Do You Settle for Second Place?

by Susan Scotts

Do you settle for second place? Second best? Your second choice in a car, spouse or house? I bet you don’t!

Then why settle when it comes to the work you choose to do? Don’t let another work anniversary go by without having the career of your dreams!

The definition of the word, “settle”, according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is “to place so as to stay.” Do you really want to stay working somewhere that you dislike? If you are like many people I chat with, you may think you are STUCK or have NO CHOICE when it comes to your current career. If you think there is no room for change, please think again.

So, I get it, we all have to survive in order to make just enough to home or the freedom to set in order to have a roof over our make ends meet. For years and years, I suffered working for "the man."

I got up early to care of my son and the house and took the public bus for an hour each way to and from work. I walked ten blocks in the snow, and all that just to get to work! There were days when I put in eight hours straight of working, and just as I was looking forward to lunch and a break, my boss would give me a project before HE went to lunch! To make extra money, which I really needed, I would volunteer for overtime whenever it was available. That meant my husband had to put my young son in the car seat and drive an hour each way to pick me up after it was dark. Of course, I arrived home exhausted and hungry only to do it again the next day. Repeat each workday until the weekend, when I could find time to clean the house and go grocery shopping. When I think back on that time, it’s like a bad dream.

Don't let another work anniversary go by without having the career of your dreams!

It may not feel like it, but EVERYONE has another choice when it comes to their work life. You don't have to work at a job you hate in order to make just enough to make ends meet. You can aspire to more (and chances are even earn MORE) by working for someone you love -- YOURSELF! Hopefully, you love yourself (that’s a separate conversation -- everyone has value). Ask yourself this question, “Have I been successful working for someone else?” Of course, you have! If not, you likely wouldn’t still be working there.

Here’s another question, “Is there any reason I can’t be successful working for myself?” If the answer is “yes,” read no further; working for someone else is probably the best fit for you. If it is no... or even maybe, read on.

We have already determined that you have created success for the organizations that you’ve worked for now or in the past.

Would you be willing to work just as hard to be your own boss? This might allow you to have the flexibility to work from home or the freedom to set your own hours to volunteer at your child's school or attend their baseball games whenever you like.

One method that you might have overlooked to provide a career that you direct, is a franchise. A franchise is simply a method of distributing products or services through a system. It is a way for the franchisor to focus on the high-level operations while entrusting the day-to-day operations to individual operators like you!

They have already created the idea and built in the replicable operating system of doing the business, which includes the tools and technology needed to operate the systems, as well as the marketing and advertising materials for the business. They also train and support you and constantly update and refine the systems. And, just like a recipe, if you are able to follow the steps you should get predictable results.

A franchise can be as small as a home-based operation that you alone work. It could be a small service-based business that others work and you manage. It can be as large as you can imagine, with multiple territories, units, and even different states, employing hundreds--even thousands--of people!

Investments can range from less than what a car costs and go up from there, but there are funding resources that allow you to leverage funds you already have to earn more than they are currently earning without penalties, taxes or interest. Additionally, there are other options such as unsecured funding that allows you to pay the initial investment, in addition to providing working capital, without any initial funds needed.

Hey, I got off the bus and learned how to direct my career, why not learn more about owning your own career through franchising?!

You can explore something you are passionate about or a business that allows you to oversee others who do the work. Ultimately, the goal is to give you what you might be lacking today, like quality time to spend with your family, flexibility to join the daytime tennis team, like me, or the option to work from home and enjoy the freedom your spirit desires. Perhaps you can finally use your mentorship skills, lead others, or provide employment or resources to the community. There are so many different options in over 95 different industries, and the option to learn more is free! So I ask you again, why settle?