Picture this scenario:
You're a top producing sales professional for a large, established company.
You've earned a high six-figure income in that role for the last decade.
You have a huge benefit package including health insurance, 401k, vacation time, and flexibility.
You have a large amount of comfort in your position, but you believe you're capable of more.
If the above scenario described your life, would you risk it all to start your own business in an industry in which you have no prior experience? That's exactly what James Howard of Houston, Texas did! Last week, he made the decision to pursue his dreams of business ownership by becoming the owner of the Honest Abe Roofing Franchise in North Houston.
Although he was comfortable with his life, he was not satisfied. He believes that he is meant for more; more control, more financial freedom, MORE! He took what Gino Wickman (author of Traction, and How to Be a Great Boss) describes as the Entrepreneurial Leap. He did so to get his "MORE", and because his life philosophy is, "Nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity!". We're thrilled that he took his opportunity to become a franchise owner of Honest Abe Roofing!
The picture below is from a slide on the presentation that he gave to our Franchise Approval Team prior to being awarded the franchise territory. It details his motivation for this "New Adventure". You'll see that the reasons given for him to become a franchise owner were:
Be his own boss.
Be part of something bigger.
Financial Independence.
Power and control over life.
To be a solution to a problem.
Execute a business model that has been proven to work.
Those reasons are common amongst most franchise applicants. Motivation is not enough to push our Franchise Approval Team to award the territory. We must see that motivation is combined with determination, attitude, and aptitude. You'll see, in the paragraphs to come, that it's clear that James has everything that we are looking for in a prospective Franchise Business Partner. It's what we call "Abe-titude".
MEET JAMES HOWARD
James is a native Texan, currently living in the Houston area. Growing up in Texas showed him the importance of hard work, integrity, service, and dedication to family. It's with those characteristics that he lives his life.
For the last 23 years, James has been in the field of sales. As we mentioned previously, he's a top producer! In 2020, he had personal sales exceeding $8 million. He's consistently over-achieved at his craft, so much so that he's been recognized as a top performer in the nation and has been a seven-time Champions Club winner in his organization.
When not working, he spends his days with his family, friends, and his dog Gunner. An avid sports fan, James has season tickets to the Houston Astros, and Houston Texans.
WHY DID WE APPROVE JAMES?
We are very selective when deciding to approve the applications of our potential Franchise Business Partners. We view our franchise like it's our baby. We need to make sure that anyone that will be taking our baby into their territories must be excellent care-givers. We want our baby to be protected, to be nurtured, and to be given everything it needs to grow. James definitely passed that test.
Characteristics that we liked about James:
Tremendous sales experience.
Integrity.
Results oriented personality.
Proven ability to be a problem solver.
Familiar with financial statements.
Proficient in the use of multiple CRM software's.
Construction management experience.
Strong Core Values.
One of the main things that we look at when deciding to approve franchise applicants is their list of core values. When forming any partnership, all parties must have core values that are aligned.
JAMES' CORE VALUES:
LEAD - A God centered life around the principles of integrity, excellence, service to others, and trustworthiness.
REMEMBER - Remember what's important in life is happiness, free-time, peace of mind, security, and wealth (not only financial wealth but also in spirit and positive attitude).
REVERE - Admire characteristics in others, and implement similar characteristics into my own life.
RECOGNIZE - Reflect on my strengths and develop talents as a person who is responsible, trustworthy, a great communicator, entertaining, generous, a strong leader, and dynamic public speaker.
HUMBLE - Acknowledge that I can be wrong about anything, at any time by constantly trying to transform my weakness into strength.
ENVISION - Determine the me I want to be, and visualize it until it comes true.
HONEST ABE ROOFING FRANCHISE'S CORE VALUES:
GROWTH FOCUSED - Strive to continue growing in scope, revenue, and as leaders in business and life.
DON'T JUST PLAY THE GAME, LIVE THE GAME - Be obsessed in everything that we do.
ALWAYS HAVE FUN - Have fun, even through the tough times.
ALWAYS AHEAD OF THE CURVE - Anticipate market changes and proactively change direction to remain innovative.
RESOLUTE - Be strong and confident in all aspects of the Honest Abe Roofing Franchise business model.
REWARD BASED ON MERIT - Earn everything and never expect anything unwarranted.
As you can see, there are a lot of similarities between the core values of James and those of Honest Abe Roofing Franchise. Those similarities will lead to a strong, mutually beneficial partnership as we both work to dominate the Houston, Texas Roofing Industry.
We couldn't be more excited to welcome James Howard to the Honest Abe Roofing Franchise team! He has many of the same characteristics that our most successful Franchise Business Partners have. The roadmap to achievement is there, it's now up to James to execute.
Find out how you too can open your own Honest Abe Roofing Franchise by clicking this link and scheduling a call with a Franchise Advisor.
"That some achieve great success, is proof to all that others can achieve it as well." - Abraham Lincoln