Coaching Isn’t Just for Football: How a Coach and Mentor Can Set You Up for Success

Just Between Friends adds new “Emerging Business Coach” who shares her best practices for small business owners As I am sure you know, it is Super Bowl week. The NFL’s top two teams will pay for the Championship Title. One thing is certain, neither team would have made it this far without good coaching, training, and the more experienced players helping the rookies. You can find examples of that on both the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos. Broncos’ Quarterback Peyton Manning is one of the most experienced players on the field today. His role on the team is beyond just being quarterback on the field. He plays an integral role in leading the team to victory partly by sharing his wisdom with younger, less experienced players. The same is true in business. When you are starting out as a small business owner it is very important to have a good coach or mentor to help you through the first year – which will be filled with ups and downs. At Just Between Friends we have more than 150 franchisees in the United States and Canada and we add new ones every year. Our more seasoned and experienced franchisees have always been willing to lend a hand to our new owners each year. However, I realized that having a more official approach to help them “hit the ground running” was needed. So we added a new position this year: Emerging Franchise Coach. Shawna Wilfert is one of our most successful franchisees who owns two franchises, one in Tucson, Arizona with her father Danny – and another in Midland/Odessa, Texas. In her new role, Shawna will be working with our new franchisees to help them during their first year as new JBF franchisees. She will help them develop best practices to create and execute a successful consignment event and set the stage for a promising career as a JBF franchise owner. I asked Shawna to provide some of her top three tips for new franchisees and new small business owners in general. Here are her “expert tips”

1. Set up office hours –   When owning a business that you work from home – especially if you are a parent – it can make carving out time to work challenging. My advice is to set up office hours that will be your time to work. Don’t stray from it – even if your BFF calls and wants to grab coffee after you get the kids off to school.
2. Set goals and say them out loud – Your goals should not just be in your head – or even just written down on a piece of paper (although that is a good start). If you want to be a top achiever in your organization or business, then say it out loud each and every day. When making decisions, always keep your goals top of mind.
3. Have a great support system – Surround yourself with a great team including, if you are a parent, someone who helps you with the kids while you are working. Reach out to other business owners who can be strong accountability partners and set up weekly touch points with them. Also – have someone in your inner circle who you know you can call or text when you have a bad day and need a “pick me up”.

Shawna Wilfert is JBF’s new Emerging Franchise Coach. She owns two JBF franchises, running the event in Midland/Odessa for nine years and the JBF sale in Tucson, Arizona for eight years. Shawna’s business partner is her father, Danny Hansen. They are the only father-daughter team at JBF.     Shannon Wilburn is the CEO & Co-founder of Just Between Friends Franchise Systems, Inc. (JBF), North America’s leading children’s & maternity consignment event. JBF has 153 franchises in 28 states and Canada. JBF is actively seeking franchisees throughout North America. Click here to learn more.