Page 184 - The $100 Startup_ Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love

someone else. When they do this, they won’t count your failure as a store closure
in their statistics. Thus, when you hear statistics that suggest a high percentage
of franchise locations remain open, you have no idea who is operating them and
who owes $250,000 that they have no way to repay.

How does that proposal sound to you? Probably not so great—which is why
buying into someone else’s operation isn’t usually the opportunity it may seem
from the outside. Thankfully, there’s an alternative: building a real business of
your own, something that you have ownership of and control over. Buying into
someone else’s franchise isn’t usually a good idea, but figuring out how to
leverage your own efforts is almost always worth careful consideration.

You’re Only One Person … or Maybe Two

Who says you can’t be in more than one place at one time? In fact, there are
several ways to grow a business through the use of leverage. Franchising
yourself isn’t just doing more; it’s about taking your skills, activities, and
passions to a higher level to create better returns. The difference between
franchising yourself and just doing more is that you take the time to be strategic.
Let’s look at a couple of examples.

Nathalie Lussier was an up-and-coming software engineer. Originally from
Quebec, she had interned in Silicon Valley and now had the chance to take a big
job on Wall Street. Her family said it was the job of her dreams … but as
Nathalie thought more about it, she realized it was the job of someone else’s
dreams. Turning down the offer, she returned to Canada and decided to pursue a
different idea.

Nathalie had a personal success story of dramatically improving her health
after switching to a raw foods diet. Eating only fruits, vegetables, and nuts
sounded crazy at first, but the results spoke for themselves: In the first month,
she lost more than ten pounds and suddenly had energy throughout the day. As
she talked with her friends, Nathalie was a natural evangelist—not pushy or
judgmental, but offering tips and strategies that people could use to make real
improvements even if they weren’t ready to jump into a completely raw diet as
Nathalie had done.

After relocating to Toronto, the idea was to build a small business helping
other people make the adjustment to raw foods. Being a software engineer (and a
self-described geek like Brett Kelly in Chapter 4), Nathalie programmed a