From Tech Leadership to Franchise Ownership: Garrett’s Next Move

If you’ve built a career in startups or corporate leadership, you know the pace can be relentless. Eventually, another question surfaces:

How can I keep building, but do it differently this time?

That’s where Garrett found himself.

After wrapping up a startup he co-founded, Garrett returned to a full-time role at Microsoft. But he wasn’t done building. He still wanted something of his own, just not from scratch, and not with the intensity of an early-stage startup.

That’s when he started looking at franchising.

When Entrepreneurs Don’t Want to Start From Scratch Again

Garrett had already done the full startup cycle. He knew the thrill, and the cost: long hours, constant pivots, high risk, and all the pressure of figuring it out alone. Franchising gave him a way to stay entrepreneurial but with structure and backing.

“I wanted to do something entrepreneurial that I could still run on my own, but with the backing of a franchise,” Garrett said.

He was looking for a proven model, less guesswork, and more balance.

Going Beyond Google: Why Guided Research Matters

Like many professionals, Garrett started his search online. And like many, he quickly hit a wall.

“You can only get so far with Google. It was more nuanced than I expected.”

He wanted to branch out beyond tech, he was curious about wellness, but didn’t know what to look for. That’s where our conversations helped. Together, we filtered based on things like owner involvement, brand maturity, and long-term potential.

Clarifying What Involvement Looks Like

One thing Garrett hadn’t fully considered was what day-to-day involvement should look like. Did he want to be hands-on? Hire a manager? How much flexibility would the brand allow?

This led to clarity on how he wanted to show up as an owner, and helped him choose a brand that was earlier in its growth but aligned with his goals.

“It’s personally satisfying to help grow something that’s just getting started,” he said.

That clarity made it easier to commit, and what came next surprised him.

More Strategy Than Expected

One of Garrett’s biggest surprises? Franchise ownership wasn’t nearly as rigid as he expected. He still got to make key decisions about location, hiring, marketing, and operations.

“It was less cookie-cutter than I thought. There was still a lot of strategy,” he said.

That balance of support and freedom made the experience more rewarding than he anticipated.

Options Most Professionals Don’t Realize Exist

Like many people, Garrett assumed franchising meant fast food or big service brands. But he found more variety than expected, not just in industry, but in how much time, money, and energy each option required.

“There’s a lot more flexibility than people think, in the type of business, the time commitment, and how involved you want to be.”

If you want to hear more about Garrett’s experience directly from him, he wrote about the process in detail on his blog. You can read his story here.

If you’re wondering what comes next in your career, and you want to stay entrepreneurial without starting from scratch, franchising might be worth exploring.

Book a strategy session here: https://calendly.com/tryfranchising/blog 

We can talk through what you want to build next, and how to do it on your terms.