Franchise Owner Finds the Key to Curing his Mid-Career Crisis in an Unexpected Place

For more than two decades Randy had a nagging thought in the back of his mind that wouldn’t go away. He wanted to take control of his career and his destiny, but how? “About every 4 to 5 years, I found myself changing companies, it just wasn’t working for me.” With 25 years in corporate accounting, finding an employer was not his greatest challenge, it was finding a career he really loved.

“I was staring at 50 and realized I was not in a mid-life crisis; I was in a mid-career crisis!”

In 2015 while attending the Financial Executives Networking Group (FENG), he found himself in the right place at the right time. I happened to be speaking that evening about the personal and financial freedom that can be achieved through franchise ownership. Randy’s ears perked up. I remember shaking his hand after the presentation and recognizing the look on his face. He was far beyond his comfort zone, so to begin helping him through this difficult transition, we sat down casually over coffee a few days later.

Maybe we clicked so well because Randy and I come from the same place. I spent my first career in the financial services industry and know first hand how challenging it can be to leap from the predictable world of ledgers and spreadsheets into the seemingly unpredictable realm of entrepreneurship. Perhaps that’s why I chose franchising to resolve my own mid-career crisis. Franchising is often called the perfect hybrid between corporate life and entrepreneurship because with the support of the franchisor, you truly are in business for yourself, but not by yourself.

Randy was sure he wanted to “file divorce from corporate America”, but he had never before been able to settle on exactly what business he would enjoy owning. For me, this meant an exciting and wide open exploration of a span of options to help him narrow down the perfect fit. “I had no clue as to what the business would be and I wasn’t hung up on just calling myself a business owner.” Randy was getting clear on what he wanted the business to achieve and that was his first key to success.

Together, Randy and I built his business model considering his skills, goals, budget and plans for the future. I presented about a half dozen different franchise opportunities for Randy to explore. A few were home-based while others required a storefront. Little did we know the business he would chose would jive so well with one of his long-time passions. Randy is a confessed dog lover.

During his due diligence period, we checked in several times a week as I coached him through the research process. “I knew when I had found the right business when I got more excited about it the more I learned”, Randy said about the Pet Supplies Plus franchise he eventually chose. “I’ve always loved dogs, but had I not met Julie, I never would have known about this franchise.” He joked a little about his new career in the $60 billion pet industry. “I chose a well established franchise company because I never wanted to be a Guinea pig for a startup.” Now Randy and his staff will be delivering top quality products and service for all kinds of pets, even Guinea pigs.

In tribute to his best friend, Randy decided to name his new holding company after Scully, the German Shepherd mix he raised from a puppy (pictured above). He’s now busy planning the late fall Grand Opening Celebration of his new 8000 sq. ft. Pet Supplies Plus store at the Smyrna Crossings shopping center, close to the Atlanta Braves new ballpark.

Looking back on his journey from corporate accountant to franchise owner, Randy gives this one piece of advice for anyone in the midst of a mid-career crisis, “Contact FranNet and have an advocate to help guide you and keep you focused and thinking about the right things. It’s just too daunting to do on your own.”

If the idea of becoming a business owner has been dogging you, contact me to talk about how to get started with a thoughtful process of discovery.

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About Pet Supplies Plus
Pet Supplies Plus was founded in 1988 with the goal of bringing supermarket-style convenience and value to the pet food and supply industry. To do this, stores were designed to feature navigable aisles, ample parking, convenient hours, and low prices. Today there are over 290 Pet Supplies Plus stores in 23 states.

About Julie Denise
Julie Denise utilizes her 30 years in financial services now as an independent businesswoman and FranNet of Atlanta consultant. Since 2012 she has enjoyed connecting people, guiding those in career transition and expertly assisting those that would like to explore business ownership through franchising. Recognized often for her advocacy, she was named a Top FranNet Consultant in 2014.  A graduate of Northwestern University, Julie volunteers with Atlanta Jobseekers, RUMC Career Ministry, is a Chapter Leader for the Business Executives Networking Group (BENG) and is a certified SCORE mentor.

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