Before becoming a franchisee with Schooley Mitchell, Rich Bello spent his career in the sports industry in areas like ticket and sponsorship sales. However, after Bello expanded his family with two kids, he found that working the late hours and weekends required in the sports industry wasn’t conducive to spending time with his family. Bello’s father was a musician, so he had firsthand experience with a parent who was unavailable during nights and weekends. Determined to be more present for his own children, Bello knew he had to make a change. By Kelsi Trinidad
Before becoming a franchisee with Schooley Mitchell, Rich Bello spent his career in the sports industry in areas like ticket and sponsorship sales. However, after Bello expanded his family with two kids, he found that working the late hours and weekends required in the sports industry wasn’t conducive to spending time with his family. Bello’s father was a musician, so he had firsthand experience with a parent who was unavailable during nights and weekends. Determined to be more present for his own children, Bello knew he had to make a change.
While he wasn’t actively considering entrepreneurship or franchise ownership, Bello learned about Schooley Mitchell when a franchiser recruiter contacted him. He was drawn in by the flexibility and low overhead of working from his home office, and he appreciated that the business didn’t require a lot of hiring and staffing or product. As a franchisee, Bello discovered that his business’s success was determined by the effort he put into it rather than external factors beyond his control.
In December 2022, Bello opened his franchise in Lawrence Township, New Jersey. However, because Schooley Mitchell franchisees don’t have strict territories, he was able to leverage his sports contacts across the U.S. and Canada as potential clients.
At last year’s annual company conference, Bello received the Rookie of the Year award, which is reserved for franchisees who have successfully launched and followed the franchise model in their first year of business.
“Still being in the second – about to start my third – year, sometimes I worry if I was doing things the right way or if I was doing everything that I could to make it successful, but to get this award, it kind of confirmed that at least the folks at the head office think that I am on the right path,” Bello said.
This year, the franchisee plans to continue growing his client base and refine his process for getting referrals from his current clients.
“Aside from money or anything that I’m doing that is successful, what I like about this work is the ability to help these companies not only save money but also allow them to invest back into their people,” said Bello.
Kelsi Trinidad