Transition to Owning Your Own Business 

This month, Extra Edge presents Pete Gilfillan who helps other entrepreneurial minds find the perfect match for them in the business world. 
Ever think about a Franchise?  You're dissatisfied with the way you're being treated by your company. Perhaps you're an executive who has been displaced. You realize that your labors have been creating wealth for others but not for yourself. You've had the idea of owning your own business as a solution to these and other issues but you've heard all the horror stories about the failure rates of independent businesses. A franchise may be the answer for you.  
Looking for a franchise among the thousands of concepts available today can be stressful and confusing. But with Pete and the FranChoice system, it will be an easy and successful process involving three steps.  First, after an initial conversation to find out more about you, Pete asks you to fill out a questionnaire that gives him a great deal of information about your goals and desires in relation to franchise opportunities.  He uses that information to begin to narrow down all the options available and help determine which types of franchises will match well with YOU.
Next, a consultation meeting, either in person or by phone, is held to explore your answers in more detail and develop a model for you to use in evaluating franchise business opportunities. This model will identify the characteristics you feel are important and give you a simple mechanism for determining if these factors are present in the companies you investigate.  FranChoice has pre-screened hundreds of franchise opportunities to determine a select group that represent successful and dynamic opportunities for its candidates.
The third step is to examine the franchise opportunities to see if any of these businesses appear to fit the model designed by you. For each match found, Pete will give you a brief synopsis of the franchise to see if you would like more information from the company.  Then it's up to you to do the research and see if this company/franchise is a good match.  Pete can also stay in touch with you to act as a resource during your investigation process, but essentially it's your FranChoice!   He will help you get the information you need to make an educated decision, and introduce you if you decide to Go For It! 

If you’ve always wanted to be your own boss, here’s someone you might want to speak with. Naperville resident Pete Gilfillan helps people realize their dreams of business ownership.  “My focus is to make a difference in other’s lives, while living with passion, joy and gratitude,” he said. “Having people manage their own destiny is a way to fulfill that mission.”
Gilfillan, 45, launched FranChoice, a one-man operation where he helps clients identify their interests and discover franchise opportunities that can open the door to new or supplemental careers.  Pete boasts a solid business background, which began by earning a degree in business administration and marketing from the University of Wisconsin, followed soon after by a 17-year stint at Ford Motor Company where he held a senior leadership position in the Midwest market.
Gilfillan opened FranChoice in March, and in September, he set a record for number of clients placed, “based on the kind and size of the deals.”  Make sure to attend this month's Extra Edge event to see what it's all about!