6. Our Franchisees
The programs and services from the home office are tremendous. That's part
of the reason we decided to go with Allegra. We felt like their model was supportive of the day-to-day success of the franchisee. You don't find that in every franchise organization.
The business aspect is great. It's 9 to 5, Monday through Friday. Our kids are in sports. We're able to take off and go watch their sports. We have our family time for sure. That's one of the reasons we wanted to go with Allegra.
Yes, I have realized my income expectations. I've exceeded my expectations, and that's the beauty of owning this business – it's really as limitless as you want it to be. If you focus and work hard and grow your business, the more you produce, the more income you earn. It a very simple model.
I can't really tell you what it might be like in another franchise,
but I can tell you that with this franchise, you get the kind of support that I think an entrepreneur needs to succeed. The support that Allegra gives in teaching us how to read financial statements, implement performance groups and the profit
mastery program have helped us tremendously. As a member
of the network, you also have access to lots of people who have been through this before. You can learn as much from them as you do from the home office.
What made me choose Allegra over other business opportunities was that I
felt it was a good model. It fit my comfort level in running a business without
a lot of cookie cutter structure. Each Allegra can be customized to the area
that you're in, the kind of business that you serve, and really to your own temperament. If you want to do more marketing or you want to expand into other areas, it's easier to do that than, say, maybe in another franchise model. When I started analyzing the financials, I also realized that the profitability and sales potential was very good compared to other industries that I looked at.
It's an exciting industry, and we feel like it has a lot of potential. There are so many businesses out there that need help. And from the marketing standpoint of where Allegra is going with the marketing services along with the printing, the mailing, the diversification into signage, all the graphic communication, there is still a very wide, open market out there.
If I had the choice to do it all over again, I would definitely do it, no question. Just because of all the expertise and support like the trade show and some of the deals with the manufacturers. No question at all with the training opportunities, the marketing that we get out of it. Having operated a solo business before, it's a lot easier this way. So, no question.
Being a part of the Allegra Network has been great for me. I had an opportunity to decide at my 20-year renewal point whether to renew my franchise agreement or not, and I gladly renewed knowing that that was the best direction for me.
There are so many benefits as a member of the Allegra Network. From being able to bounce ideas off of other franchise members who are in the same situation as you or being able to take advantage of a package deal or a turnkey marketing program that the home office has put together so you don't have go out and do all the research yourself, is truly valuable. Having systems in place that can be quickly implemented into our current operation has allowed us to go back to doing important things like running our business.
