IAM2609 – Franchising 101

In this episode, Gresh pivots to a quick primer on franchising, demystifying the model for anyone unfamiliar with it. He describes the franchisor (the “Zor”) who owns the brand and system, and the franchisee (the “Z”) who purchases the rights to run a local operation.

By leveraging an established playbook, brand recognition, training, and ongoing support, a franchisee can bypass the guesswork of starting a business from scratch. Gresh highlights that while well‑known names like McDonald’s and Chick‑fil‑A dominate the conversation, there are hundreds of lesser‑known opportunities across a wide range of industries.

Gresh underscores why franchising is especially relevant today: people are seeking stability, purpose, flexibility, and a safety net that traditional entrepreneurship often lacks. Whether someone is transitioning from corporate life, looking for a side hustle, or aiming for full‑time ownership, there’s likely a franchise model that fits.

• Blue Star Franchise: http://bluestarfranchise.com
• Browse the Franchise Inventory: https://bluestarfranchise.com/franchise
• Is franchising right for you? Check this out to see: http://bluestarfranchise.com/assessment
• Franchise CEO (A CBNation Site – coming soon) – http://franchiseceo.co

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Transcription:

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Intro 00:01
Are you ready to hear business stories and learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and level up your business from awesome CEOs, entrepreneurs, and founders without listening to a long, long, long interview?

If so, you've come to the right place. Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO podcast.

Gresham Harkless 00:26
Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast. And this is a special episode of our I AM CEO podcast.

And this is actually going to be a snippet of a snippet. So to speak, I'm just doing an intro because I've been starting to document my journey into starting what is now called blue star franchise.

We're also going to do a kind of subcite within CB nation called. a franchise CEO. So you'll see some links in the show notes related to that.

But I just want to give you a little bit more insight, give you a little bit more color in some of the aspects of why I'm actually doing this, because one of the things I was doing as I was going through training to start up this new business,

was realizing and hearing from the founder of FBA, the Franchise Brokers Association, that it'd be really cool to document your journey. going through and building this out.
I think it's something that would be super helpful, obviously, for people that are looking for and thinking about starting franchises.

But frankly, if you're starting anything, any type of business, I think it's really cool to kind of just even see the journey and how it's been going from there.

So I'm going to share a few of those snippets from the from the first couple of videos that have been created. But definitely, of course, subscribe to our YouTube.

Check out a lot more where I figure out exactly where we're going to post this. So I have that information that's available to you.

But Regardless, if you're a builder, continue to keep building, continue to do your thing. The world definitely needs exactly what you're trying to build.

It needs you to be your unique self. So make sure to run your own race because nobody can run your race like you.
This is Gresh signing out. I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

You've heard of McDonald's, Chick-fil-A, maybe even the UPS store. But what if I told you franchising goes way beyond fast food?

From where you get your dog groomed like I did for my dog, Star. to who cleans your house, fixes your computer, or does your home inspection.

Franchises are literally everywhere, and you have the opportunity to own one. Now, I want to keep it simple for you.

A franchise is a business model where one person, and that person could be you, buys the rights to run a business using someone else's proven system.

In the industry, the person who owns the brand and the system is called a franchisor, or we call them the XOR for short. And the person who buys in and runs the local operation is called the franchisee or the Z. As a Z, you don't need to start from scratch.

You get the playbook, the brand name, the tools, and the support right when you sign up. It's business for yourself, but not necessarily by yourself.

And here's where it gets exciting. Yes, there are big names like McDonald's, Chick-fil-A, Anytime Fitness, but there are hundreds more that you've never heard of.

And that's where the real opportunity is. This is a broker. We've seen franchising in almost 40 different types of industries or verticals.

I'm talking about franchises like where my dog used to get groomed, the folks who clean your home, the tech service that fixes your laptop or even your phone when you drop it, the home inspector you hired before you bought your house, the casual spot you grab your lunch every Tuesday.

These are franchise opportunities. And we literally have access to hundreds of them in our inventory. So no matter your passion, skill, lifestyle goal, there's probably a fit that you can find.

And a lot of what I do is basically to help bridge that gap. Now, franchising works because it's a shortcut to success with a safety net, essentially. And here's what makes it powerful. First, you have brand power.

Customers already recognize and trust the name. You have a proven system. You're using what is already working. You have training and support.

Dezora wants you to win because your success equals their success. And then number four, the faster ramp up. You're not reinventing the wheel or you're not creating something completely from scratch.

You're actually scaling and executing at a high level on the things that you know already leads you to success.

Now, whether you're transitioning from corporate, looking for more freedom, exploring ownership for the first time, franchising can help you move faster and smarter overall.

And franchising is more relevant than ever. And I want to tell you why. People are honestly tired of the instability.

People are craving control, purpose, and flexibility. They're craving a deeper reason and meaning behind what it is that they're doing.

And franchising gives you a way to own a business without being alone or starting from zero, which can sometimes be scary. Sometimes it's a really good fit for some people, but it's not necessarily for everybody.

And even for those people that are considering maybe doing something like this and feel like they're more of the, I want to start from scratch.

There also are opportunities like emerging brands that are newer businesses, newer franchise models. So whether you want a side hustle, a semi-absentee model or leave your job completely, there's likely a Z opportunity that aligns for you. The best part is you don't need to figure it all out alone.

We help people find their perfect match every single day. Want to see what franchise opportunities are actually available, not just the big names?

Let's set up a time in chat, but first take our free assessment at boostourfranchise.com forward slash assessment. Let's see what type of Z you can ultimately be.

I'm Gresh, and I'm here to help you explore, compare, and own your future. So let's go. Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help. And of course, looking forward to giving you more and more updates.

Outro 05:34
Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO podcast powered by CB Nation and Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co.

I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Check out the latest and greatest apps, books, and habits to level up your business at ceohacks.co.

This has been the I AM CEO podcast with Gresham Harkless Jr. Thank you for listening.

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