i just turned down $60K from a potential franchisee in Miami (my favorite market) 🌴
hardest no i've ever had to say.
here's what went down...
flew LAX → DFW for our first
@podplugvending franchise discovery day. grabbed a turo, hit 110° texas heat, and met finalists from el paso, kansas city, augusta, and miami.
day 1: no biz talk. just dinner late night venue tours
day 2: warehouse visit, pitch deck, AR demos, deep Q&A
then our franchise committee huddled up.
Kansas City Augusta = instant yes ✅
• hungry
• coachable
• ready to execute our playbook
Miami = different story
• smart? yes
• connected? yes
• capitalized? yes
• too entrepreneurial? also yes
that's the line.
a franchise is the system.
if someone wants to rewrite it on Day 1 by being too entrepreneurial, the culture breaks.
so i passed on $60K in my dream market
did it hurt? absolutely
was it the right move? 100%
what i learned:
• values > revenue
• protect the system that works
• wrong franchisees compound into nightmares
haven’t slept great since making that decision 😅
btw El Paso franchisee just closed 3 of his first accounts within a week of getting his sales materials. sky’s the limit!