Reality Checks & Resilience: 5 Powerful Lessons From Building a Franchise Empire Amid Personal Struggles
Do you want to finally feel confident handling life’s curveballs while growing a thriving franchise business? Imagine being able to keep your business momentum rolling—even when personal challenges try to knock you off your game. I’ll show you how to juggle those real-life obstacles, build a team that’s got your back, and expand your franchise footprint without losing sleep (or your sanity). Ready to see how it all comes together? Stick around, because I’m about to break it down and help you make your growth plans actually work for the long haul.
A Word from Meg Schmitz
In this episode, I share a very real look at what it’s like to juggle life, health, and business all at once. Over the past few months, life has thrown me a few curveballs — from upcoming surgeries and endless doctor visits to caring for my sweet dog Violet, who’s now in hospice, and helping my parents as they navigate the challenges of aging. It’s been a lot, and I’m learning (sometimes the hard way) how to slow down, breathe, and keep faith that everything works itself out in time.
At the same time, business doesn’t stop. I talk about what it takes to keep things moving with my Image Studios franchise while planning for two more locations. It’s exciting — and exhausting — but I’m so grateful for the people who have stepped up beside me. Tamara and Bobby, my amazing teammates, have taken true ownership of their roles and our shared vision. Together we’re building something that’s bigger than just one studio.
In this conversation, I get honest about the messy middle of entrepreneurship — the planning, the pivoting, the payroll decisions that don’t always make sense on paper but feel right in your gut. I’ve learned that dreaming big only works if you plan big, too. The key is staying grounded in your strategy, your numbers, and your people.
There are good days and hard ones, but as I remind myself often: this too shall pass. The tough moments fade, and so do the high points — what matters most is the consistency in between. Keep believing in what you’re building, stay connected to the people who lift you up, and trust that your long-term plan will get you where you’re meant to go. – Meg Schmitz
In this episode, you will be able to:
- Discover how managing personal challenges can unlock hidden strengths that fuel your entrepreneurial journey.
- Learn to expand franchise locations with smart strategies that drive steady and sustainable growth.
- Build a professional community within your franchises that boosts collaboration and opens new opportunities.
- Harness the power of team support to accelerate your business growth and overcome obstacles with ease.
- Plan for long-term business success by adopting proven tactics that keep your franchise thriving through change.
This too shall pass—whether you’re facing tough times or riding high at the summit, keep moving forward and remember we’re stronger together.
Expand Franchise Locations Strategically
Growing a franchise requires careful planning and a well-thought-out strategy to ensure long-term viability. Strategic site selection, licensing, and financial management play key roles in successful expansion. Entrepreneurs must balance ambition with realistic timelines and resources to build a strong foundation for growth.
The resources mentioned in this episode are:
- Watch for your invitation to the grand opening event for Image Studios in Wauwatosa on October 23rd.
- Leave a comment on the video.
- Reach out to have a conversation about your current situation.
- Stay in touch and rely on me for support.
- Attend the grand opening event for Image Studios in Wauwatosa.
- Tune in to the Free Agent Podcast with Meg Schmitz for real stories of self-employment and business ownership. Contact Meg Schmitz to schedule a free, no-obligation call and get insider insights on franchise opportunities. Use the form at the FREE Agent Podcast if you’d like to be considered as a guest on the Show!
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Click to Take the Leap into the full interview transcript of the Free Agent Podcast, Episode 7.22, with Meg Schmitz
Free Agent Podcast with Franchise Guru Meg Schmitz
Hey everybody, it is Meg chmitz, your free agent, your franchise consultant and fashionista. As I push my hair back, vanity, take off my glasses so I can not see you. I wanted to do a recording for you today. That is another dose of reality, as reality has come whacking me upside the head personally as well as professionally. And it’s not all bad, but it requires pivots and taking a breath.
Prayer, sleep better habits are coming down the pike here. And so what I’m referring to on a personal level is that over the last, I would say six weeks, I’ve had a lot of, a lot of testing done for issues regarding I need surgery on my knee, my foot. I’ve got some things growing in weird places that required a CT scan and MRI and now lifestyle changes. Because of that, I’ve got a many of you have heard me refer to my little dog who’s lying on my feet, Violet, who turns 4 shortly. She’s now in hospice care due to advanced chronic kidney disease, so we’re not going to have her for a whole lot longer.
And then there’s my dad, who’s got memory issues at age 93. He’s lived a great life, but he’s becoming much more forgetful and stubborn about changes that need to be made for adapted living so that he can be safer. And of course he’s fighting that the eldest daughter and some of that responsibility then doesn’t fall directly on me, but I’m there to support my mother, who’s 87, and it’s a lot personally. I made mention to some of this via a LinkedIn post a couple of weeks ago, and many of you reached out to say giving me heartfelt support and comments without really knowing the details of what’s going on. So in a nutshell, that’s what’s going on.
I can tell you that day after day, having these diagnostic tests done and getting assessments back that I’m not happy with feels heavy and burdensome in some ways. But here’s the twist. I’m a business owner and an employer and I’ve got Franchoice, which is my franchise consulting. And I’ve got Image Studios is my franchise that I own. I have three licenses that I purchased and by November and then again in March, I need to have signed letters of intent for two more locations because I committed to opening three.
We’re still in the midst of building our our professional community at location number one of 40 studios. I think we’ve now crossed the 30 studios rented mark. We are excitedly coming up to our one year anniversary, which will be our grand opening. We’re going to be inviting local business people. We’re having all of our beauty professionals invite their people, whether that’s family or clients.
We’re inviting the media and it’s going to be a big blowout, Fun event on October 23rd at Image Studios in Wauwatosa. And with everything else that I told you already is going on, it’s been a bit distracting to try to get to business. But I need to get to business. I need to execute on these things. I need to be there for my team.
Thank God I’ve got Tamara and Bobby, my two sidekicks, who are taking such lovely ownership over their responsibilities. But more so the ownership they are voluntarily taking to help me build this business entity. It’s the most lovely thing to be with them. We had a lunch yesterday. Bobby did all the cooking and preparation for it.
Tamara organized the meeting portion of it. We had a guest presenter to come in and talk to our people about taxes, insurance, business operations, financial success. So we’re continuing to help our professionals build their own business practices in a successful and profitable manner whilst going to business. Otherwise, it’s really exciting stuff. Another element of this is that these next two licenses have been challenging.
Site selection is really vital. We were lucky with location number one. Sorry, I’m being laid upon by my dog who I told you about, is not doing very well and she’s shifting site location takes a lot of strategy. And we’re very fortunate with Wauwatosa that we’re in a very busy location. We’re right across the street, is great shopping, plenty of parking.
Our clients, our beauty professionals clients love it there. And so that’s really predicating our momentum with where we’re going to go next. We’ve been looking to the west still in the Milwaukee area. We’ve been looking to the south, which a lot of Illinois residents are moving over the border into Wisconsin. So we’re seeing tremendous amount of growth in the in these two areas.
We’re putting our letters of intent together for a couple of sites. One is going to be more of a boutique, so size location, more like 18 to 20 studios. The other one could be upwards of 30. We’re at 40 currently with Wauwatosa. And when you put it all together, that’s a lot of people to manage.
It’s like an apartment building, multiple apartment buildings. You’ve got different tenants, they’re moving in, moving out, decorating. You’ve got toilets that overflow And HVac that isn’t working correctly all the time. So thank God for Bobby and Tamara and all the support they give me. This is, and I’m telling you this not only to spotlight them and the great work that they have done and how beautifully they’ve helped me to create this team, but you need to look at your business activity and your expansion plans because expanding without a plan is a recipe for disaster.
And sometimes you need to go top heavy on payroll because you’re presented with these great people like I have. My numbers are way out of skew based on industry performance and franchise expectations for where I should be financially. But I’m building more than one location. So I’ve taken these two amazing people onto payroll because they are proactively helping me build the greater dream, the bigger empire, which at some point they will benefit from in greater ways than just being on payroll right now. So we’re putting strategy together and I want you to think the same way.
Dreaming big is one thing, but planning big is another. I have to remind myself all the time that 24 months is minimum to get acclimated, really stabilized and have a predictable cadence. I’m at month 13 and so sometimes I have to convince myself in the middle of the night that I really should go back to sleep and stop worrying about things. Because we’ve got great strategy, we’ve got really good people. And those are just a couple of people that I’ve mentioned.
Bobby’s husband is amazing. My husband’s brother in law is an amazing part of the team as a real estate attorney and broker. So I’ve got all of these people surrounding me that make us stronger together working towards this empire. And while it’s sometimes painful, right now we all understand that the big benefit is going to come in the numbers. Multiple locations and creating a successful infrastructure now will lead to greater outcomes later.
Don’t think small, don’t get scared. Think big, but plan big and you will find success. And I know this because I did it once before with great clips. My husband and I have done this with some of our other business entities that are not franchises. So keep yourself grounded in reality, in the numbers.
Watch your KPIs, don’t get afraid. Scared by them, don’t be scared by them. Follow through on investment of money and time that leads to greater outcomes and you will get your sleep full nights back as I am because there’s a long term plan. So onward and upward. Locations 2 and 3.
We’re working diligently towards getting them squared away with two new landlords and we will be, I hope, under construction next year. But I’ll give you updates as we’re moving along. That’s my here and now. This is where I am today is we all have a personal life that can be distracting.
I heard a great quote and explanation the other day. This too shall pass. And that’s an interesting saying to carry in your heart. Because the bad times, tough times, this too shall pass. It will.
They will. These things will go away when you’re successful and there’s a huge amount of momentum in your top of the world. This too shall pass. Because when you’re at the top, when you’re at the summit, there’s one direction to go from there. Unless you’re going to heaven, you’ve got more work to do.
And so be prepared that this too shall pass. And take solace and comfort knowing that I’m out here and a whole lot of the rest of us are out here building businesses. We’re stronger together. Stay in touch, rely on each other, rely on me. And watch for your invitation to my grand opening for Image Studios.
And we’ll continue to fight the good fight and make ourselves successful. So I hope you enjoyed this video. Leave a comment for me or reach out if you want to have a conversation. We’ll talk about where you are today and maybe you’ll be an inspiration for me. I look forward to that.
Thanks.
Free Agent Podcast with Franchise Guru Meg Schmitz
Hey everybody, it is Meg chmitz, your free agent, your franchise consultant and fashionista. As I push my hair back, vanity, take off my glasses so I can not see you. I wanted to do a recording for you today. That is another dose of reality, as reality has come whacking me upside the head personally as well as professionally. And it’s not all bad, but it requires pivots and taking a breath.
Prayer, sleep better habits are coming down the pike here. And so what I’m referring to on a personal level is that over the last, I would say six weeks, I’ve had a lot of, a lot of testing done for issues regarding I need surgery on my knee, my foot. I’ve got some things growing in weird places that required a CT scan and MRI and now lifestyle changes. Because of that, I’ve got a many of you have heard me refer to my little dog who’s lying on my feet, Violet, who turns 4 shortly. She’s now in hospice care due to advanced chronic kidney disease, so we’re not going to have her for a whole lot longer.
And then there’s my dad, who’s got memory issues at age 93. He’s lived a great life, but he’s becoming much more forgetful and stubborn about changes that need to be made for adapted living so that he can be safer. And of course he’s fighting that the eldest daughter and some of that responsibility then doesn’t fall directly on me, but I’m there to support my mother, who’s 87, and it’s a lot personally. I made mention to some of this via a LinkedIn post a couple of weeks ago, and many of you reached out to say giving me heartfelt support and comments without really knowing the details of what’s going on. So in a nutshell, that’s what’s going on.
I can tell you that day after day, having these diagnostic tests done and getting assessments back that I’m not happy with feels heavy and burdensome in some ways. But here’s the twist. I’m a business owner and an employer and I’ve got Franchoice, which is my franchise consulting. And I’ve got Image Studios is my franchise that I own. I have three licenses that I purchased and by November and then again in March, I need to have signed letters of intent for two more locations because I committed to opening three.
We’re still in the midst of building our our professional community at location number one of 40 studios. I think we’ve now crossed the 30 studios rented mark. We are excitedly coming up to our one year anniversary, which will be our grand opening. We’re going to be inviting local business people. We’re having all of our beauty professionals invite their people, whether that’s family or clients.
We’re inviting the media and it’s going to be a big blowout, Fun event on October 23rd at Image Studios in Wauwatosa. And with everything else that I told you already is going on, it’s been a bit distracting to try to get to business. But I need to get to business. I need to execute on these things. I need to be there for my team.
Thank God I’ve got Tamara and Bobby, my two sidekicks, who are taking such lovely ownership over their responsibilities. But more so the ownership they are voluntarily taking to help me build this business entity. It’s the most lovely thing to be with them. We had a lunch yesterday. Bobby did all the cooking and preparation for it.
Tamara organized the meeting portion of it. We had a guest presenter to come in and talk to our people about taxes, insurance, business operations, financial success. So we’re continuing to help our professionals build their own business practices in a successful and profitable manner whilst going to business. Otherwise, it’s really exciting stuff. Another element of this is that these next two licenses have been challenging.
Site selection is really vital. We were lucky with location number one. Sorry, I’m being laid upon by my dog who I told you about, is not doing very well and she’s shifting site location takes a lot of strategy. And we’re very fortunate with Wauwatosa that we’re in a very busy location. We’re right across the street, is great shopping, plenty of parking.
Our clients, our beauty professionals clients love it there. And so that’s really predicating our momentum with where we’re going to go next. We’ve been looking to the west still in the Milwaukee area. We’ve been looking to the south, which a lot of Illinois residents are moving over the border into Wisconsin. So we’re seeing tremendous amount of growth in the in these two areas.
We’re putting our letters of intent together for a couple of sites. One is going to be more of a boutique, so size location, more like 18 to 20 studios. The other one could be upwards of 30. We’re at 40 currently with Wauwatosa. And when you put it all together, that’s a lot of people to manage.
It’s like an apartment building, multiple apartment buildings. You’ve got different tenants, they’re moving in, moving out, decorating. You’ve got toilets that overflow And HVac that isn’t working correctly all the time. So thank God for Bobby and Tamara and all the support they give me. This is, and I’m telling you this not only to spotlight them and the great work that they have done and how beautifully they’ve helped me to create this team, but you need to look at your business activity and your expansion plans because expanding without a plan is a recipe for disaster.
And sometimes you need to go top heavy on payroll because you’re presented with these great people like I have. My numbers are way out of skew based on industry performance and franchise expectations for where I should be financially. But I’m building more than one location. So I’ve taken these two amazing people onto payroll because they are proactively helping me build the greater dream, the bigger empire, which at some point they will benefit from in greater ways than just being on payroll right now. So we’re putting strategy together and I want you to think the same way.
Dreaming big is one thing, but planning big is another. I have to remind myself all the time that 24 months is minimum to get acclimated, really stabilized and have a predictable cadence. I’m at month 13 and so sometimes I have to convince myself in the middle of the night that I really should go back to sleep and stop worrying about things. Because we’ve got great strategy, we’ve got really good people. And those are just a couple of people that I’ve mentioned.
Bobby’s husband is amazing. My husband’s brother in law is an amazing part of the team as a real estate attorney and broker. So I’ve got all of these people surrounding me that make us stronger together working towards this empire. And while it’s sometimes painful, right now we all understand that the big benefit is going to come in the numbers. Multiple locations and creating a successful infrastructure now will lead to greater outcomes later.
Don’t think small, don’t get scared. Think big, but plan big and you will find success. And I know this because I did it once before with great clips. My husband and I have done this with some of our other business entities that are not franchises. So keep yourself grounded in reality, in the numbers.
Watch your KPIs, don’t get afraid. Scared by them, don’t be scared by them. Follow through on investment of money and time that leads to greater outcomes and you will get your sleep full nights back as I am because there’s a long term plan. So onward and upward. Locations 2 and 3.
We’re working diligently towards getting them squared away with two new landlords and we will be, I hope, under construction next year. But I’ll give you updates as we’re moving along. That’s my here and now. This is where I am today is we all have a personal life that can be distracting.
I heard a great quote and explanation the other day. This too shall pass. And that’s an interesting saying to carry in your heart. Because the bad times, tough times, this too shall pass. It will.
They will. These things will go away when you’re successful and there’s a huge amount of momentum in your top of the world. This too shall pass. Because when you’re at the top, when you’re at the summit, there’s one direction to go from there. Unless you’re going to heaven, you’ve got more work to do.
And so be prepared that this too shall pass. And take solace and comfort knowing that I’m out here and a whole lot of the rest of us are out here building businesses. We’re stronger together. Stay in touch, rely on each other, rely on me. And watch for your invitation to my grand opening for Image Studios.
And we’ll continue to fight the good fight and make ourselves successful. So I hope you enjoyed this video. Leave a comment for me or reach out if you want to have a conversation. We’ll talk about where you are today and maybe you’ll be an inspiration for me. I look forward to that.
Thanks.
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