This is the third post in a 4-part series about real-life situations faced by franchise candidates I’ve helped. Some details are changed to protect confidentiality. Read part one, about single-threaded security, and part two, about the true strength of a loaded resume.
The Situation: Seeing the Writing on the Wall
Let’s call this candidate Nathan. He’s not quite as far along in his career as the candidates I wrote about in parts one and two – just under 15 years working in marketing. A high-achiever, he’s already in a management role at a Fortune 100 company.
Nathan understands his field inside and out, and he has the track record to prove it. He’s especially adept at managing outside agencies, which are often key to a large company’s marketing success (I know – that’s the role I played in the corporate world).
By any traditional narrative, Nathan should be on a clear path to the executive suite. His performance evaluations are stellar, and he has a trail of successful campaigns to his credit. He has the skills to be an effective VP or even CMO one day. And that’s exactly what he was hoping to accomplish with his career.
But he’s starting to second-guess his plans.
When he contacted me, he said something I’ve been hearing more and more these days. “I’m trying to figure out what to do,” he said. “On paper, my job looks secure, but…”
Like any smart achiever, he pays attention to what’s happening all around his company, not just what’s going on in his department. He’s noticed that a couple of his colleagues recently “transitioned out” after serving the company for decades. He knows their performance was solid. So was it a layoff? Ageism?
In addition, a couple of departments just went through reorgs, and Nathan heard a rumor that the company is going to implement AI instead of filling the emptied roles. His 2025 bonus was smaller than usual, even though his performance was just as good as in previous years. And at the last all-hands, his VP announced a leaner comp plan, to be implemented immediately. In the meantime, he’s been asked to take on a few extra projects that wouldn’t normally fall within his wheelhouse.
What does it all mean? Is the company on shaky financial ground? Or is the top brass just getting greedy? Is AI coming for his job?
The Solution: The Side-Hustle-to-Freedom Pathway
Nathan is really smart. He’s calling me before he’s tightening his budget or, worse, unemployed. This is what the best candidates do. They pay attention, trust their instincts, and start thinking about their options while they still have leverage.
If you’re like Nathan, and you see the writing on the wall, here’s my recommendation. While you still have your day job to pay the bills, pick up a franchise as a side hustle. Think of it like one of the temporary strategic projects your VP might assign – only this time, that extra work will benefit you, not the company.
While you’re getting what you can out of your corporate gig, your franchise will grow to the point where it can replace (or even surpass) your corporate income. Then you can walk out the door on your own terms and make a nice, soft landing. And if that pink slip materializes? You’ll already have a job and at least partial income replacement waiting for you.
Just one tip before you take the plunge: if you’re married, don’t do this without your spouse’s buy-in. Their support will be crucial as you maintain your corporate role while launching the business. In fact, they may even want to be involved.
How I Can Help
This is exactly the path I took. After more than 20 years as a marketing executive, I realized that ageism had shut the door on the career path I’d hoped to follow. So I took a leadership role in a startup where I could work a bit less and stay close to home, and I launched a six-unit franchise business to serve as my landing pad.
It was so successful that, when I transitioned to full-time franchise ownership, I only had to put 8-10 hours per week into the business to keep it humming. That’s when I became a consultant, so I could keep myself sharp and keep doing what I love: building things and helping others grow.
I can put this experience to work for you. The franchising industry has so many options, candidates often get overwhelmed trying to navigate the field on their own. I work from a pre-vetted list of trustworthy franchisors who are looking for savvy salespeople or marketers with strategic mindsets. Many of the options on my list are executive franchises that work beautifully as side hustles for the corporate-to-entrepreneur transition.
So book some time on my calendar. We can get started on your path to freedom with just a 20-minute call.
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