I’m sitting down with Brad Hawkins, a franchisee with Floor Coverings International who went from private wealth management to owning a $2 million+ territory—all self-funded and with just a handful of employees.

In this episode, Brad shares his journey from Wall Street to Main Street, what drew him to franchising, why “the floor is $2 million” in his business, and why following the playbook is key for franchise success. If you're thinking about owning a business, this one’s for you.

Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro: Meet Brad Hawkins
01:30 – Why Brad left wealth management to own a franchise
03:45 – How a chance meeting with a franchise consultant changed everything
06:10 – Why he chose Floor Coverings International
09:20 – Starting a franchise with a $275K investment (and the “shoebox” funding story)
12:05 – Why Brad didn’t buy an existing business (and why he wanted to build from scratch)
15:00 – Does franchise size matter? How many locations is “big enough”?
17:40 – The hardest part of launching a franchise from scratch
21:30 – Biggest mistakes new franchisees make (and how to avoid them)
25:15 – “Follow the playbook” – why going off-script is a rookie mistake
28:20 – How to leverage your franchise network like a mastermind
32:10 – Show Me The Money: What’s the earning potential?
34:30 – “The floor is $2 million” – revenue expectations per territory
37:00 – Net income margins & how many employees you really need
40:15 – The cornerstone of Brad’s success: being maniacal about customer service
43:00 – Brad’s future plans: scaling in Central NY and growing B2B/commercial work

💡 Thinking about franchising? Drop your questions in the comments!

Ready to explore franchise opportunities? Click the link below to schedule a call with me—my services are FREE!

https://www.zorakle.net/assessment/welcome/ionfranchising

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