Business Consultant

My day job is a business consultant for a restaurant franchise. I evaluate 35 stores a month and help franchisees. I have been managing restaurants for 25 years.  I now own my second resale store. ( the first one I closed 9 years ago, it was a children's resale store.) My store now is a resale store of all things, except clothes. I mainly have furniture, household stuff,collectibles, etc...what ever I think I can resell. My daughter works here during the day while I do my day job. I work at the store on the weekends. I go to auctions and shop around the other job, I make my own schedule, to a certain extent. I tend to look for vintage dishes and glassware when I am picking in thrift stores, that is fun for me. Some days I wish I could quit my day job and focus on just this, but that is what is paying my bills, so onward I trudge....

Does this franchise employ a guy named Jared?

Yes it does...

Have you seen pictures of him lately? He's starting to put the pounds back on.

Hey didn't realize you were in the restaurant industry. I know restaurants are a dream business for many people however its also long hours and quite a grind. I was wondering when you hear people say I want to open a restaurant or start a franchise is your advice stay away or get in as long as you know what you are prepared for?

I have a buddy who looks into every franchise out there. It's not as simple as many people think okay I'll buy a franchise, in my area at least most require you to not just buy a store but a whole region or commit to opening like 4-6 stores in sucha nd such period of time.

I have a buddy who started working fast food at 16, got in good with the family who owned the franchise, become gm, worked there for about 15 years and wound up getting a stake in the place. Plan was for him to buy it with cash upfront as well as repaying with profits however things eventually wound up falling through they forgot to renew lease and lease was upped bigtime, restaurant needed renovations which they tried tacking onto him, got to the point where it wasn't worth buying. He always dreamed of owning a restaurant and though I would attribute much of it from him being a restaurant owner going back to an employee he said he really has no desire to get back into the restaurant industry.

He was saying the work and hours necessary to run a successful restaurant just aren't worth it for the return. YOu can make a good income but also it requires someone activtly involved in the business and isn't by any means a passive thing. Just curious your take.