Hoover Man’s Sales Savvy Leads To Franchise Expertise

AL:

John Jones has become a franchising guru in Alabama.

After feeling the itch after seven years in sales, Jones has spent three decades running franchise operations ranging from restaurants like Applebee’s to retailers such as Deck the Walls. Two years ago, the Mobile native bought Alabama rights to FranNet, a national franchise consulting firm.

He said many of the 150-plus clients of his Hoover firm are people who have lost their jobs because of mergers, acquisitions or downsizing campaigns and want to turn their management experience into ownership opportunities.

Around Birmingham, Jones says, the timing might be right for this kind of move, as Belk Inc. absorbs Parisian and Regions Financial Corp. and AmSouth begin cutting positions after their combination.

Do these recent mergers open up opportunities for mid-level managers to pursue entrepreneurship through franchising?

Absolutely, but they must be ready, willing and able. Business ownership is not just an alternative to another job; it is only for those people who have decided another corporate job is not what they want, even if the offer came.

Searching for the right business is a full-time job, so people cannot conduct the search and look for a job too. Each is a full- time activity.

Do many of FranNet’s clients in Alabama get into franchising after losing their jobs through downsizing, mergers and so on?

Almost 100 percent of our clients fit that description. Fortunately, corporations do a good job of training employees with transferable skills useful in business ownership.

How does one go about finding the right franchising fit?
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