I recently launched Season 12 of Social Geek Radio and thought perhaps it was time to update the podcast’s theme song. We had been using a Bach classical piece for the piano in an attempt to go a bit highbrow after using some real funky classic rock beats for the first few years.
But during 2020, the official year of rebooting and resetting, I wanted to find the music that best defines franchising. Country music seems like the go-to for many in franchising, or perhaps hip-hop could be the preference of many of our colleagues.
But the best musical fit for franchising and small-business ownership can only be jazz. Jazz is all about improvisation. There are a framework and structure to every song, but jazz is never played the same way twice, based on the band leader’s or a soloist’s feeling and that night’s audience.
Small-business ownership is exactly the same: Success means following a good program but with some improvisation, based on the owner’s instincts and the changing customer needs.
My favorite stories I’ve discussed on the podcast in the past year are from franchise systems and franchisees who shifted to a backup plan, launched a new technology, or changed their business models due to government-mandated lockdowns. Improvising and adapting saved countless brands and small businesses in 2020 and have positioned them for growth in 2021. Healthcare franchises pivoted to telehealth options. Restaurants went to 100% delivery or curbside pickup. Home-service franchises engaged with homeowners to provide estimates and consultations remotely over apps.
However, before you can become a great improviser, you first need to have the chops. No great jazz player can improvise a magnificent solo without years of practice and experience. And no successful business pivot can happen without plenty of planning and innovation.
Are you ready to improvise when needed in 2021? Perhaps the pandemic, lockdowns, and civil unrest will magically disappear this year, but I doubt that. We will always have crises, and all business owners must be ready to improvise. Hear our latest broadcast at socialgeekradio.com.
– Jack Monson
Jack Monson is the host of the Social Geek Radio Network, home of the number one podcasts in Franchising including The Franchise News Podcast and The Facebook Franchise Podcast. Monson is also the Chief Revenue Officer at Social Joey and has been working with franchisees and small businesses in social media marketing for 13 years. For more information, visit socialgeekradio.com, or email jack@socialgeekradio.com.