way I was, I was raised and everything. And so the two that we ended up with were our seniors helping seniors and then first light. And both of them, from the very beginning, spoke to us in a way that we could visually see how it was gonna work out, which was so exciting because to take on such a big opportunity without having that type of a background. I mean, I grew up with my grandmother in the home and my mom still takes care of my grandmother to this day.

And I truly believe that that’s what we’re gonna do with our parents when they’re ready. You know, we would want to make sure that they’re taken care of also.

And so those two companies really spoke to us and it really came down to very small things that when we really sat down and thought about it, it was the territory which was the biggest deciding factor. But besides that, I mean, everything just, I mean, we love both of them, but one of them had the territory that we wanted and had the additional territory that we were thinking of expanding into and then found out that we can actually afford both of the territories to start. To start. So just very much like that. This is the one. This is the one.

Meg:
So that was a great meeting. When it was, you weren’t, you were coy about it, about identifying which one was the one. And I kept thinking, don’t ask, don’t, it’ll come. Just needed to have the two of you flush out your thoughts on that.

Something you just said really is resonating from a generational standpoint. Certain cultures and really certain parts of the country as well are much more embracing of generational care. And so you live in a part of the country that you’re in California, you’re in southern California, you’ve also got a huge military population, massive.

Joe:
I mean, it’s like she said, it really was splitting hairs. I mean, from the first night when we were watching introductory videos, we watched the first one and it was like, this is fantastic. And we watched the next one. Well, so is this one, you know, but to the point we’d get on a call with one and by the time we were done with that call, we’d be leaning that direction with that company and everybody that we spoke to.

I mean, really from a to z, represented the brand and that mission really well, there was, we talked to people and I can’t remember the gentleman’s name, but someone who’s up in the Napa area was like, come on up to the office and I’ll show you how I do my day to day operations. And, you know, we’re not already doing the work. For someone to offer up their time out of their business, to show someone who’s just potentially going to be, do the same, that speaks volumes. Right. And so when we got down to the end, again, I do think it was really a matter of just what was the best fit geographically.

But to highlight a couple other things, the military presence isn’t was a big factor. We live next to five basis that I can think of off the top of my head. 

Joy:
And then, and being able to give back to them.

Joe:
Well, yeah, that’s kind of where I was going with that. Sorry.

Joe:
But being able to kind of include that in our, in our operations down the road, you know, it means, would mean a great deal to me. And then the one thing that I think it wasn’t the only factor, but it was definitely very appealing to us is the business we selected hires people that are seniors, healthy seniors. Right.

And my family and my wife’s family are big on making sure that our relatives are not having to go out of their home or somewhere they don’t want to be. We’ve both taken care of our family in the ways that we can. And like she said, later on in life, it’s going to be something that we’ve already kind of baked into our plans. But there’s a lot of people who aren’t maybe geographically next to their family members. And then you have to consider what would make them comfortable.

For example, my folks were on the east coast for quite a long time, and my mom really wanted, when my grandmother was here, someone to come into her home. She was adamant that it wasn’t going to happen.

I would think that that’s a common thing, but I think bridging the gap of someone who’s a little bit closer in age, there might be more common ground there. It might make someone more comfortable. That’s the next best thing. And again, I don’t know, and not to shine it up too much, but it did really speak to us. It something that we could see aside from the money and the day to day, it being very important and holding a special place in our heart.

So we’re really excited about it.

Joy:
Yeah. And the other thing that I have not mentioned yet is currently I have a part time job where I work with people that are in the transition between being laid off and looking for their next role. And one of the biggest eye-opening moments for me was working with adults that are in their later years of employment and they can’t find work anywhere. It’s like nobody wants to hire them.

And just knowing the feeling of being laid off and then thinking like, I mean, I’m in my forties. If in, you know, ten years this were to happen to me, and then I couldn’t find work anywhere because of my age, it, it’s, you know, It’s an emotional thing for me.

When I think about people, I mean, they’re still capable, they’re intelligent, they are able bodied, and just because of their age, they shouldn’t be, you know, dismissed. 

Joe:
Someone relegated to only being a Walmart reader. There’s people not, and there’s nothing wrong with an honest day’s work. I’m not saying that. But, you know, if you go from maybe a leadership position and then for a year or two, you can’t find work because someone doesn’t want to invest because they know in five years you’re going to retire, they may say that’s not discriminated, they’re not discriminating against people, but we know that they are.

Joy:
Yeah. So that was, that was a really big pull for me when looking at seniors helping seniors. It was just the total package of it all. 

Meg:

And you live in a great part of the country that highlights not only aging beautifully, aging well. And so the labor population is very beneficial for where you live in building your business.

So universally karma the job that you have, the part-time position and the eyeballs that it gave you on the, your future investment and parsing out. There are a lot of different senior care companies, but this one has, and I remember talking to you about it. Is it just a name or is it really a thing? Right.

Joy:
Yeah, I think it’s more than the name. There’s more to it.

Meg:
Yeah. And this is the sweet spot of, unfortunately, who I work with are people who, they are experiencing ageism in the workplace. How many of them are looking for their next career position? They’re doing advanced education or ongoing continuing ed training, getting additional degrees, and they can’t fight their way through.

So you have a unique vantage point on that, the emotional side of the decision. We’re not quite there yet. We still have some additional steps, technical, tactical steps to do, I think. Next is meet the team day. Discovery day, Tuesday.

Yeah. And so how are you preparing for that?

Joy:
I’m doing everything that I can to review all the emails, go through all of my notes, just being aware of the different conversations that we’ve had so that when we get to that point, I can be more in the moment, because all of that knowledge is, I’ve already gone through it and it’s in the back of my mind. So what I really want to do is just be present in that moment and really get to know the people that we’re meeting so that I know the team we’re going to be working with and all of that. 

Meg:

So, yeah, the best way for you to show up is just the way that you’ve shown up every time. You’re always prepared, you’re always on time, but when it comes to meet the team or Discovery day, and now you’re actually in the same room with the people who are operations real estate, you’re going to have an office. The best way to be is to feel completely comfortable in your own skin so that the person they’re meeting is who you’re going to be every day.

And that’s exactly who you are. You’re highly prepared people who are very ready. Joy, any add ons to what your preparation is?

Joy:
I mean, I’m actually not even entirely sure I’m still going to be able to attend. It’s dependent upon my schedule.

But I think, I think if I’m not, her just being herself would be good. She does naturally trend towards data and problem solving, and I’m, I don’t know if it’s obvious I’m the guy that can talk to a wall and she. I’m extrovert. She’s an introvert, you know, but I know that this, even if I weren’t going to have any stake in this, I know that it means quite a bit to her, it speaks to her, and I know where her skills lie. So it’s, whether or not I’m going to be able to attend or not is almost of no consequence in my eyes.

Yeah, they get it up running and then I’ll be there when I can get there one day, but they’ll see that.

Meg:
And the biggest benefit, thanks to the pandemic, is this, the virtual reality that we live in. Your discovery process has been webinars, where you’re on camera participating. The two of you from day one have been, I was going to say, in lockstep. You’ve been uniformly present and engaged and participating.

That’s not typical. It’s not completely unusual, but as a husband and wife team, the two of you have been together on every call that we’ve had, and you make that time and make that commitment to being there. It speaks volumes about how that’s going to benefit your business.

Joy:
Yes. 

Meg:
It’s just the way that you are.

Joe:
I think I’ve missed a couple owner calls because I have, like, existing work calls that I can’t set time aside. But. But by and large, yeah. I mean, this is something where, where it’s going to be her project until it’s our project, but she hasn’t treated it like that. And so I feel like it’s really important for me to be available when I can.

Joy:
Well, part of it is that, and the reason why I ask him to be on the calls is because it’s not my money, it’s our money that we’re investing in this. And I trust him. I trust him to see things that I don’t see and to speak up about those things, but vice versa. Right. I also see things differently, and my.

Just, the way that I am, I’m not someone who feels like I know everything. And so this is going to be a big thing for us. It’s a lot of, you know, hard earned money on our end. And I want to make sure that I’m not missing something or, I mean, I’m the person who will ask a question, even if. Even if I think I already know the answer, because I just want to make sure that I’m not missing something.

So that’s the reason why I prefer him to be on the calls with me, even if he doesn’t really want to be, but he does.

Meg:
Well, you are in it together. And that was another conversation that resonated with me. It was recently we were talking about how nothing has been easy for the two of you. That the place that you are in right now, bright and sunshiny and smiley as we are today, you have gotten here with battle wounds and challenges that setbacks.

You’ve had some pretty significant ones that we don’t need to go into the details of, but it’s good for the audience to listen as well and hear the. Yeah, we’re putting a positive spin on this, but the reality is the two of you are doing this and you need it to work.

Joy:
Hmm. Yeah. Yeah.

Joe:
We’re not. It’s funny that you mentioned that because one of the things in, I don’t know if it’s the loan documents, when you’re getting, you know, the SBA stuff is, and I’m not gonna. Not gonna say it accurately, but essentially, like, what’s your backup plan? And it’s like, oh, there’s no backup plan. We’re getting into this with the.

With the intention of it working.

Yeah. Like, we’re going to do what we need to do to get this functioning and then make it better every day.

Meg:
You’re 100% effort kind of people, and that’s why I feel confident. And people in my audience, if you don’t know me, you’ll, I think, resonate with this as well.

I’m not going to let you sign anything until I can hear and see the smile. There should be nervous energy, nervous anticipation, and some anxiety about this decision, but you’re 100% effort kind of people, and you’re going to make it work. So we’ve had these lovely conversations and gotten to know each other, but still, every conversation I come in with the three things, your wife, your life, and your money. How is this working out? Because after you sign on, those three things are still going to be the most important three things.

If it’s working already, let’s make sure that it’s going to continue to work well for you. I’ve got nothing but confidence about your obvious past capabilities are going to lead to a very strong launch with this business.

We don’t know yet what that exact date is going to be yet. I think you can sign sometime in September, right? You can sign your franchise agreement in September?

Joy:
I think. October. I haven it written down.

I just don’t have it in front of me.

Meg:

Okay. 

Joy:
October time early. 

Meg:

So we still have a good four to six weeks to prepare. We’re still working through the financial.

You’ve got the discovery day, and I like to do my own preparation with you. We’ll go through the. The people you’re going to meet. My little trick is to go to LinkedIn and look everybody up and find out where they come from. And my favorite question for you to ask is, why are you with this company right now?

That’ll open a lot of doors, a lot of great conversations, because everyone’s going to have a reason why they are in the role that they’re in, but why this company right now. The silver tsunami is not going to stop. It’s getting bigger every day. And you’re in such a great. Positioned to have not only a demographic that needs it, but a great labor demographic.

That, to me, is really the resounding win on this one, besides getting the territory that you wanted, right?

Joy:
Well, yeah. And that’s actually a really good point that you bring up. And I noticed that with a lot of the owner calls commenting about, you know, your caregivers, they don’t want full time work. They’re only looking for part time.

The retention rate is, you know, amazing. And if they want to go on vacation, they’re going to tell you in a year before they go because, you know, that’s how well prepare they are. And, you know, I laughed at it. But there’s also a sense of comfort knowing that your employees understand, you know, they’re not just call in whenever they feel like it just because, you know. They’re more. Just stable.

Meg:
Yeah. You’ve got an older demographic with a different work ethic and the appreciation to be plugged into something that is analyst. It’s just as meaningful for them to be able to contribute and to be effective, utilize their skill sets.

Joy:
Yeah, yeah. We’re all getting older. We all know what’s around the corner at some point.

Meg:
Well, this has been a great starter session. I will be looking for you to come back in about a year after you’re signed on and after you’ve had some experience under your belt and talk about. Because there are going to be those surprise moments that like, oh, my God, never saw that coming. But that’s why I’m always here.

I’ll say it every time I wave my little phone and say, once you’re mine, you’re always mine.

So I’ll always be right here. But thank you so much for sharing the first part of your journey in the story with my audience. This is the first time I’ve interviewed somebody who has not quite made the decision and you’re closing in on it. So I think we captured some of the good raw emotion of being afraid, but also being very excited.

Joe:
It’s definitely raw. Hopefully you get something quality out of this. Apologies. If not, we’ve never been interviewed before.

Meg:
Well, you two are great.