Jason Blough was successfully managing a fitness franchise when he decided to venture into the world of franchise consultancy. By Jessica Petrucelli
Finding Freedom & Flexibility
Jason Blough was successfully managing a fitness franchise when he decided to venture into the world of franchise consultancy.
“I was looking for more freedom and flexibility to spend time doing the things I love with my family,” he explained. “I thought, ‘Why not do this for myself?’”
So, he joined FranServe and founded Franchise Search Partners, LLC, a full-service franchise consulting and development firm that represents more than 700 of today’s leading franchise opportunities and focuses on building secure futures for prospective franchisees and their families.
Over the past eight years, Blough has built a team of professionals with decades of experience in franchising and has helped many entrepreneurs achieve success in the industry. As a result, his business has experienced considerable growth. For example, Blough reached FranServe’s Million Dollar Club in 2021, and he was inducted into FranServe’s first $500,000 Club in 2022.
In addition to the freedom, flexibility and financial security that consultancy brings, Blough enjoys helping others find similar entrepreneurial success.
“Most people I work with are looking for the same freedom I was looking for, and I get to help them find it through franchising,” he said.
His full-service franchise consulting and development firm relies on proven methods of helping research and identify opportunities that are a good fit for potential franchisees. His process takes a close look at clients’ goals, experience, strengths, weaknesses, budget, desired lifestyle and more. Blough calls his casual, no-pressure, almost informal approach a unique find in the franchise industry.
“I’m told that it’s a breath of fresh air by folks who are used to the high-pressure corporate rat race that they’re trying to get away from,” he said.
When working with Blough, prospective franchisees can expect to start the process with an informal conversation about what they are looking to achieve and why.
“Once I understand that, along with their professional experiences, available capital and any industry preferences they may share, I can quickly identify opportunities that are a match,” Blough explained. “From there, we start having exploratory conversations with a handful of franchises so they can learn more and begin the discovery process with a few different brands.”
According to Blough, he enjoys the training, support and camaraderie of his FranServe peers as well as the technology and resources provided, the in-person consultant discovery days and annual conference.
“They are the entire package!” he boasted.
His plans for the future include growing his franchise consulting business even further while continuing to invest profits into cash-flowing assets.
“I think franchise consulting is a great idea for the flexibility and freedom,” he concluded. “As long as you stay the course, you should have a pretty good business built for yourself before too long.”
He also noted that, with so many franchise opportunities available today, it is much easier to choose the wrong franchise than the right one, and that’s why franchise consultants are such a crucial part of the process. Their experience should serve as a guide to franchising success.
Jessica Petrucelli