Franchise Business Interview got the chance to interview Kelsey Stuart, Bloomin\u2019 Blinds\u2019 co-founder and CEO. Explore some of his favorite stories, some challenges he faced, as well as what he looks for in possible franchise owners. We broke down the top 5 things we learned from this through interview:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Celebrations and success have always been a cornerstone for Bloomin\u2019 Blinds. Although we celebrate every success our franchise owners have, Stuart had the chance to delve into one of his favorite success stories. \u201cOne of our favorite success stories involves one of our owners that is a combat veteran. This owner is a very smart guy. He came in as a franchise owner, [kind of] cruised through training, and thought he was smart enough to not need much for coaching. He struggled for sales and growth. After almost entirely exhausting his reserves, this owner finally came to us for help and we were more than happy to help him. Two years later, he just bought a second territory.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, with any franchise, some difficult moments have to be faced. When asked about difficult moments he has encountered, Stuart shared a challenging moment in his career. \u201cThe most gut-wrenching moment was when we had to close down a franchise location because our franchisee was taking deposits and not providing the product. The owner was creating a bad reputation for the brand and customers were being avoided and lied to. We had to protect the brand and the customers and terminate his franchise agreement, that was a hard day!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He goes on to share, \u201cIt was difficult at first as we had to learn this whole new industry. We had to learn the impact of wrong decisions from one person and how one franchise partner can affect the entire brand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you\u2019re exploring franchise opportunities, it\u2019s important to understand what goes into the daily operations of an owner. Of course, no day is boring at Bloomin\u2019 Blinds with our hands-on owner approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe primarily want our franchise owners to start off as an owner-operator. There\u2019s a need for the owner to be heavily involved in the business, window coverings are more technical than anyone ever imagines before they come on board. If an owner has never done the work themselves, then how can they lead their team? This is a really nice job at first. We love owners who are willing to come in and get their hands dirty, learn how to scale, and then add employees to the business. With time and volume, owners then add staff and management of the staff to their day-to-day team.\u201d Stuart has seen owners grow and become industry-leaders, with little to no experience with window coverings beforehand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As 2020 has been a difficult year for many, Bloomin\u2019 Blinds has been able to prove it\u2019s recession resilience and dedication to our communities. When asked about what goals he has for the franchise model in the future, Stuart shared, \u201cWe want to be a household name. Right now, there is one household name in the industry \u2014 I am grateful for what these pioneers have proven to be possible, but now we see a path to take what they have done, yet do it better. It\u2019s a lot of fun to see our owners succeed and meet their goals. \u2018We have a saying: I can\u2019t buy my boat, until 7 of you guys buy yours.\u2019 If we keep the focus on the franchise and the owners, then we can create a healthy system that will thrive!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n