#019 - How a Community Sales Event Became a Life-Changing Franchise ft. Shannon Wilburn from Just Between Friends

Shannon Wilburn is the co-founder and CEO of Just Between Friends, North America's leading children's and maternity consignment sales event franchise. Her business is so much more than a big sale - it’s changing lives for her franchisees, and for those who live in their communities.

Listen to hear her inspiring story, including the life-changing event that started it all, the impact her business has had on families across the country, and what it takes to be a Just Between Friends franchisee.

What We Cover

 * Introducing Shannon Wilburn

 * Overview of Just Between Friends and the inspiration behind it

 * Why Shannon decided to make Just Between Friends a franchise

 * The importance of digging into franchisee satisfaction

 * The benefits of buying a service-based franchise

 * The six stages of franchising

 * What it costs to become a Just Between Friends franchisee

 * Training and support Just Between Friends franchisees can expect to receive

 * Who is the ideal Just Between Friends franchisee?

 * Decoding Item 19 in the FDD

 * The importance of mission and values for Just Between Friends  

 * Erin’s three questions

Resources We Mention

 * Just Between Friends

 * Franchise Business Review

 * The Six Stages of Franchising

 * StrengthsFinder 2.0

 * Pinot’s Palette

Get Inspired by Shannon

 * “Franchisees need to be nurtured, they need to, they need hand holding sometimes, but you also have to be able to give the ones who need independence, independence.”

 * “People who are looking to purchase a franchise need to be aware that they're coming into a system with rules. It’s like coming into a family who already has the rules set. If you make the decision to join the family, you have to look at the rules and see if they’re something you feel like you can do, and if it’s something you feel like you want to be a part of.”

 * “I'm always giving the advice that you need to look at the franchise satisfaction because of the franchisees aren't satisfied in the brand, there's a reason they're not satisfied and you need to figure out why that is.”

 * “When you choose a brand to purchase, you are partnering with that brand and you're partnering with every other franchisee that's a part of that system, whether good or bad.”

 * “We're looking for someone who can operate an event and market the heck out of it because that's what it's going to take in our brand. Now, if you're looking at a different brand, maybe they need you to be great at finance and great at administration. So you need to look at that and think, okay, is this the right fit for my personality and my skillset?”

 * “I really encourage couples, especially married couples, to talk about their expectations when it comes to business ownership and see if the hours that are going to be needed and the brand are something that they really think that they could put into it.”

 * “You don't have to be good at everything because everyone is not good at everything. You have weaknesses and it's okay to have weaknesses, but you need to play to your strengths and work and your strengths and pay someone else to work in your weaknesses.”

 * “Look at your goals, like what do you want to achieve by purchasing the franchise and what do you want your life to look like?”

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