Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Kim Daly: Welcome to Create Wealth Through Franchising podcast and Kim Daly tv. I'm your host, Kim Daly. If you're ready to build wealth and the life of your dreams, this is the podcast for you. Each week I talk to franchisees about their journey of leaving jobs, security and their familiar life to pursue freedom and wealth on their own terms. We talk business ownership, wealth creation, legacy, success, principle principles, and so much more if you're building a life that you own and control. Welcome to our community.
Now on to the show.
Welcome back to Create Wealth Through Franchising podcast and Kim Daily tv. In my studio today, he's actually a candidate about to become a new franchisee. His name is Jamie Badgett. Jamie, welcome to the studio of Kim Daly tv.
[00:00:56] Jamie Badgett: Oh, I'm so excited. Can't wait to have our chat today. Kim, thank you.
[00:01:01] Kim Daly: I am so excited to have you. And this might actually be the first time I've ever had a candidate in my pipeline. On my podcast, I know it is, as I think about it and say that out loud, it's 100% true. And there's an epic reason why I've invited this man onto the show before he's even signed his franchise agreement to. And it has to all do with one of the pivotal moments in our process of working together, which we're going to get to. But before we get to that epic moment, Jamie, let's take the listener to the beginning of your conversation and what was happening in your corporate life when you reached out to Kim Daly to say, I think I got to do something different.
[00:01:49] Jamie Badgett: Sure, sure thing.
Well, Kim, I position this as a, as a three legged stool.
First of all, I think there's the motivation.
Many of my friends, you know, who are my age are talking about retirement or preparing for retirement and the conversation quickly goes to, well, what are you going to do in retirement? And, and oftentimes they, they give me an answer that's a little concerning, which is, I don't know, I'll figure it out then.
And, and that wasn't necessarily in my plan. My plan has always been save, save, save. But then what? And franchising is my what.
So, so I'm building a business now so that when I retire that gives me both an income stream and frankly, meaningful, meaningful work. I think the other part of that is diversification. Our investments, my wife and I Investments are in IRAs, 401ks, homeownership, pensions, things like that. And they're tied to the market.
And a franchise is a different kind of asset that can produce Cash flow outside of daily market swings. And then really throughout the course of our conversation, we really talked about, you know, another big reason and that's transition. And that's the third leg I would say would build a smooth transition into retirement that includes my family. My, my son in law is great. He's going to be our general, our general manager. My son, my son is an engineer. He's going to be part of this equation.
My daughter is going to be helping with some sales and my other daughter, there's always room for her when she's ready.
So it creates something we can eventually sell, hand off, create that legacy that we often talk about. And my retirement turns from an ending to a new family chapter.
[00:03:34] Kim Daly: It's so good. That's so inspiring. That legacy piece speaks to so many people. I love the vision. So I want to go back because I remember when we started, started talking, you had come to me with a specific idea because you loved a particular business and you thought, well, I love it and I know it's sold in my backyard, but I want to go to the closest one, which by the way, you're in Louisville. And I don't know if I'm going to say that correctly, but Louisville, Kentucky. And so we were talking about the Cincinnati market, which was an open market, but I saw a lot of plot flaws in that when you mentioned it. But I'm not here to just put, poke holes at people's dreams. I'm here to talk you through it. So take us back to you being a great fan of a particular business if you want to say what it is and why that inspired you to the idea of wanting to own a franchise in the first place.
[00:04:26] Jamie Badgett: Yeah, I think the, the conversation that you and I had was there's a world of franchise opportunities. What is it about this one that you're looking at that has, you know, that checks all of the boxes and many of the boxes were, were checked. But I think as we walked through the actual ownership of what that would look like and the level of involvement that I would have to have, it really became a matter of, hey, is there something else that would be a better match? And that's where your survey that I went through was so incredibly helpful because it got me out of the mindset of what do I like versus how do I want to make a living and earn money at this?
So I really had to stack that up against some of the others that you brought forward and just make a decision like, hey, these home services are a real deal. And it wasn't anything that I necessarily considered until our conversation. So it wasn't necessarily you poking holes in my dream, because you didn't. You really just expanded my. My world. And it was incredibly helpful. And I went through some validation calls with those other brands. When I finally landed on, on, on the brand that I'm working with now.
[00:05:41] Kim Daly: Okay. So to give some clarity and color to the conversation so the listener isn't like, what are they talking about? I'm going to expose a little bit. Okay. So when you first came to me, you were a great customer of a business called Southern Steer. It's a butchery, it's a local butchery. And you love the product and you love the experience. And you came to me and said, I want to own one of these. But your backyard was sold. Right. Because that's why you were able to go there and be a customer. So you were going. You were willing to explore the idea of traveling about 45 minutes or so away, as I recall. Correct. To find that open territory. But immediately when you had said to me, well, I want to keep my job because I'm building this for my retirement, but I still like my job, I still want my income. I don't want to leave my job to do this, I said to myself, hmm, so that's going to be a problem.
To introduce the factor of a time element of driving 45 minutes or whatever it was to that open market complicates just the day to day running of a new business while you have a full time job. So that was like the first, like, plot flaw that I immediately saw in my head, like, okay, but, but we'll do it. And we put Southern Steer for Cincinnati into the mix.
[00:06:59] Jamie Badgett: Yep.
[00:06:59] Kim Daly: But now as we got together in our one hour consultation where I was talking you through money in and money out and, you know, thinking about the level of investment at this point in your life.
[00:07:11] Jamie Badgett: Right.
[00:07:12] Kim Daly: Southern Steer is a pretty big investment and it would require you to go way out over your financial skis. So this was the second plot flaw that I saw. But I'm not here to judge because you might have said yes and you did. You wanted to explore it. But knowing what I know, because I've done this for a really long time, I know that people typically love to put in the least amount of money possible for the biggest return. Right. So, like, I want to be able to stack the odds in favor of you actually walking away with what you came here for a business. Right. So knowing these things, this is the experience franchise consultant in me kind of knowing the road you're about to walk down and where your, your mind and your heart and your fears are all going to go. Because I've done this like thousands of times, right.
So I expanded that model to say, okay, let's put Southern Steer over here, but what else? And that's where we dove in, in that consultation and we really started focusing on the characteristics of your ideal quality of life, the ideal people you create jobs for, the ideal customer that you serve. And so we weren't dialed into a product or service that you personally love, because that's not what we're doing when we invest in a business. We're dialing into the outcomes that you would love, because that's what business ownership is really about. No one actually wants the franchise. We want the money. We want the time freedom. We want the ability to build and scale. Correct.
[00:08:50] Jamie Badgett: Jamie, I'm tracking with you.
[00:08:53] Kim Daly: Okay, so I'm just filling in the listener so that you realize, oh, this is what Kim Daly does for you? Yes, this is what I do. And so there's zero judgment on my part. Lots of candidates come to me with a specific idea. Okay, great. Maybe it's the right one, maybe it's not. If you're coming to me, though, what I'm going to say is allow me to be the expert just for a minute. Allow me to just challenge your thinking, broaden your thinking, and then let's just see what the actual best business is. So, Jamie, after all of that, we went through a couple of months of due diligence, meeting different franchisors, kicking the tires, comparing and contrasting the new ideas to the Southern Steer Steer idea. And what was awesome, it doesn't always happen, but what was awesome in your case is Southern Steer didn't really stay in the mix too long because I found options that you could do right in your backyard. So we eliminate the commute. That's a huge relief when you own a job. And I found options that were significantly lower investments and, and that validated with existing owners that you could keep your full time job and still do it and do it well. So those were the key things that, knowing what I know, because this is my business, I fed to him and he saw it so clearly that Southern Steer sort of just went away while his attention got diverted to some of the other ideas.
So, Jamie, do you mind sharing with the listener the idea that probably took you by surprise, but is the one that you're leaning into and about to become a franchisee of?
[00:10:34] Jamie Badgett: Yeah, surprisingly but not surprisingly, I guess is puddle pools. And it is a pool. It's a full ecosystem of pool services, whether it's cleaning water features, hot tubs and pools, it's installations, it's leak detection, it's a full service, full service program there and it has a great legs and it's a, it's, it's one of those where you have to start with where's the problem in the marketplace to see if this even makes sense. And that is a very disparate industry right now. And I think photo brings a great value proposition and I'm already seeing interest level long before even signing the franchise agreement. Just local interest level in something like this, to have a professional service come and take care of your pool and a person that's called that you could call and you know, be dependable.
[00:11:26] Kim Daly: Love it. And I'm going to come and ask the consultant and say some of the characteristics because we're not here to really talk about puddle pools. What I want to just com confirm or validate to the listener is like, what was it like? He didn't come to me going, oh yeah, I want to be in the pool cleaning business, right? Nobody wants that. He didn't want a franchise, he doesn't want puddle pools. So why is he doing it? Because when you look at the characteristics of this business, right, it's a light investment that allows you to enter and scale as you go versus putting a half a million or a million dollars upfront into the build out of a business and then waiting for the return. It's a business that runs through a lot of technology that allows him to be at his full time job and have the pulse on exactly where his business is. It's a business that allows him to start with a small team and scale, scale the team as the revenue is there to meet it. It's a business that has year round revenue even in what some would say is a seasonal market. Yes, you're going to have higher seasons and lower seasons, but in time you can make this a full year round, very significant business. So there are characteristics of this that started to speak to him because the man kept an open heart, an open mind and an open heart and followed Kim Daly down the little rabbit hole and he found this opportunity. So that's the setup to get everybody caught up to why I'm inviting my first ever candidate onto my podcast before he's become a franchisee. Because something very pivotal happened in Jamie's due diligence that I see happening over and over and over. And before I became the mindset coach launching the Z suite. I would not have had this conversation on a podcast, which is why I never have.
But now that I am the mindset coach, this is like, the entire conversation. What Jamie and I are about to share with you is a conversation that I've had hundreds, if not thousands of times with many other candidates, most of whom ended up walking away from their dream because they were stuck. But Jamie took the coaching that I offered in that moment and literally ran with it to the finish line and is now becoming a franchisee. So, Jamie, let's go back to what happened is we were moving along. We were getting close to his meet the team day, and all of a sudden, I won't say ghosting, but all of a sudden there was a lot of, like, stopping right. There was missing calls, there was, I need two weeks, I need. There was time delays being in you, like, woven into the process where the developer for Puddle and I were like, what's going on with Jamie? Not judging, just what's going on. So take us back, Jamie, to that time frame of your process.
And what were you feeling emotionally that maybe had you sort of start pumping the brakes on this process?
[00:14:30] Jamie Badgett: Yeah. Thanks, Kim. It's a great setup. I think what. What I was experiencing is, you know, I've had a corporate career leading business divisions, heading up departments, great success over the years, and this was something completely out of my universe. Franchising entrepreneurialship was completely new to me, and I think where I was getting is the due diligence had been done. The. The model made sense, the numbers made sense, the lifestyle fit. Everything was clicking except I needed to fish or cut bait. And I think what was happening is I was finding other ways to do more research, talk to more people, get more information.
And I got into this. Where I got stuck was this, you've heard it a thousand times, analysis paralysis, because it was there in front of me. But I was ready to make a decision.
And frankly, it was a tough decision to make. I had invited family members over. Hey, on this date, we're going to get together, we're going to talk about. I was still looking for more validation, but it was really that. That phone call that, you know, you did a great job, you know, reaching out to me, jumped on a call, told you where my head was. And that's exactly, sort of the pivotal point is I was in my own head and. And you just sort of shook me and said, hey, you've done this in your professional career. You do this endurance stuff in your. In Your. In your social life, and you have more than enough experience to do this. And it was more than a pep talk for anybody that might be thinking that. It was a. It was a call to arms. You are ready to go. This is. You've got everything in front of you. The franchise model, how they work, the support in the franchise world, and you've got the skill set that transfers. And that was just a relief just to hear someone who has my best interest at heart to lay it out so simply. It was a huge relief. It pulled me out of my head and I just kept thinking, I'm not starting from zero. That's the beauty of the franchise model, the network.
I was just applying my skills in a new environment.
[00:16:50] Kim Daly: It's so good, Jamie, and I just appreciate you for sharing that so much. Because this is the make or break moment for everybody who explores a franchise. Anybody can do the talking, but only the people who can push through that moment are the ones who get to live the dream someday, right?
So the value of an experienced franchise consultant. I earned my value, if you will, in that moment to help him. Not to talk him into it, to talk him through it.
So for those of you who are out there listening, know that when you are stepping out and doing something different, your intellectual mind, which was built for survival, is going to feel threatened by the idea of your decision to grow.
Growth is good. It's why we're here as a human, right? But then this intellectual mind in this physical body wants to keep us stuck in the familiar comfort zone. Why? Because its very job is survival in anything that's different, even if different equals good, challenges survival.
So every single time we humans decide to change our life, we bump into resistance. Most of that resistance becomes. Comes in the form of the story that starts playing in our head and the what ifs. And that's where Jamie was. It's a very common place. I told him, look, buddy, you're not to say that you're not unique, but hey, congratulations, you're not unique. Like, this is not a Jamie Badget. Like, oh, my God, he's so, like, stuck in his own head. This is a human thing.
And what happens is it doesn't just happen one time.
You decide, you push through it, you become a franchise owner. And it's going to happen again when you are a business owner, because every day when you're a business owner, you're going to be challenged with growth that's going to require you to think new thoughts and challenge that familiar comfort zone that wants to keep you safe now. The more times you do it, the easier it gets to shush that voice and overpower it. But the first few times you do it, baby, let me tell you, most people can't. Which is why I was like, you got to come on my show, and we have got to share this story, because I did not talk him into this. I am not here. I'm not here to judge whether you decide franchising is right for you or the timing is right for you. I'm here to challenge you in the moment. You need challenging for you to decide.
Because how sad to know you want to do this. And the only thing that's preventing you is some story that you're allowing to run rampant in your mind to keep you stuck in your comfort zone simply because you don't even understand that that story is a survival mechanism.
And the way they're overrided is just to use your. Your logical mind, Your other logical mind that just says, look, I just did all this homework, like Jamie said. I'm not going it alone. I'm investing in people I've validated with other franchisees who are making money, who are happy. I've done all of the steps. And you have to reprogram the thinking with the new thinking.
And sometimes you need a coach who's like, you can do this. And one of the things I learned about this man in that moment that I didn't know before was that in his personal life, he does endurance events, like 100 miles or something. On your bike, Jamie.
[00:20:40] Jamie Badgett: 134 to be exact. But yeah, on a single day, I
[00:20:45] Kim Daly: mean, I hear this and I'm like, okay, okay, okay. So, Jamie, when you're on your bike, okay, and you're 50 miles into 134 mile bike race, and your legs are screaming at you, what the heck do you do to keep going? What do you do, Jamie?
[00:21:01] Jamie Badgett: But, you know, it's. It's about the. It's about the finish, honestly. You know, you're thinking, okay, I'm 50 miles in, I need nutrition, hydration. But I'm focused on the 134.
I did Seattle to Portland, and I. My whole ride was. Was focused on what Portland's going to be like. So you really just set yourself, you know, to, you know, 10 miles, 20 miles in advance. And that. That's really what, you know, I would say is happening here is once we. Once we made the decision to move forward, I'm already thinking 10, 20 miles ahead. I'm already thinking about where, you know, where we're going to market. I'm already thinking about who are my next employees that are going to be part of the organization. So. So I took that bicycling, you know, idea and. And just. It's exactly the same. You know, it's moving forward. It's always looking at the end goal. And 50 miles doesn't. Doesn't mean that much. 55 doesn't mean that much because I'm focusing on the. On the 134.
[00:22:04] Kim Daly: So. It's so good. It's so good. I. All I did was help him apply this unbelievable mindset he's honed on a bicycle and helped him translate that to. That's the mindset that drives success in your business. Not focusing on where you are now and focusing from the lack, focusing on where you want to be, keeping your eyes on the end game. It's a complete mindset shift. And, I mean, I don't even know. I don't know if I ate my Wheaties that day or. This man was just ready. And we just had this connected moment where it was like, boom. All of that, stop, start, stop, start, stop, start. Where he was focused on probably who he wasn't, what he had never done before, how he just wasn't sure if he had enough information to this one conversation. And he was like, I mean, I don't need to talk to my family. I don't need any more validation. I know I have it. He was immediately empowered, and nothing external to him changed.
All that changed was what he heard me say and how he then applied it to what he already knew about himself and how powerful he is. He stepped into his truth, and he was off and running. True story, Jamie.
[00:23:30] Jamie Badgett: True story. I would say the only correction to that statement is, I'm not off and running. I'm off and riding.
[00:23:38] Kim Daly: It's so good.
I. I want to now just wrap this up by.
So, you know, we. We. You were talking about your wife being a little bit hesitant when you had this breakthrough moment, because everybody has a spouse, whether it's the husband or the wife. Right? Everybody has a spouse that may or may not be completely on board with the goal, with the dream, starting a business, doing the riskiest thing. Go put it in air quotes that you can do.
So when you felt empowered, how did that change your approach in talking to your wife and even the rest of your family about what you were now deciding to do?
[00:24:19] Jamie Badgett: Yeah, that. That was. That was a. That was a pivotal moment and I think in our conversations and somewhat to our relationship after 34 years. I've, I've built up some, some credits, if you will, level of trust in jobs that I have taken over the years that, you know, might have required more travel, things of that nature.
So, so really, I, I changed the conversation from permission to trust. This isn't something I'm asking you to do with me. This is something I'm asking you to trust me on because she's a retired teacher and, you know, understanding entrepreneurialism is probably the farthest thing from her mind at times. But it was, it was that conversation of, here's why you should trust me. These are the things that, you know, I've certainly researched. You know, we made, made that very clear. But here's what I have done and here's what I want this for our family.
And she was, you know, with a few questions, she was in all in. And it's been just a real, real pleasure to have her on my side.
[00:25:27] Kim Daly: Of course she's in. She just needed your confidence, and you just needed your confidence.
And I'm so happy that I got to be your daily coach in that moment and help you remember who you are and what you're capable of because of all the things you've done in the past to get you to this moment.
Such an inspiring story, is it not? For those of you who are listening, give us a clap, give us a thumbs up up on the video, Put your comments below and tell us your pivotal moment that changed your life. Jamie, before we end this amazing, amazing episode, for those people who are on the, on the outside right now, who are on the sideline, who are stuck in that moment, or who haven't even taken the first step to reach out to Kim Daly. What advice do you offer to those people, those listeners right now?
[00:26:13] Jamie Badgett: Yeah, I think one thing I would tell the audience is if you're considering it or even if you're stuck like I was, you know, this, this idea of having a vision is so important, you know, just in your, in your career, in your daily life. Just having a vision and then setting up milestones to get to that, to get to that end goal, that, that finish line, if you will.
So I would say just like my bike riding, I know how, I know how long it's going to be. I have places where I need to make, make important stops, you know, so maybe there's a time period to have an important stop, reevaluate, make sure you have all of your analysis, but keep, keep moving forward, have a stake in the ground, have a decision date in Mind and, you know, just fish or cut bait. I guess that's the.
That's the. That's the end statement there.
[00:27:02] Kim Daly: And, Jamie, do we want them to go it alone?
[00:27:06] Jamie Badgett: No.
[00:27:08] Kim Daly: Who do we want them to call?
Not Ghostbusters.
[00:27:12] Jamie Badgett: No. No.
It's. Our conversations are always super fun and, you know, informational, educational and supportive. So you've just been. You've been right there with me. Thank you.
[00:27:25] Kim Daly: I will continue to be if you join me in the Z Suite. So I love it. I am so honored to be a part of this amazing journey and story from where we started to where you're going and where you're going to continue to go building this legacy for your family. It's so inspiring. It's why I love what I do. And so for those who are out there who are ready to begin your own journey, please know that Kim Daly wants to be your franchise consultant and. And your daily mindset coach. You can follow the link in the description below to reach out and contact me right away. I will follow up with you personally within 24 hours and we will open the conversation. As I said, I will never talk you into this. Franchising is not the right investment for everyone. The timing is not right for everyone. But I will absolutely educate you and help you talk it through so. So that you can make that informed and educated decision. My services are totally free for you. On the consulting side, you never pay me any money. I'm paid by the franchisors to help you.
So don't let money be the thing that keeps you on the sideline. Don't let fear be the thing that keeps you on the sideline. Let's use Jamie's inspiring story to push you into the game. Reach out to Kim Daly right now, today, because I really, really can't wait to meet you. Until next time, please don't forget that my name is Kim Daly and I want to be your daily coach.
Thank you for tuning in to this week's episode. If you're ready to define wealth on your terms, explore franchise ownership or gain more confidence, clarity and control, as a business owner, I'd love to be your daily coach.
