Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Conner.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Christopher. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
When I came into the workforce in 2001, much like most 22 year olds, I was searching for what my passion was and where to focus my career efforts. My first jobs were with large organizations like Wyndham Hotels, EMC and Wilson Sporting Goods. As I sat in my cubicle and went through my days as a staff member, I couldn’t help but have the feeling of being completely irrelevant to the organization I was contributing my efforts to. I couldn’t get past the lack of energy and enthusiasm that the majority of employees exhibited within large company’s and how little pride people had in their work. In 2003, by way of a good friend, I was introduced to the franchise market segment and entrepreneurship. The company my friend had introduced me to was a mid-sized franchise consulting firm and helped brands expand through franchising. My work with the franchise development company consisted primarily of coaching businesses on whether franchising was the right expansion vehicle and how to help them get their model to the point where it could be franchised. My first experience working with entrepreneurs was scary, frustrating and made me feel uncomfortable……these people were so emotional….so tied into their work and dedicated to their trade, it was such a paradigm shift for me! It only took me a month or so to realized that I LOVED this work and LOVED working with small business owners.
During my time working with the consulting firm in Chicago, I completed my MBA and was married to my wife in 2007. In 2009, I had the opportunity to start Franchise Marketing Systems based in Atlanta, Georgia working from my home initially in Gainesville. The business started slow, like many new businesses, it was tricky being out on my own and presenting myself without the “protection” and work history of a larger firm behind me. With a long-term outlook and significant market differentiators, I was able to grow the business and like many small business owners, started by adding my family to the payroll. My father was a recovering alcoholic and although highly qualified, wasn’t in a position to be employed by anyone, he was my first staff member along with an operations manual writer.
My first team members were located in Chicago and Phoenix making my foray into management a bit more complicated and interesting, but with good technology and systems, the process of managing remotely seemed to flow and the Franchise Marketing Systems concept started to bloom. Over the coming years, the company expanded rapidly, doubling in revenues each year with strong client retention and effective franchise development strategies which supported the development of a multitude of new franchise systems helping validate the value of the model. In 2014, an office was opened in Cumming, Georgia and Franchise Marketing Systems was named to the Inc. 5000 list as being one of the fastest growing small businesses in the U.S. Today, Franchise Marketing Systems is fortunate to be expanding still and helping grow new franchise brands. The company has 5 Atlanta-based employees and 13 staff members in markets around the U.S.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Certainly there have been multiple challenges in expanding the brand and business. Probably the biggest single issue I have faced was getting out of my own way in letting the business and people within Franchise Marketing Systems flourish. As an owner-operator, I found that I have a tendency to do things before delegating which can hold back the business. It took me several years to trust in my people and team that they could in fact do things better than I could in most cases, once I made that transition, the company was able to scale much more effectively.
In 2014, I had made the decision to try to centralize the business and resources, effectively bringing the team into a single location in Atlanta, Georgia. The strategy was that by having the team in one office, we might be able to leverage resources to a larger extent and take the business further. By 2015, the office staff grew to 12 people working out of Cumming, Georgia. Although the interaction and camaraderie were great, the production and efficiencies I had thought would be there with the additional overhead and expenses associated with the office, didn’t show up. In 2016, although we kept a team of 4 in the office, the majority of the resources were permitted to work from home again and return to the original Franchise Marketing Systems model. Although the process felt defeating, the end result was again streamlined production and an overall happy team of professionals.
Please tell us about Franchise Marketing Systems.
Franchise Marketing Systems works with businesses to expand organizations through franchise growth. Franchising is a third-party distribution system where investors pay for the rights to use a name and business system that has been created by an original “inventor” of a particular brand. It can be an excellent way to grow a concept and scale a business if the right characteristics and systems are in place to allow for this growth. Franchise Marketing Systems provides these resources by way of operations consultants, strategy advisors, marketing professionals and third party legal advisors who all provide the structure, guidance and direction to help a business become a franchise.
What makes Franchise Marketing Systems unique and positioned the brand in an effective market space was the actual execution of the franchise models that the company brings to market. Franchise Marketing Systems provides sales, marketing, operational and management support to actually sell the new franchise and support effective growth of the network. Franchise Marketing Systems gets involved in generating the leads for franchise buyers, selling the franchise to investors, support, training and ongoing management and all of the fun things that come with a new business expansion strategy.
The thing that I’m most proud of with Franchise Marketing Systems is our relationship with clients, we work really hard for clients and they reciprocate with love and positive energy for what we are doing together. The reason I got into the business was to take care of the entrepreneur. I love the passion, energy and enthusiasm for small business, my vision is and continues to be that we are a strategic partner with the business owner working right alongside them as they carry their vision and brand forward into franchising.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I have great memories with my family. My father was a loving person, always put family first and always made family time special, my mother was a great caretaker and always kept the family together and in order and my brothers and I were always close. Together, we had so many special moments that during the time, we maybe didn’t fully comprehend how amazing that particular day was, but in looking back they are some of my best memories from childhood.
Contact Info:
- Address: 425 Tribble Gap Rd.,
Cumming, GA 30040 - Website: www.FranchiseMarketingSystems.com
- Phone: 800-610-0292
- Email: info@FranchiseMarketingSystems.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FranchiseMarketingSystems/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/franchisemkting
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/franchise-marketing-systems-cumming
- Other: https://www.bbb.org/atlanta/business-reviews/management-consultants/franchise-marketing-systems-in-cumming-ga-27659468
Image Credit:
Charles White
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