14 Feb Franchise of the Month Spotlight: Jessica Perrott

Knowing that she wanted to own her own business, Jessica Perrott made a decision to leave her career in marketing behind to pursue a career that would get her out of a desk job and make a difference in the lives of others. After six years in operation as an Amazing Athletes franchise owner, Jessica has nearly 400 kids participating at around 24 locations.

With all of her success, Jessica isn’t getting comfortable. She has set her sights on growing her business to reach 500+ kids participating this year. Even with a young family in tow, Jessica is well on her way to accomplishing that goal.

The Importance of Quality Coaches

Jessica attributes much of her franchise success to her coaches.

“I had my second child this past January. Now, I have a two year old and a baby girl,” she said. “Having wonderful coaches allowed me to take a step back and care for my newborn without having to put my career on the back burner. In fact, being able to rely on my coaches has helped me to move forward.”

Keeping her coaches focused, happy, and passionate about working with the kids is another area that Jessica gives special attention.

Leveraging the Successes of Other Franchisees

Jessica says her best bit of advice for any franchisee is to talk to other franchisees about how they have found success and in what areas they have failed or found troubling. Jessica utilizes every resource available to her. She even bounces ideas off of her husband and others outside of Amazing Athletes to get different perspectives as well.

Over the years, Jessica said she received some great advice from other successful franchisees. She has even decided to promote one of her most dedicated coaches to a sales position after getting advice from a fellow franchisee to promote from within. It is business decisions like that that enable her business to grow exponentially and hit her target goal this year.

Relinquishing Control

Knowing how to maintain personal responsibility while letting go of control of certain facets of her franchise is another area of importance Jessica stresses.

“Relinquishing control was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do,” she said.

Once she did, however, greater opportunities opened themselves up for her.

“For example, I hired a bookkeeper. Bookkeeping wasn’t helping me get into new schools, and it was taking me away from marketing and selling,” she said. “By eliminating tasks that take up lots of time, I’m more able to focus on the growth and future of my business.”

Organization is key

Organization is another key factor in Jessica’s success as a franchise owner. She loves the flexibility Amazing Athletes gives her, but it’s not without lots of work on the front end.

“Being organized is of the highest importance,” she said. “You have to have everything in place perfectly. Once you have a system down, all you have to do is maintain the flow of your business, which gives you the freedom to take a step back from the business if something should happen in your personal life.”

Knowing she would be preoccupied with being a mother to a newborn, Jessica made sure she had herself set-up for success in the months leading up to the birth of her daughter. She made sure she had enough dedicated coaches to keep her from having to teach a class, and at the same time, Jessica really invested time into prepping her coaches. This mode of operation kept Jessica from taking a big hit financially when she went on leave, and it has given her the freedom to stay home with her child for the past six months!

Initially, Jessica just wanted to own her own business and be her own boss. Now, six years later, she realizes how important Amazing Athletes is for her as a mother, as well as the kids in the program.

“Just being able to make a difference in these kids’ lives is extremely rewarding, and it’s motivating because it makes it easier to go out and get more business because you know how important the program is for the kids,” she said. “It’s motivating to see how happy they are and how much fun they’re having. There’s really nothing better than knowing you’re doing something positive in the lives of these kids.”