A Rising Tide Raises All Ships

by Susan Scotts

Unlike corporate America, franchising not only leverages the theme of teamwork, but also allows individuals to go into business for themselves but not by themselves. As a Career Ownership Coach with The Entrepreneur’s Source, I have learned a saying shared frequently from day one at training: “A Rising Tide Raises All Ships.” I believe there is even a poster in the training room with that phrase. And it’s a phrase that has proven to be true throughout my career as a franchise owner.

I remember corporate America well. It went something like this (at least for me): You start at a new job. Everyone says “nice to have you,” but they don’t really mean it. They smile as they walk away, because in reality, if they help you to improve, you may take their job. As a matter of fact, I once witnessed one employee stealing another’s ideas and presenting them at a team meeting. I also saw one employee who was out indefinitely with an injured back have their office given to another employee, along with the murmurs, “wow, and the body is not even cold yet.”

I knew there had to be a better way to achieve my Income, Lifestyle, Wealth, and Equity (ILWE) goals, so I invested in franchise ownership and was delighted to find an entirely different mindset. The people who said “nice to have you” really meant it. In fact, they followed up to see how they could help me. And they did! They would share their best practices with me and even call to see how I was doing! Even now, if I say I’m struggling with some particular issue, offers flood in from fellow franchisees to offer encouragement, advice and help. It is such a wonderful feeling. It leads me to think deeper into the phrase “A rising tide raises all ships” in the context of our franchise community.

By reaching out to me to offer assistance or advice, my fellow franchisees know that the stronger each of us are individually, the stronger we become as a franchise organization. And if you think about it, don’t you want the company you work with to flourish? Look at it from a different perspective. If the company fails, where does that leave you, whether you are an employee or a franchisee? Everyone benefits when we all do well. Corporate employees would do well to take a lesson. By not giving your all, you could ultimately be hurting yourself if the company fails.

Another thought comes to mind as well. Our organization comes from an abundance mindset. It allows us to help each other without any fear of shortage. I, myself, brought in a neighboring franchisee to do the same business I do. I understood that there are many people who need our help and that we can’t live in a fearful state that there wouldn’t be enough clients to work with. I like to say “Mentorship helps make a stronger ship!” The advantages of teamwork (i.e. the definition of TEAM as we see it is “Together Everyone Achieves More”) clearly makes our organization better and better!

President John F. Kennedy had this to say, “No American is ever made better off by pulling a fellow American down, and every American is made better off whenever any one of us is made better off. A rising tide raises all boats.”

Susan Scotts is a multiple award winning career transition coach with The Entrepreneur’s Source® and possesses three decades of experience in helping empower individuals to become entrepreneurs through franchise business ownership. For a complimentary consultation, she can be reached at 561-859-9110 or SScotts@EsourceCoach.com.