Franchise

So last weekend Kyle and I went to Phoenix to meet with the HQ people. Yes, we're thinking about opening a franchise in Austin. The meeting went really well. We are very impressed with the systems and the software they have in place to help make their franchise owners successful. We'd been pretty impressed with the company even before we went out there, but meeting everyone and seeing things firsthand pretty much sealed the deal for us. We came back to Austin ready to take the plunge.

Then the Texas business development guy calls and says that our "business model" has HQ worried and that they are likely not going to grant us a franchise. They were under the false impression that either Kyle/I was going to quit my/his job in corporate America and start the business full-time. Since this is not something -- from day 1 -- that we ever communicated to anyone we were shocked and disappointed to say the least. Our plan all along was to work at it part time and let my mom fill-in the rest of the time ... until we got the business off the ground.

So now we're waiting. HQ apparently has an compromise that will allow us to work part time and still be awarded the franchise, but Kyle has been in a sales conference this week and unavailable to discuss it with them.

Meanwhile, I'm SO sad! It seems like such a great opportunity, and we got along so well with all the HQ guys. I really hope the compromise is agreeable. Kyle is worried that the TX bus. dev. guy either wasn't being honest with us or wasn't being honest with HQ and that alone has us both feeling uneasy. I don't know whether to be hopeful or not. Totally sitting on pins and needles...