Happy New Years from the Harlows!

As 2009 starts, Brian and Emily and I are excited to get some traction with FranchiseMart and see some results. We’ve had some amazing meetings with clients, potential clients, but also with partners and leaders in our community. The feedback we’ve been getting is great – it appears there’s a real need in the marketplace for our services and we are eager to learn how to turn that into opportunities for everyone.

I recently had a conversation with my good friend and business coach, Rachel, who helped articulate for me that many people dream of owning a business, and that the most common reason people never pursue it is fear! Fear of failure, fear of ridicule, fear of being taken advantage of, etc.

This sounds ridiculous, but I hadn’t really taken that into my awareness as I have gotten FM off the ground. So I’m having lots of conversations with others and myself about fears, how to overcome them, identify them, and listen to them! Often fear is a GOOD thing – it keeps us from doing dumb stuff. But it can also be terribly limiting. I hope that I can help people identify what fear might be offering them – good or bad.

I know that my own fears might limit me as I get FM off the ground, so I know I’m having lots of encouraging dialogue, doing plenty of reading, and gearing myself up for our future!



-Maggie Payette Harlow