Why did Keith make a career change?

My wife and I were looking for our next challenge that would be both personally and professionally rewarding. I, personally, was tired of dealing with the politics and bureaucracy of larger organizations. We wanted to build something together and wanted to be able to positively impact the community in the process.

Why will Keith make a great franchise owner?

We are very focused on building sustainable relationships with both our members and our franchisor. This business in intentionally a central part of our life and lifestyle.

What were Keith’s search criteria for finding the right franchise company?

We wanted a high quality company with an established operating and marketing system. We wanted recurring revenue in a framework that allowed for building longer-term relationships with customers. The business model should allow for opportunity to give back to the community as a component of what we do. There should be room for long term growth.

Any tips on choosing the right time to take the leap into business ownership and leave the corporate world?

Take some time to understand what you are looking for and what drives your passions. It is not easy and will test you.
Financially, have a plan and flexibility to make it work. It will not follow your plan exactly.

In his words, here's what keith had to say about working with Liz: 

"Liz does a really great job of asking good, probing questions and listening to you. She'll shape what you tell her and allow you to clarify after you hear it back. This was critical in the process for me as I knew I wanted to do something but needed the help to understand what I wanted. It's an iterative process and sometimes you don't know until you are really forced to make a decision.

Of course, Liz is really well connected and she helped me match up with the right franchisor. Getting to the point of understanding what I really wanted is where Liz really helped me."