A few issues ago I discussed searching for The Official Music Genre of Franchising (it’s Jazz!). I thought now we should perhaps examine movies. What is the Ultimate Movie for Franchising?
There are so many great films that tell inspiring stories of entrepreneurs. “Jerry McGuire,” “Tucker” “Money Ball,” “The Wolf of Wall Street.” “The Pursuit of Happyness” is a personal favorite of mine. Maybe even “The Godfather.” But one stands out above all others for franchise owners: 2016’s “The Founder.”
“The Founder tells the story of Ray Kroc’s launch, or actually relaunch, of McDonald’s. Kroc was played by Michael Keaton, whom I argue is the greatest actor of our time. This was not a heroic portrait, but a realistic story of a visionary who was very flawed and had failed many times but always got back up and started over again.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur, small-business owner, franchisee, franchisor, or just want to take the next step in your business journey, here are 12 useful nuggets in “The Founder” that you may find valuable:
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Start all business relationships by listening to your partner’s story first
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Constantly reinvent yourself and your brand
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Don’t be afraid of piggybacking on others’ innovations
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A great partnership means taking others’ dreams and making them bigger
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Never accept the answer: “We already tried that”
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Listen to your supplier partners and industry experts
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Listen to your franchisees, as they are closer to the customer than anyone
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Sometimes chance meetings lead to great deals, valuable partnerships, and life-changing success
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While you may think you’re in one business, you may actually be in another business
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Contracts are like hearts… they’re made to be broken
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Learn how to tell a good story and how to be a great storyteller
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And most importantly: Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence!
What other movies, TV shows, podcasts, or music inspire you and your new business? I would love to hear from you for a future column at jack@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.