Maybe the prospective franchisee chose to join the EventPrep family because they enjoyed the hotel setting. Maybe they went to college to get a degree in hospitality management, or received an event planning certificate, or simply relished planning events for friends and family as a hobby. Maybe they have a deep desire to help customers enjoy an incredible experience. Whatever the case with their personal or professional backstory, we’ve found that the most successful franchisees all have one thing in common: they prepare for success. Stated simply, that means being ready for both the expected and the unexpected.

The fact is, not everything in life goes as planned. In some instances, a single unplanned event could change the trajectory your life in an instant—for better or worse. Steve and I didn’t plan to capture the number one spot in a $25 billion dollar industry. We didn’t plan to eventually go on to have hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts. Nor did we plan to experience nearly 25,000 percent growth over the first three years and make the Inc 500 twice, ranked number 23 and number 2—becoming the second fastest growing privately held company in the United States.

We may not have planned for this level of success, but Steve and I were certainly prepared. Why? Because we understood that success doesn’t happen as a result of planning. Success is a result of being prepared. As the saying goes, trophies are earned on the practice field and picked up at tournaments. Success in anything is a result of grueling preparation, whether you’re a Super Bowl quarterback, a concert musician who performs at Carnegie Hall, or an EventPrep franchisee. It’s in the daily grind, the routine practicing, the endless drills that eventually transform learning into experience and experience into success.

A successful franchisee has preparation ingrained in their day-to-day lives. They prepare for the expected everyday by being motivated, positive, and open to learn. They prepare for the unexpected everyday by having a Plan B, C, and D. They are able to adapt at a moment’s notice. And they remain vigilant and proactive, even when things are going smoothly.

By being prepared, success is always in the crosshairs for our franchisees. By being prepared. they embody the power of prowess, preparation, and process. By being prepared, they are able to capitalize on unique opportunities to reach their ultimate potential…and achieve their dreams!

For more, check out Prep For Success: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Achieving Your Dreams!

Paul and I didn’t plan to capture the number one spot in the $25 billion dollar event planning industry. We didn’t plan to eventually go on to have hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts. Nor did we plan to experience nearly 25,000% growth over the first three years and make the Inc 500 twice, ranked number 23 and number 2—becoming the second fastest growing privately held company in the United States.

We may not have planned for it, but we were prepared. Little did we realize we had been preparing for success our entire lives. And whether you know it or not, you’ve been preparing your entire life for this very moment. Every job, every set back, every time you’ve fallen and gotten back up, every experience has led to you reading these very words at this moment in your life. And, just maybe, owning your own business and becoming a franchisee.

You are the reason Paul and I went on to launch EventPrep®, a home-based, life-style franchise opportunity—a forward-thinking, full-service event planning and management company, headquartered in Central Florida. It leverages our parent company’s globally recognized brand name, Federal Conference, while capitalizing on our in-depth industry experience and relationships. Our reach is global, and our primary focus is to save clients time, money, and anxiety while planning unforgettable events.

One of our most successful franchisees said goodbye to his old life and hello to a new one. A new life where he makes over three times his old salary as a hotel manager. In his own words:

“It’s a completely different world. I wake up and get to take my son to school almost every day now (never once before). I missed out on so much when he was a baby. I go to work in my pajamas while I sip on my coffee and no one disturbs me, except my dog. I make my own schedule, vacation when I want to and answer to no one. I am valued by Paul and Steve and love being a part of building the business and helping new franchisees. I get to travel to so many places now for conferences and sites, and I get spoiled along the way (never a bad thing), where I used to be the one spoiling my clients.  In short, my life has done a 180 degree turn and I could not be happier.”

And if you think you are too old, or too young, or too broke, or not smart enough, or not organized enough to succeed, you are wrong. It’s never the wrong time to take control of your destiny, become a franchisee, and transform your entire life!

If you’ve seen the movie The Sixth Sense starring Bruce Willis, you’re familiar with the line by young Haley Joel Osment in reference to his unique psychic ability to spot ghosts: “I see dead people.” My version of that unique ability while serving as a recruiter can be summed up with an equally compelling, though less creepy line: “I see enlistments.”

Recognizing talent and opportunity in potential candidates was almost like a sixth sense to me. Why? Because I’m passionate about people, about helping them find their purpose, and I only sell what I believe in. As Mark Twain once said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”

My secret was to never directly try to recruit potential enlistments. Instead, I enabled them to learn more about themselves and their passions. Major General Ronald O. Harrison, a two star general and mentor in my life once said, “Paul, go find young people of promise and enable them to become.” Those words helped me be one of the most successful recruiters in the National Guard, and it also helped me retain the very same talent Steve and I hired for our business over a decade ago.

“Enabling them to become” means finding people who have dreams and helping them fulfill those dreams. It’s about connecting people with their passion, with their purpose. The funny thing is that sometimes we are aware of our purpose, but sometimes it takes a little outside help. When an employer can guide and mentor a talented employee toward their purpose, a whole new level of dedication and commitment arises, which in turn helps the company. Because remember, a business’ success is not just based on attracting and recruiting the right talent. It’s also about retaining the talent.

If recruiting is about empowering, retaining is about celebrating—showing gratitude and appreciation. Keeping people happy and encouraging them to want to stay isn’t magic. Business owners should celebrate the new people coming on, and include their families. You want people to want to come to work. You want people who want to work in the environment that you’re creating. But how do you create that kind of environment? You build a culture of appreciation, of respect, of working hard and playing hard. You give people a purpose and support that purpose consistently.

That’s what employing others is really about. To help people Prep for Success…so they can achieve their dreams.

So they can become.

This principle is no truer or more important than right now during these extremely unpredictable economic times. While many business owners who have been forced to temporarily shut down are concerned for the survival of their company—and rightfully so—making sure they are doing everything in their power to keep their employees paid, at the very least through the federal government’s recently passed SBA relief options, is critical. 

By design, Steve and I have worked very hard to maintain our culture. We reflect on it daily and are constantly taking the temperature of it. If for any reason we ever see, think, or feel like something just isn’t quite right, we address it immediately. Our primary focus is making sure our employees are happy, safe, respected, and are paid fairly—even during difficult times. Why? Because we know that a strong culture of “employees first” translates to success for us all.

To illustrate, consider this statement from a 2017 Gallup Poll: “[Employees who feel appreciated] are more present and productive; they are more attuned to the needs of customers; and they are more observant of processes, standards, and systems. When taken together, the behaviors of [appreciated employees] results in 21 percent greater profitability.”

In our headquarters to this day are many of our original employees. For example, Tina Marie started as an event planner, ended up being a manager, then went over to registration, and finally became the senior registration manager. She’s been on the employee recognition board for just about every category, more than anyone else, because she’s a rock star in everything that she does. But why that kind of over-achieving? Because Steve and I invest in our employees and think beyond the bottom line.

 And Tina Marie saw that true compassion and heart when she needed it most.

When her sister passed away, I put on a suit and took the day off of work to make the four hour drive to attend the funeral. I didn’t know her sister or anyone else there for that matter, but I came so I could walk up to Tina Marie, hug her, offer her words of comfort, and pay my respects. Steve and I have attended dozens wedding showers, baby showers, first houses, and even U.S. citizenship ceremonies because we consider our employees more than just worker bees—to us, they are family.

This too shall pass, as the saying goes, even something as disrupting as a global pandemic. But the fact is, if you own a business, you can’t afford not to put your employees first, especially during a time like this. Because when the clouds part and you are ready to serve your customers once again, if you’ve had the backs of your employees, they will be sure to have yours.

The reality is that businesses exist to make money. So it’s no surprise that increasing profits is a major driving force for a lot of business owners. But we wanted to build a culture of energetic, dedicated, and passionate individuals who loved what they did for a living. We knew we truly wanted to create something bigger than ourselves.

And we realized right away we had to throw out the 50/50 split model that our competitors covet and build an even better compensation model.

If you’re not familiar with the 50/50 model, here’s how it works: Companies basically hire anyone and everyone who has an inkling of sales ability as 1099 subcontractors, they throw some business cards in their hands, then tell them to sell, sell, sell, with 50 percent of the profits going back to the company. As subcontractors, they receive no benefits of any kind, and lack the cohesive environment that is traditionally associated with a winning culture.

We wanted to build an event planning company that actually put our franchisees and W-2 employees first, taking exceptional care of them, and not being greedy. And that philosophy became a cornerstone in creating EventPrep.

When nearly everyone else in the industry is splitting revenues 50/50 with their sales representatives for every dollar that comes in, we decided on 70/30. That’s right! Franchisees get 70 percent, while our team gets 30 percent. Why would we take a smaller cut than the rest of the industry? Because we realized that our job as a franchisor is to help people start a business and grow a business. Our job is to make our franchisees successful, because when they succeed, we succeed. And allowing them the larger share of the pie ensures that kind of success.

But to be a true disruptor in the industry, we knew we had to get even more radical. To that end, the second a franchisee signs on with EventPrep, they start working and building something for themselves. And we are right there beside them, helping those franchisees build it. Whether the franchisee puts in six years or sixteen years, at the end of the day they have something that they’ve built, something that has actual value, and something they can sell to monetize their exit. They are building a nest egg. They have a retirement. And they have something to show for all the hard work. 

With EventPrep, franchisees are in business for themselves. They own the business. The clients that franchisees bring to the table remain their clients. For me and Paul, franchisees aren’t numbers. They aren’t an opportunity to make money from. Our franchisees are hard-working people who deserve the very best opportunities and support in life to enjoy success, reduce stress, and realize their potential.

Before we get to what sets them apart, let’s examine what they all have in common. They all claim to be the best in the business. Each store touts their gem quality as superior to their competitors. The fact is, when you peel back the skin of illusion, the gems themselves sitting beneath the glass are actually rated by an outside organization. The diamond earrings at Tiffany’s rated a “D” on color and “I1” on clarity technically have the same value as the diamond earrings with a similar clarity and color rating found beneath the case at a local boutique jewelers. The same goes for sapphires, emeralds, rubies, and other precious gemstones. So what makes people pay more for the same thing?  

Perceived value—that intangible quality that drives someone to choose one particular product, store, or service over another. Think about why people line up at Starbucks and pay upwards of $5 for a cup of coffee? Because the person who makes it is called a barista. And it’s not called a large coffee, it’s a Venti coffee.What Starbucks has done, and done brilliantly, is create a perceived value. But they’re still selling coffee. No matter how many flavors and dashes of this and that you add, your low-fat Venti no whip iced caramel hazelnut triple shot macchiato is still coffee. And you’ll happily stand in line with a bunch of other people willing to pay twice as much for it.

Harley-Davidson is another great example of a company that has created perceived value. People are so loyal and excited to do business with that brand that there are people who can’t afford to buy a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, yet who will still buy the clothing and wear it. They’ll tattoo their bodies with the Harley-Davidson logo. They live the lifestyle but can’t even afford to buy the main product.

Short of getting an EventPrep tattoo, Steve and I wanted to inspire that kind of brand loyalty and level of engagement with our business. And to stand out in a field of small and large event planning companies, we really had to think about what would make EventPrep different. 

The key to creating perceived value is all about selling a vision, an opportunity. We realized we needed to sell potential franchisees an intangible…essentially a dream. Their dream—of success, of financial freedom, and of real ownership stake. By sharing franchisee success stories, as well as our own, we are able to give potential franchisees an opportunity to feel and experience that intangible of their own dreams coming true.

So think about what sets your business apart, and how you can create perceived value. Like Tiffany’s, Starbucks, and Harley-Davidson, just as much focus needs to be put into selling the intangibles as the tangibles.

Solopreneurship takes a special kind of person and a special way of thinking. Solopreneurs aren’t satisfied with the status quo. They just aren’t content being confined in a box and having their futures planned out for them. They are always striving for more and asking why.

Solopreneurship isn’t easy and it isn’t for everyone. But if approached properly and with the right mindset, owning your own business and running things solo can be one of the most rewarding and profitable things you ever do. So what’s the key? Be prepared!

It sounds simple, but Steve and I live by those words every day, and not simply because we were both Boy Scouts. Preparation has helped us in every single facet of our lives—from our time spent in the military and as law enforcement officers, to our professional and personal relationships. We literally wrote the book on it with our bestseller: Prep for Success: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Achieving Your Dreams. Steve and I may be preparation experts, but you’re no stranger to it. Preparation is ingrained in our day-to-day lives, in the things we do without thinking. What you are having for dinner tonight is a result of preparation (or a maybe a lack thereof!). But whether it’s a five-course meal, leftovers, or carry out, you are prepared to eat something.

For Solopreneurs, preparation means visualizing the best while anticipating the worst. It means staying sharp, strong, and always motivated. And it means seizing opportunity. Recognizing opportunity is one thing. Having the ability and taking the initiative to seize it is something altogether different. And the key to seizing an opportunity is identifying a need greater than your own…that of your customers. As a business owner, you have many needs—personnel needs, supply needs, payroll needs, and scaling needs just to name a few. The customer has a plethora of needs as well, and not one of them involves paying you money. So how do you seize an opportunity with a customer? Find a way to meet their needs.

We didn’t plan to go from a Solopreneurship to capturing the number one spot in a $25 billion dollar industry. Nor did we plan to experience nearly 25,000 percent growth over the first three years and make the Inc 500 twice, ranked number 23 and number 2—becoming the second fastest-growing privately held company in the United States.

But planning isn’t the same as being prepared. When you are prepped for success, realizing your potential is just a matter of time!