Do you know what a franchisee is thinking when they buy a franchise? Or maybe you should have a better idea than you do?
If you are franchising your business, thinking about franchising your business, or in franchise sales, this episode is for you.
Our guest today is Adrienne Sienkowski, and she shares with us the journey and she and her husband have been on from buying a franchise to opening and operating.
TODAY’S WIN-WIN:
If you’re on the fence, and you want to do it, you eventually need to take that step or just go for it.
LINKS FROM THE EPISODE:
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Adrienne comes from a family of entrepreneurs. Her great-grandfather opened a small community grocery store during the Great Depression in Hartsville, South Carolina. Her grandfather started a USDA-approved meat processing plant and organic farm during the height of the Civil Rights era. His company went on to become one of the first 8(a) certified businesses in South Carolina. Continuing on the entrepreneur path, her father, Dr. Louis B. Lynn, a former R&D executive at Monsanto, went on to open the largest minority-owned Commercial Landscape and Construction company in South Carolina. To say that small business holds a special place in Adrienne’s heart is an understatement.
Adrienne started her career in Corporate at Sonoco Products Company as a Sales Associate. She then went on to utilize her Packaging degree as Research Engineer at Sonoco headquarters working on the iconic Pringles and Pillsbury brands. Adrienne continued her career at Campbell Soup Company where she progressively moved up in Packaging positions with key development and leadership roles focused on packaging improvements, cost savings, and production line efficiency improvements. She holds multiple patents in packaging and process improvements from her tenures at Sonoco and Campbell Soup Company.
When her husband, Philip, had a career opportunity to relocate from Philadelphia to Georgia, Adrienne joined ENVIRO AgScienceas Chief Operations Officer, the company her father founded in 1985. There she learned the nuances and challenges between Fortune 500 companies and small businesses.
To open the inaugural IMAGE Studios in Georgia will allow Adrienne to continue in the same robust entrepreneur spirit that has run in her family for four generations.
Adrienne holds a degree in Packaging from Clemson University. She currently serves as Chair of the Clemson University Board of Visitors and is an active member of her kids PTA.
ABOUT BIG SKY FRANCHISE TEAM:
This episode is powered by Big Sky Franchise Team. If you are ready to talk about franchising your business you can schedule your free, no-obligation, franchise consultation online at: https://bigskyfranchiseteam.com/ or by calling Big Sky Franchise Team at: 855-824-4759.
If you are interested in being a guest on our podcast, please complete this request form or email podcast@bigskyfranchise.com and a team member will be in touch.
TRANSCRIPTION:
Dr. Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team (00:01):
Welcome to the Multiply Your Success podcast, where each week we help growth-minded entrepreneurs and franchise leaders take the next step in their expansion journey. I’m your host, Tom DuFore, CEO of Big Sky Franchise Team. And as we open today, I’m wondering if you know what a franchisee or a prospective franchisee is thinking when they buy into a franchise. Or maybe you’d like to get a better sense of what that franchisee is thinking. If that’s you and you happen to be franchising your business, or maybe thinking about franchising your business, or you’re in franchise sales in some part of that pathway, then this episode is for you. Our guest today is Adrienne Sienkowski, and she shares with us the journey that she and her husband have been on, from buying a franchise to opening and operating their franchise.
Dr. Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team (00:53):
Now, Adrienne comes from a family of entrepreneurs. This is really cool, a long line. Her great-grandfather opened a small community grocery store during the Great Depression in South Carolina. Then, her grandfather started a USDA-approved meat processing plant and organic farm during the height of the civil rights era. Continuing on the entrepreneurial path, her father, Dr. Louis B. Lynn, who’s a former R&D executive at Monsanto, went on to open the largest minority-owned commercial landscape and construction company in South Carolina. To say that small business holds a special place in Adrienne’s heart is an understatement.
Dr. Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team (01:30):
Now, Adrienne started her career in corporate at Sonoco Products Company as a sales associate, and then went on to utilize her packaging degree as a research engineer at their headquarters. Adrienne continued her career at Campbell Soup, where she progressively moved up in packaging positions, with key development and leadership roles focused on packaging improvement, cost savings and production line efficiency improvements. She holds multiple patents in the packaging and process improvements from her time at Sonoco and Campbell Soup Company.
Dr. Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team (02:01):
When their family had to relocate to Georgia, Adrienne joined ENVIRO AgScience as COO, the company her father founded in 1985. There, she learned the nuances and challenges between Fortune 500 companies and small businesses. And later, she and Phil, her husband, went on to open IMAGE Studios in Georgia, the first IMAGE Studios in Georgia, and now continued that same entrepreneurial spirit that has run through her family for generations. Adrienne has a degree in packaging from Clemson University, and she serves as the chair of Clemson University Board of Visitors, and is an active member of her kids’ PTA.
Dr. Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team (02:42):
You’re going to love this interview with Adrienne. I’m so excited to have her on, as she’s been a longtime friend of mine. And our families have been friends for a long time, so it’s been fun to watch as they have gone through this journey. I look forward to sharing this interview with you, so let’s go ahead and jump right into it.
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (02:59):
Thanks so much for having me, Tom. My name is Adrienne Sienkowski. My title is franchise owner of the first IMAGE Studios in Alpharetta, Georgia.
Dr. Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team (03:12):
Perfect. Well, one of the reasons to have you on the episode, Adrienne, is to have you share a little bit about your journey into franchising. I always like hearing the story from the franchisee that’s operating a business, and how you got to where you are right now as a franchise owner. So, I’d love for you just to talk a little bit about your background and where you started that led you to getting into franchise ownership.
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (03:42):
Oh, no, it’s great and probably convoluted, like many other franchise owners. However, I will say, the advantage we have in the full disclosure I will say is that, you and your family have been very good friends of ours for many years. So, luckily, I had a good guide with you and your family.
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (04:01):
So, Phil and I had a cheat code. I feel like it’s a big deal, but I went to Clemson University and started off as a packaging major, and had a great career in packaging. Worked for Sunoco Products Company, worked for Campbell Soup, had a great career in corporate. My husband did as well, worked for Wyeth, Pfizer.
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (04:25):
And so, when we started, we actually lived in the Northeast. We were in the Philadelphia metro area. Moved to Georgia because we had our oldest child and just want to have her have experiences with her grandparents and cousins, because we were so far away from family.
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (04:47):
So, we ended up moving to Georgia the summer of 2012. Just my husband stayed in corporate and started working, but I actually started working for my father, who is a entrepreneur as well. He started up his company 40 years ago, and it’s a commercial landscape and construction company. And I was working, or am working for my father’s company.
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (05:16):
Going from a Fortune 500 company to a family business is a shock to the system. My father is an astute businessman. But once you get out of corporate and you’re working for a family business, the dynamics change very much. And the intention was for my sister and I to take over the company within… I think he said, “I think I’ll retire in about five years.” I tell my father this to this day because we are now 12, 13 years after moving to Georgia, and he still has not retired. He loves working. I call my dad’s company my other sibling. It is deep in his blood and he loves it, and I love that he still loves it.
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (06:01):
But we really got to the franchise part of our journey because two things were happening simultaneously. Well, three things, actually. My husband, he was in corporate and he was like, “I just feel like I need to find some kind of exit strategy.” I don’t know what that looks like. Working for my father’s company, I was like, “I feel like I can do something else. And I need a little bit more.” And we had COVID going on, so COVID had just started.
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (06:31):
So, we started exploring and looking at different franchises. And luckily, we had Big Sky and Tom DuFore to say, “Hey, do this, do that.” And so, we reached out to our franchise broker, Corey, who was amazing. He set up a profile based off of our personalities, what we liked, what we were interested in. And we were able to narrow it down to IMAGE, which ended up being one of the greatest decisions, I think.
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (07:03):
Being an entrepreneur, it’s an emotional rollercoaster. You have days you’re like, “Oh, this is amazing.” And then, you have days like, “Oh, my God, what did I do?” But it’s been one of the best decisions we’ve made.
Dr. Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team (07:13):
Well, Adrienne, thank you for sharing a little background on that. And being around you and your family, as you’ve gone through this evolution of going from working for family business to now also owning a franchise as now a small-business owner, one of the things that I was thinking about is, when you were considering buying a franchise, had you and Phil thought about also maybe starting your own or buying a franchise? What was it that tipped you to the franchise direction versus maybe doing it on your own there?
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (07:50):
That’s actually a great question. We flirted with doing this exact concept on our own. I think what attracted us to IMAGE particularly was just, it was like nothing else we had seen. The team was really easy to talk to, and we felt like they had our same value system. We felt like they just understood where we were coming from.
(08:17):
And also, IMAGE is only 12 years old franchise. I think they started up the first one when Jason and Sean Olsen started up IMAGE. They’re out in the middle of Utah and they’re figuring out the whole thing. So, IMAGE Studios Alpharetta is the 30th store in the nation that opened. So, when we were starting, we were one of the first ones. And it was nice to be… It’s almost like we felt like part of the process to be with a young, energetic, agile-like company, versus trying to figure it all out on our own.
(08:58):
I think the corporate part of us kicked in and maybe we liked the structure of it, and saying, “Okay, well, maybe we don’t know all those steps. But maybe, if we follow a company that has some structure in place, we can set this up and not fall on our face.” Because it’s also scary. You’re investing in it, and you want it to be that right fit.
Dr. Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team (09:20):
When you were deciding on a franchise, were you locked in on this salon suite type of franchise model, or were you considering other industries or other potential business models?
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (09:34):
We looked at a bunch of different business models. So, I’d mentioned our franchise broker that you introduced us to, Corey, he had us do a personality profile. “Hey, do you like working with young children? Maybe you want to do a daycare. Maybe you want to work with the elderly and do a nursing home.” So, there were all these different dynamics that we looked at.
(09:59):
The biggest fit thing for us, and remember, we were looking at this during 2020, and with my father’s company, it’s a commercial landscape company. And at the time, COVID was at a point where it was really, really scary. So, the hardest thing we had was transitioning and making our employees want to feel safe while they were in this new world, in this new environment.
(10:28):
So, I think part of the decision in looking at different franchises was, having something where you could still be a part of working with business people, but they weren’t necessarily your employees. Or they weren’t your employees, and you still could have that relationship. Where we went from wanting something with a lot of employees, to really wanting to find something where we were working with other entrepreneurs.
(11:03):
I think the passion that I have for the business model we looked at was, working with other small businesses. Because I saw what my dad went through with his business. My grandfather was an entrepreneur, my great-grandfather. There’s just something very special and unique about this space for small business. And to be a part of that, I think that was probably the most attractive thing to me.
(11:29):
The other franchises we looked at, they were great in their own way, but this one I felt like was such a unique fit for my personality, my skillset. I felt this one was the one that we needed to leap at.
(11:46):
The other one, we looked at a swim school, which was amazing. That would’ve been great. We looked at a printing company. So, all of them had some really unique things. But this one, I really thought from a skillset standpoint and a passion standpoint, this one was the one that I was probably the most attracted to.
Dr. Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team (12:08):
Thanks for sharing that level of detail. I think it’s really helpful to understand. And as I’m listening to you explain it, what’s interesting is, really what you described as a passion for helping and working with other entrepreneurs. And so, even the other industries you mentioned here had a common theme. Even though they’re unrelated in terms of the actual service that’s being offered, a common thread is, you’re helping other entrepreneurs in these businesses. And so, I find that interesting. And I love that; that often the industries may be unrelated, but there’s a common thread.
Dr. Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team (12:44):
Sometimes it’s a lifestyle thread. In your situation, it was, “We really wanted make sure we’re helping entrepreneurs and building a certain type of business.” In my own case, even when I bought a franchise, there was something. For me in particular, I was looking for a business that generally was in need, regardless of whether the economy was strong or weak or anything in between when I bought a couple of the franchises that I was involved with. So, everyone has a little bit different viewpoint on what they’re looking for as they’re buying into it.
Dr. Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team (13:15):
Adrienne, as you’re coming into here, you’ve been operating full operation here for a couple of years now. What’s been a positive or two you’ve taken away?
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (13:25):
The best part are the people. The professionals that are in our location are phenomenal. I am proud of the community that we have. I’m proud of a lot of the businesses that have started. The first few people that came in were very familiar with the Salon Suite concept and saw we still were in the middle of demo. Walked in and like, “Okay, I get it, I love it, I’m ready.” And they moved.
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (13:57):
But a thing that I’m very proud of is the fact that we have people that will start up their own salon someday, and I know they will, but we’re just a part of their story. And that is so special. Because we’ve got established people who I know they’re going to be like, “You know what? I’m happy where I am. And I want to walk in and not have to worry about a water bill, or power going out,” or any of those weird things that happen when you have your own building.
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (14:27):
There’s such a diversity of talent and thought and how they run their business. That’s probably been my greatest joy in seeing how they have thrived over the few years that we’ve been open. And that they’ve really entrusted us and believed in us to take the leap with us.
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (14:49):
The first year, I think they probably saw me cry a couple of times, or freak out, or look like a deer in headlights, but they dug in. They’re like, “We got this.” I’m like, “Okay, we’re all figuring this out together.” So, it’s a really wonderful family environment that I like to call them my extra family that I didn’t necessarily grow up with or give birth to. But they really are quite remarkable. So, that’s my favorite of everything being open these past few years.
Dr. Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team (15:21):
I guess a couple of questions come to mind. As you’ve been operating now for a few years, you’re close enough to having bought the franchise and gone through the whole opening and launching. But you’re still far enough away that now you’re a couple years in, your business is catching. It’s in a groove. There’s a rhythm that’s been sorted out now.
Dr. Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team (15:42):
And so, just curious to get your opinion and maybe just some advice for someone who might end up listening to this. And one question is orienting around, if someone were thinking about buying a franchise, just maybe any franchise, what advice might you give to that person that maybe either you wish you had, or was useful advice for you when you went through the process?
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (16:07):
The biggest thing is, you can go into a…. Obviously, the goal is to make money. You’re not investing in an asset to just not have a profit of it. But I think the passion behind what business you’re looking at, and to have some passion behind it, especially if it’s people-focused or people-based, as humans, we have all kinds of emotions. So, there are going to be good days for people, there are going to be bad days for people. And you really have to go through an emotional ride on some days, depending on what’s going on. So, I think, for me, I think passion is one thing of it.
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (16:56):
Admittedly, one of the businesses that we were looking at, I didn’t necessarily have the passion for it, but I saw the financial benefit of it. And looking back, I feel very grateful and blessed that we ended up in this direction. Because I don’t know that I would have that same drive that I have if we had gone that direction with that particular franchise.
Dr. Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team (17:24):
A lot of leaders listening to our podcast are people who are either an entrepreneur that’s now franchising their business, or they’re an emerging franchise brand. Maybe they have five, 10, 25, 50 franchises. And so, just curious, from the perspective of a franchisee in a system, what might you suggest, or what would you suggest or recommend to a new franchisor, as they’re now launching into franchise sales and onboarding and training new franchisees?
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (17:58):
Oh, that’s a good question. I think that when we came into the system, IMAGE was young, but they had started up a really great training and the ability for you to go through. And then, once you get out of training, they’re like, “Okay, fly, little birdie. It’s time for you to run your company.” And I remember those first few months, I was like, “Wait, what do I do? I don’t have this training to go through anymore.”
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (18:31):
So, I think the helpful thing for any franchise to consider, and franchisee, is to look for mentors within your system. I know some franchises set up formal mentor-mentee relationships. Ours is more organic. The person that was our validator, he’s out of Texas. He was the first person I called when I signed my first person to join us. And then, I have other calls throughout the process of people who have been with the company longer than I have, and I’m like, “Oh wow, I’ve never done this. Can you walk me through this?”
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (19:11):
So, I think the biggest thing is that sense of community that we’ve created as owners, to be able to reach out. I have some folks that started after me. I talk to them occasionally and they’re like, “Hey, Adrienne, I just want to make sure I’m doing this right.” And I’m like, “Yeah, you’re right in the right space. This is how it goes. This is what happens.” So, I think that’s really helpful.
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (19:37):
I think another thing in looking back is really, it’s so emotional because a lot of people… Tom, you and I were talking before we started, you said we’re the avatar for what franchise owners jumping into the franchise business. And I think the passionate part is that you’re putting your money into something. And you’re like, there are sometimes you’re nervous because you’re like, “Oh, my God, did I do the right thing? Oh.” So, there’s some anxiety involved.
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (20:11):
But my landlord, where we’re actually signed, he is a entrepreneur. He’s local, so we were very fortunate. And he said to me, he said, “Welcome to business.” He’s like, “You got to just do it.” And I think in my head, if you’re on the fence or you’re thinking about it, at some point, you just got to take that leap. If it’s something that you’re passionate about, something that you believe in, you just take the leap and you work your butt off until you get it to where you want it to be.
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (20:46):
And then, there are some other locations. I’ll give an example. There are some franchisees that are in the IMAGE system, they rocked it out of the boat. They opened up and they’re fully booked, and it was amazing for them. We had more of an organic growth, which I’m really proud of. Because everybody that we have and is in the space, we’re a perfect fit for each other at this point in time in their career. So, I love that.
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (21:14):
So, I would say, take the leap. And you’re going to have ups and downs, good days, bad days, everything in between, but it’s so fulfilling if it’s something that you’ve really set your heart and your passion into.
Dr. Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team (21:30):
I really like your comment about mentors. As you said that, it made me think back to when I started with the franchise that I ran. Interestingly, when I bought in, it was similar to when you and Phil bought in. It was a similar number right around franchise number 30 or so. It was an unofficial mentor type of a program that the franchisees, just some of the older franchisees, helped some of the newer franchisees.
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (21:57):
There was one in particular, several, but one in particular that wasn’t too far away, just a state or two away. And he really became a big, influential, and instrumental person in helping our franchise succeed. So, I hadn’t thought of that. So, I appreciate you mentioning that. I think that’s a really, really great observation there.
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (22:17):
And you need it. Because if you’re the only one, or the first one, or the new one on the block, you need that support as well. Because being an entrepreneur, at times, it can be lonely. And you just want to have that network and that community of like-minded people that can help you through. It’s like an unofficial board of directors almost.
Dr. Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team (22:42):
With a franchise system, it’s one of those benefits you don’t realize until you’re in the system. It’s the community of other owners. And you realize how valuable that is that it’s hard to describe to someone. But the thing I always loved about it is, other franchisees, everyone’s on the same team. They’ve got the same jersey, or same shirt and colors on. And we’re all rowing in the same direction and cheering for each other along the way. Because the better that I do, or you do, or the other franchisees in the system do, the better it helps everyone in the network.
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (23:17):
That’s a great point. Because right now, so we have two other locations, with a third one opening in Georgia, but it’s four different owners. So, front-facing, all the people that are shopping and saying, “Hey, I’d like to start my business at IMAGE,” they may or may not know this is Adrienne and Phil versus this being person X, Y, or Z. So, you really are an ambassador for the brand. Because your other storefronts, their livelihood depends on how you act and behave as a franchise as well, or franchisee.
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (23:59):
So, that’s also another very sensitive, critical thing that you have to consider in all of this. Unless you decide to buy out the market, which that’s also an option. Some people may walk in and say, “Hey, I want the whole market.” And they don’t have to worry about it. But if you’re a smaller market and you’re buying one or two locations and those other franchisors come in, obviously, you want to make sure that brand is well-represented.
Dr. Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team (24:27):
Absolutely. Well, Adrienne, this is a great time in the show where we make a transition and we ask every guest the same four questions before they go. And the first question we ask every guest is, have you had a miss or two in your journey and something you learned from it?
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (24:42):
Oh, I have had lots of misses. But it’s funny because my dad, he’s an entrepreneur as well, so he will call it burnt child syndrome. He’s like, “Oh, once you get burnt, you’re not going to get burnt again.” A lot of times, this business model that we’re in is built for folks who are established and have a book of business. I do like to see people win, and see people thrive, and see people do well.
Dr. Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team (25:10):
There have been times where some folks may have come in and I blame it a lot on me. I’ve learned that it may not be the right time now, but it may be a time for you at a later point. Some people, it looks easy to start a business. But I can tell you, a lot of these folks that have come in, it’s a lot of work. And it’s not made for everybody right away. And your chapter one may start in a salon. Your chapter one may start being an apprentice somewhere.
Dr. Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team (25:44):
So, I think I’ve learned that everybody’s chapter one may start in a different spot. But eventually, some people will go from there to having their own suite, and may eventually open their own brand and their own salon. So, I think that’s been my biggest lesson in as some folks start, where their journey is and where they are in their journey, making sure that that’s a great fit for them and for me.
Dr. Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team (26:16):
And let’s talk about a make or two, a highlight you’d like to share.
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (26:21):
We have something that as a brand we do, it’s called IMAGE Love. And it’s showing the folks that entrust their business with us, “Hey, thank you for trusting us.” And we’ll do things that it’ll be anything simple from bringing in pizza on a Friday to bringing in donuts. But my favorite thing that we’ve done as a community is, and we’re in the beauty industry, which makes it even more fun, is we rented a theater and we all watched the Barbie movie together, which was so fun. And we got lots of pictures. Everybody wore pink and we watched the movie, had the theater to ourselves. So, it was just fun. And it gave everybody a chance to get to know each other a little bit better and see each other out of work.
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (27:09):
So, we try to create an environment at our location where, even though you are an entrepreneur, you’re working on your own, you still have the community of people. Where you can thrive and get to know them and learn from them as well, as a co-solopreneur as well. So, that I think was something really fun that we did last summer, and it was good. I still talk about it. That’s my favorite thing we’ve done.
Dr. Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team (27:41):
What a fun thing to do through the franchise and just provide a great, great value-add there. The next question we ask every guest is, have you used a multiplier to grow yourself or your company, personally or professionally?
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (27:55):
Yes. So, for myself, I think I’ve said throughout this, being an entrepreneur, you have to check yourself. You have to look to mentors, look to other colleagues and make sure you’re okay. But two things that I make sure I do every or as often, I’m not super great, I always work out several times a week. I am not disciplined, so I have somebody that is my person that makes sure that I work out. Because if it’s on me, I’m lifting five pounds of weights and I’m like, “Ah, I did it, I did great,” and that this is not actually doing anything.
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (28:32):
So, that is something calming. I carve time out for that, and it’s very important to me. So, that is something I slacked on during construction and build out, but got back into that again. So, a lot of self-care of just making sure that I’m okay working out, doing sauna therapy, all kinds of just health things.
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (28:59):
I also make sure that I read my Bible every morning. I have time for myself and make sure that I just think about the people in my life and things going on, just to make sure I level-set that as well. And then, the chaos of the morning begins and I get kids out the door and all that good stuff. And then, it all goes normal from there. But that’s my multiplier, my multipliers that I feel are good grounding for me.
Dr. Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team (29:27):
Thanks for sharing those. And Adrienne, the final question we ask every guest is, what does success mean to you?
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (29:34):
Two things. Success for me is, seeing the people in the location that we have thrive. That is success. I love to see them win. We had several folks that transitioned from working for somebody else to going out on their own. And one came up to me one day, she’s like, “Adrienne, I am so proud of myself. I can’t believe I did it.” I love that. That’s something that really just makes me super happy for them and proud for them.
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (30:07):
And then, for Phil and I, for the business, my husband is… I like to call myself the cliff diver and he is the lifeguard. I’m like, “Hey, let’s do it. Let’s go.” And he’s like, “Hold on. Wait a minute. Let’s research. Let’s do this.” And with us investing and doing this, he got on the cliff with me and dove right in. And that, to me, especially knowing him as long as we’ve been married and as long as we’ve known each other, my sister said to me, she was like, “Wow, I know Phil actually did it. It must be really special for you guys to jump in for this together.” So, that’s probably one of the other things that I would say is definitely the passion behind all of this.
Dr. Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team (30:54):
How can someone get in touch with you or connect?
Adrienne Sienkowski, IMAGE Studios (30:57):
So, we are at IMAGE Studios_Alpharetta. We are on Instagram often. Facebook, but mostly Instagram. That’s probably the best way, I would say. I hope that your audience got something out of it from this side of the… You always have such great guests. I’m like, “Ooh, big shoes to fill.” So, it’s nice to be able to give the franchisee point of view as well. So, I appreciate it.
Dr. Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team (31:27):
It’s been just so wonderful to be a part of this journey, even from the sidelines, watching you and Phil go through this. And I just thought, “We’ve got to share your story.” Because I think it’s one that needs to be told and for others to hear your experience of becoming a franchisee and going through that, especially these first few years of launching. Going from deciding to franchise, then selecting a franchise, then launching it, and getting it to the point where you are now. So, I’m so grateful and thankful for you to be here. I really appreciate it.
Dr. Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team (32:02):
Adrienne, thank you so much for a fantastic interview. And let’s go ahead and jump into today’s three key takeaways. So, takeaway number one is when Adrienne talked about being thankful and happy that she had a passion for the business that she ended up buying, that she and her husband both did, instead of just the ability to make money. And the passion that she found on her journey was that she has a passion for working with small businesses and other small-business owners, and really that entrepreneurial journey that has really been embedded in her entire life.
Dr. Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team (32:41):
Takeaway number two is when she talked about a make. And really, this is one of my favorite things about the local franchise owner. And one of the things that they did at their franchise is, they took all of the professionals and the people at their IMAGE Studios out to watch a movie together. And I just thought that was fantastic, because only that local owner is going to do something like that. Just the power of franchising, it’s just one of my most favorite things.
Dr. Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team (33:12):
Takeaway number three is when I asked Adrienne to share maybe some words of wisdom to some people in franchising or looking into it. And she said, for franchisees that are getting into any franchise system, look for mentors within the system. And I thought that was great advice. Maybe if you’re joining up with a new franchise system, the mentor very well may be the founder of the whole system. And if it’s even a franchise system with even five-plus franchises, there will likely be a mentor or two in the franchisee network for you to connect with and build a supportive relationship with. And now, it’s time for today’s win-win.
Dr. Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team (33:57):
So, today’s win-win is when Adrienne said, “If you’re on the fence and you’re interested in buying a franchise or starting your business, or franchising your business,” whatever you’re on the fence of, she said, “eventually, you just need to take that step and go for it.” At some point, you just need to do it. I thought that was just a great win to make that decision. And she described herself with her husband, Phil. She said, “I’m the cliff diver and Phil is the lifeguard.”
Dr. Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team (34:29):
And sometimes maybe you are the lifeguard or the cliff diver, depending on the situation, but at some point, you need to take that step and just go for it. I thought that was some great way to close out. Great, great closing advice. And it really is a win-win, because it’s going to be a win for you making that decision to go for it. Or maybe you just make the decision not to, depending on what your circumstances might be at that moment in time.
Dr. Tom DuFore, Big Sky Franchise Team (34:56):
And so, that’s the episode today, folks. Please make sure you subscribe to the podcast and give us a review. And remember, if you or anyone you know might be ready to franchise their business, or take their franchise company to the next level, please connect with us at bigskyfranchiseteam.com. Thanks for tuning in, and we look forward to having you back next week.