How Non-Food Franchising Can Be Your Next Opportunity- A discussion with Jon Ostenson

Jon Ostenson

Jon is a multi-brand franchisee of 5 fast growing franchises located in Atlanta, Minneapolis, and Miami, a top 1% global franchise consultant, the best-selling author of Non-Food Franchising: The Better Path to Business Ownership, and the former President of ShelfGenie, an Inc. 500 franchise with 200+ locations.

 

He is a shining example of the success that can be achieved when someone follows their dreams. Seven years ago, while serving as the VP of Sales for Carter's Inc., responsible for $350M+ in annual sales, and after 20+ years in corporate America, Jon did the unthinkable and walked away while at the top of his career to pursue his dream of becoming an entrepreneur—even though, at the time, he wasn't quite sure what he wanted that path to look like.

 

His risk paid off, as he ended up in the industry he has dubbed ‘non-food franchising’, where he has had tremendous success, which has given him the autonomy many entrepreneurs desire, allowing him to commit over 90% of his time to helping others realize their own aspirations of freedom and generational wealth creation through business ownership.

 

Through his company FranBridge Consulting, Jon has helped thousands of entrepreneurs and investors understand all aspects of non-food franchising and has introduced them to opportunities from the 600+ high-growth brands that he represents. 

 

Jon also frequently contributes to publications such as Forbes, Inc., Bloomberg, The Franchise Journal, and Franchise Connect, where he writes about franchising and franchise investments.

Summary

Franchising opportunities overview @ 0:00 Jon outlined the benefits of franchising for new business owners, including starting with an established brand, playbook, and support system to leverage decades of expertise and avoid reinventing the wheel. Benefits of franchising for new business owners @ 6:00 Jon argued franchising provides numerous advantages, such as guidance from franchisor experts and peer franchisees exchanging best practices, ensuring product-market fit and optimized operations and marketing from the start. Non-food franchising opportunities @ 9:37 Jon emphasized exploring non-food industries like property services, noting insulation's $52B market, and discussed opportunities in health/wellness and services for kids, seniors, and families that remain recession-resilient. Franchise stacking and portfolio growth @ 14:25 Jon discussed clients growing their franchise portfolios through adding units of their primary brand or complementary/diversifying brands for increased income streams and risk mitigation. Semi-passive franchising investment @ 14:57 Jon outlined the option of operating as an investor/manager through hiring professionals to run day-to-day operations while still overseeing the business as an asset with tax benefits and eventual exit value. Non-Franchising Financializing book overview @ 20:08 Jon's book shares opportunities beyond food franchising and how its profits support charity. It generates interest and jumpstarts the vetting process for new franchisee candidates. Closing and next steps @ 21:55 Jon provided contact details and offered the book to listeners, emphasizing FranBridge's role in navigating franchise placement.