How to Plan Your Next Move in Business and Franchising

Every entrepreneur has chapters—moments that define where they are, what they’ve learned, and where they’re going next. In this solo episode, I talk about the importance of recognizing your current chapter in both business and life. Whether you’re launching your first location or preparing for an exit, knowing where you are helps you see what’s possible next.

I share personal stories from my own journey and lessons from my mentors, including how reflection, perspective, and truth fuel growth. You can’t skip chapters—but you can make each one count.

Key Takeaways:

• Every entrepreneur experiences universal chapters—start, struggle, scale, and sustain.
• Knowing your current chapter gives you clarity on what comes next.
• Surround yourself with people one or two chapters ahead.
• Truth and perspective are your greatest tools for growth.
• You have the power to write your next chapter—on purpose.

Time Stamps:

00:00 Introduction to the Franchise Scaleup Show

00:30 Understanding Your Entrepreneurial Chapter

01:31 Common Chapters in Life and Business

02:30 Learning from Different Life Stages

03:56 The Importance of Mentorship and Wisdom

05:24 Balancing Business and Personal Life

07:15 Overcoming Challenges and Writing New Chapters

10:04 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

You don’t have to guess your next move—clarity starts with understanding where you are right now. Take the time to reflect, connect with mentors, and define your next chapter before it defines you.

If you’re ready to scale your franchise or business with clarity and purpose, book a free franchise growth strategy call at guycoffey.com. Let’s map your next chapter together.

Connect with Guy Coffey:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/guycoffey
Website: www.guycoffey.com
Instagram: @guycoffey
YouTube: @guycoffey

Transcript

0:00

People are scared. They're scared for their lives at that point in time in the beginning. Then they're scared for their business succeeding. And you know, those were. Those were dark days, and that was a chapter where I actually saw like, this could be the close of this, and that's not how I want this book to go. Welcome to the Franchise Scaleup Show, the go-to playbook for founders racing from 10 to a hundred units. I'm Gee Coffey, franchisor, franchisee, and growth advisor. I know firsthand how fast this game moves and how quickly chaos can creep in. That's why each episode gives you the clarity systems and heart won lessons. You need to scale smart, protect your equity, and stay in control. You've got the vision, I'll help you build the infrastructure to match it. Let's dive in. What chapter are you in? If you're an entrepreneur, you have to know that answer. You have a goal. In order to get to that goal, you have to have a route. In order to make a route, you have to have a starting point, which is what chapter you're in. As different as we all are as humans, we all have chapters that are universal, whether we're born in 1800 or 2025, in the us in any other country, any other point on the globe. You're gonna be born, you're gonna have an early childhood if you're lucky. You get to go to school, grade school and then high school, if you're really fortunate, you get to go to some kind of continuing education, whether that's trade school or university. Then you're gonna go into the workforce and then you're gonna have your own family, a lot of people, and you're gonna have kids, and then you're gonna get old and you know the next part you're gonna die. So, same thing is true of entrepreneurship. There are some chapters that are, we all go through no matter what the business, you know, there's the idea, there is the planning. There's a capitalization, there's the kickoff, you know, the start of operations, hopefully if that's what you want. There's some scaling of that. And then there is at the end, two exits, an unsuccessful exit where it just shuts down. And then there are successful exits, whether that's being sold to another company or being handed off to, the next generation in your family. As a guy that's kind of in, in that position right now, that's the dream that your kids get to take it over and, and move it on and grow it from there. Probably better than than me. But those are all common chapters. And then within those chapters, of course there are life events that are going on. Right. I see it and actually hockey locker rooms that I am fortunate enough to be in. Sometimes we have, especially during the summer when kids come back from college and are playing on the team, we have kids that are in their college years and I get to hear their concerns and their things that they're pumped about and things like that. And then we have the older group that's outta school and they're starting their. Their careers and they don't, they might have a girlfriend or something like that, but they don't have kids or any real responsibilities. I hear about all their. Adventures and exploits and challenges and opportunities that they're facing. And then we have guys on the team that are just starting out. They have really young kids. They are, you know, moving into their first or second home. They're building a career. They've got very, very busy schedules. I'm lucky enough to be on teams where there's guys that their kids are already out. You know, they have, kids out and about. They're getting grandkids. They're, alone with their wife at home. They have a lot of more free time all of a sudden, and that brings opportunities and challenges itself. But there's all these chapters and I think that each one of 'em has its own opportunities and challenges for sure. But everyone seems, in my life, everyone has seemed like the biggest challenge I've had so far to date. And one of the things that I recommend to people is talk to people that are in the next chapter, particularly the next chapter. Talk to someone that's two chapters away from you. Talk to someone that's already, you know, like that's why the really elderly people in our society are the wealthiest in terms of having wisdom and experience. In my case, I have, a few more older people in my life that have all that wisdom and experience and lots of experiences. They have a highly refined filter. They don't tolerate it. They could spot it from a mile away. Of course, nobody is looking at this chapter as their last chapter either. Right. So I have a friend and a mentor who is 84, who is more socially active than I am. He does cooler stuff than I am, activity wise and sporting wise, and. The last thing on his mind is this is the last chapter at all, and he's an inspiration. Then I have someone that's actually in my family that isn't having those same kind of experiences, but has so much wisdom and provides so much inspiration that, a conversation with her is worth quite a bit, and you're gonna get the truth and nothing but the truth no matter how your feelings feel about it. And that's fine, right? I'll, I'll take that kind of truth all day long. And so for your business, see where you're at and see what the expectations are and the opportunities are, and go one step further, talk to someone that's further down the path than you, hopefully like the next step or two steps ahead of you. Get that wisdom. I know you're really busy. Everybody in every chapter of life thinks they're super, super busy. The only ones that I feel really sorry for are the dads and the moms that have like young children. That is truly, when you're in it, you're in it. It's a whole different level. That so far that's, that's been the most challenging, of course, the most rewarding as well. But that is when life really is really busy. You know, you're new to all this, and juggling schedules and deprioritizing your schedule for the kids' schedule and the family schedule and all that. So I would say from someone that's been through that phase, if it feels super busy and overwhelming, it is. And it'll be easier down the line, but it's also so rich in terms of experiences and memories that. Just, uh, put on your boots and get it done and be engaged and be the best person you can be during that time. Of course, do that anytime, but that is when it's particularly impactful. I think you have such a big impact on those kids. But in any case, going back to the business, yeah, you're gonna be super busy. It's really important to take the off ramp on that. You know, scaling highway and touch base with people, engage business people, family, get different perspectives on things. Get away from the business for a little bit, and then when you come back, you're gonna be ready in a better state of mind and clearer thinking. And that's the story I have for you today is when we were building. We were, especially during COVID, during the shutdowns, it was a really scary time for us, and it forced us to stop. Basically, we had 22 studios that were less than six months old. People didn't have cash flow yet. They're burning through capital. People are scared. They're scared for their lives at that point in time in the beginning. Um, then they're scared for their business succeeding. And you know, those were. Those were dark days, and that was a chapter where I actually saw like, this could be the close of this, and that's not how I want this book to go. That's not how Stephanie wanted that book to go. And then we started writing a new chapter and we actually came out of that, meaning Frenchies came out of that stronger. More profitable, higher AUVs, a new product line, everything. So, we wrote a new chapter and we made that chapter happen. We didn't do that alone. We did that with our team and our franchisees and our vendors and suppliers that were true partners. That is also when you find out who's a true partner and who has just been selling to you. And, that can be a little bit disheartening. They can be the villain in this book story, this book analogy. But, focus on the ones that are gonna be there with you and you'll find out in those, those more challenging times. Write your own chapter, write your next chapter. So that's the point. And the lesson here is figure out where you are right now in your entrepreneurial journey. If you need some help, I can help you. So can other people, that have a more objective view on where you're at and get down to exactly where you are in your entrepreneurial journey, without any of the emotional, filtering that you might have yourself or people that are with you on the journey. Get it from an outside source. I always think advisory boards are a good idea. Someone just, asked me about that the other day and, or a coach or an advisor and get that truth. And then see where the gap is between where you wanna be next. Have as many conversations, take as many actions as you need to to make that happen and write your own next chapter. It doesn't have to be what's gonna happen if you let fate take over or something like that. So that's the lesson in this, is that you can write your next chapter, but you have to do it from a place of truth. And that's finding out what chapter you're in right now. So that would be my recommendation and if you need any help with that, please reach out. Thanks. That wraps up today's episode of the Franchise Scale Up Show. This gave you a strategy you can put into play. Please share it with one founder who needs the help. You might save them months of pain. If you're ready to go deeper, whether it's building your support infrastructure, accelerating territory sales, or preparing for private equity, go to gee coffee.com. That's G-U-Y-C-O-F-F. EY and book a free franchise growth strategy call. I only partner with founders who are committed to scaling without losing control. If that's you, I'd love to connect. Until next time, protect your vision. Move fast and scale smart. I'm Gee, coffee Talk soon.