TITANS OF FRANCHISING
Finding the right Franchise is the Key to Success by Kelly Biggs, WSI Principal Consultant
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little less than 18 months ago, we decided to own our own business. This decision came because we were tired of Corporate America. It no longer provided the security we needed, nor did it give our so deeply desired autonomy. Allow me to give you a quick intro. I am Kelly Biggs. I have over 25 years of sales experience with Fortune 100 companies and startups alike. As every sales executive knows, being a salesperson is as rewarding as it is challenging. Every year you sign a new contract with higher quotas and typically smaller commissions for the same effort. My husband Roan has over 25 years of experience as a software engineer. Think, super-tech meets uber extravert. It works. At any rate, we decided to go the franchise route because a start-up would command too much time. There are many franchises out there, so we worked with a franchise consultant who helped us
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Kelly Biggs narrow down our critical choices to finding the right franchise. Our consultant helped us to narrow down our top criteria, which included: • Work from home • No employees initially • A franchise that would be supportive but still gave us choices to create our own business • A franchise that continued to support us after we signed the franchise agreement • A service that allowed us to continue to learn • Low royalty fees We are happy to say that WSI (We Simplify the Internet), a full-service digital marketing agency, exceeded our expectations. It is the perfect franchise for our
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Roan Biggs combo technical and sales background. Initially, we thought Roan would be the first to leave his job, but it turns out that selling is a critical skill set to be a successful entrepreneur. So far, my most significant learning has been that business owners need our services, and when they work with us, we help their businesses grow. It is a gratifying experience. www.wsibiggsdigital.com ABOUT THE AUTHOR Kelly earned her MBA from Emory's Goizueta Business School in 2009 and has spent the past ten years advising companies on their overall business strategy. She has won numerous sales awards, including Top Sales Consultant at Fortune 100 companies and Small Businesses.