When passion prevails, this career coach advises clients to explore franchising

Kathy Crawford Arrowsmith spent more than 25 years of her career helping others find their professional calling. A career coach for the past 15 years, Kathy specializes in coaching, assessments and career clinics that benefit thousands of people throughout the Southeast.

When those people seem like candidates for entrepreneurship, she calls Select Franchises’ CEO Anna Wilds.

“Not a lot of folks will initially come up with franchising,” Arrowsmith said. “They want to start their own business, or work from home, or have more time for themselves. Most people don’t realize that franchising has all types of opportunities, from home-based businesses to semi-absentee ones where people can indeed have more time for themselves. After I get more input from them, we may determine that franchising may be a good option for them, so I’ll tell them to call Anna. My cue is that they are interested in being their own boss.”

Most of Arrowsmith’s clients are people in their late 40s and early 50s feeling lots of anxiety about their job prospects. Along with convincing them to sell their skills, Arrowsmith tells them to follow their passion for independence, which can lead to small business ownership.

“The folks that are often the most passionate generally have the same answer — they want to have their own business,” Arrowsmith said. “They really value making the decisions, selecting the people they work with and choosing the work they do.”

“Whether people want to be cake decorators, auto shop owners, or take care of older people, Select Franchises is a great place to start. For many, they have a hobby they now want to turn into a business,” Arrowsmith elaborated.

Wilds agrees that a passion for freedom and flexibility is a terrific indicator for someone to be a business owner. In some cases, franchising is the best path to pursue.

“People get interested in franchises when they realize how very successful that business model can be and how franchises can reduce the risk of owning a business,” Wilds explained. “People also like the fact that they don’t have to recreate the wheel, and there is great training and support to back them up and help them every step of the way.”

For more than a decade, Arrowsmith and Wilds have worked together to help people follow their passion through franchising. She has sent many of her clients to Wilds and though not all of them ended up as franchisees, Arrowsmith is glad she put them in touch with Wilds.

“I know some people decided that it wasn’t for them, but others did. That’s what’s great about Anna’s program. It lets people get the information they need to decide if franchising is for them,” Arrowsmith said.

“Anna is so professional and does things the right way. It’s an orderly process and very upfront. I have no hesitation recommending that other career coaches refer their clients to her.”

Do you or one of your clients want to explore turning a passion into a business? Click here to find out more about how Select Franchises can help!