It's Just Business

78. Exiting a Franchise

May 11, 2022 Dana Dowdell and Russ Harlow Episode 78
It's Just Business
78. Exiting a Franchise
Show Notes Transcript

What if I want to cancel my franchise agreement? How to get out of a franchise?  What happens when the franchise core values change?  Russ and Dana discuss Russ' exit from the franchise and venturing out on his own.  Russ shares his experience in the franchise, what led up to the mutual termination of his franchise agreement, and what new adventures await as he builds a brand of his own.

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You can find Dana @adashofboss, @dana.dowdell and @hrfanatic
Dana DowdellBoss Consulting – HR Consulting
Google -  https://tinyurl.com/y4wxnavx

You can find Russ @reliable.remediation
Russ HarlowReliable Remediation – Disaster Restoration
Google: https://g.page/r/CXogeisZHEjMEBA

Russ Harlow  00:06

I'm Dana, and this is Russ, and you're listening to It's Just Business.

 

Russ Harlow  00:11

We're a couple of small business owners who are trying to figure it out as we go. And as we grow our businesses, we want to help you grow yours. If we've learned anything, it's not personal. It's just business. Hey, Russ!

 

Russ Harlow  00:24

Hey, Dana, how are you today? 

 

Dana Dowdell  00:26

Good, how are you? 

 

Russ Harlow  00:27

Well, I'm feeling very good.

 

Russ Harlow  00:31

You've gone through a pretty significant transition in your business where you left a franchise. And so that's what we're going to touch on today is, what was your thought process? Before you initiated the departure? What were some considerations during that whole process of departing? And then where are you now? And how are things feeling? So let's start at the beginning.

 

Russ Harlow  01:00

Yeah, so I mean, one of our first episodes, in fact, was kind of franchising, the good, bad and the ugly. And we talked with another franchisee from another organization. And, you know, there are definitely some pros and cons that you have to consider, before you get in and some things you'll have to deal with while you're in it. I never really thought I was going to leave. 

 

Russ Harlow  01:23

You had done a lot of you had done a lot of homework about the franchise?

 

Russ Harlow  01:28

Yeah, the franchise itself had gone through a lot of changes since we opened. You know, after being in a year, they were bought by a larger franchisor. Before it was just the brand itself. And there was a different culture, I think, after it was bought by another larger organization. And then actually a year after that, that company was bought by an even larger organization. So what was more family oriented or kind of feeling in the beginning, did turn into a more corporate feeling. And that was a much it was a much different feeling. We, we didn't like it as much. And I think a lot of people had a similar feeling, because a lot of people get out of their corporate life, and join a franchise for reasons like they don't want to have that corporate feeling anymore. You know, that stuck in middle management, people kind of up above dumping on you down below, you know, making all kinds of requests that you can't possibly change an organization. And that kind of happened. And so the culture changed. And we had a hard time I had a hard time adjusting to it.

 

Russ Harlow  02:44

Did you guys as franchisees get, like, how much lead time did you get that the company was being purchased? And was there ever an opportunity for you to give any feedback before that business exchange happened?

 

Russ Harlow  03:03

Nope, because it's not our place. We own our local franchise and actually happens a lot within the franchising space, where brands get bought and sold and larger organizations buy up smaller ones and sell off pieces. I mean, it just, it's just the nature of the beast that I was aware of going in. And so that's, I mean, you take your chances, you know, as a solopreneur out on your own. Well, that's maybe you try to get big enough to sell one day. And that's that's actually what happened to the original franchisor. You know, the original owner, built the company up to a multi million dollar organization and sold it. I mean, that's why he built it in the no hard feelings. Right. But the reason I bought in was because of that original owner. He was one of our guests, Jeff dude, he used to own the organization. And honestly, when I bought the company, when I bought into the franchise, I was buying Jeff, because I just I love what you stood for. There were some other challenges with throughout the sale, but I mean, at the end of the day, it just wasn't the same organization.

 

Dana Dowdell  04:21

What was some things that you were experiencing? That kind of started the process for you, where you started to think that maybe the franchise wasn't the right space for you?

 

Russ Harlow  04:37

So it's hard it was kind of a progress process. In the beginning it was me going back into, you know, the chain of command saying Hey, how come we're not getting the support that I feel like we need? Seems like changes were being made and more responsibilities. Were getting pushed back on to the local owners. And so it was like, well, this doesn't make sense. I mean, this is something that was always covered for us. And we're still paying the same amount and royalties, you know, why are these things not being taken care of for us? And so, you know, I was part of the franchise Advisory Council, which many organizations have, they're kind of like an ombudsman between the local owners and the organization. So, I mean, I was part of the process all along, and trying to, you know, either fix things that we thought might be broken or seek positive change that we're both honestly, it has to be beneficial for both the franchisor and the local franchisee, you know, just can't be all one sided, because everything's on, if everything just benefits, the franchisor franchisees don't make it. And if everything benefits, the franchisee like lower royalties or everything else, or more and more services that they can't afford to provide, well, then the franchisor can't survive either. So it has to be symbiotic. So trying to find that balance is kind of a big deal. And every organization is a little bit different. But me not getting the answers that I want. And kind of keep I think somebody put it as what were you doing rattle on the rafters? You know, I just kept going up the chain of command up the chain of command up the chain of command when I didn't get answers that I wanted, or needed? And eventually it was we're tired of making those emails. Maybe, maybe you're just not happy and should move on.

 

Dana Dowdell  06:36

 Being a squeaky wheel. 

 

Russ Harlow  06:38

Yeah. And you know, I was a little surprised at the time because I had expected somebody to come back to me and say, Hey, you're wrong, this is why you're wrong. And this is why we do it this way. Or we see what you're saying? How can we either fix that or find a way that everyone can be happy. But instead, it was brought back to me as maybe I was just a disgruntled guy, and maybe I should just go. And so I was offered mutual termination. And I was floored. Because it's not the result that I thought I was gonna get. I was really trying to, I was legitimately trying to improve, but there was some real underlying frustration that was starting to come out. And I think that frustration kind of gave people a bad taste in their mouth, you know, up the chain of command, you know, it was like, Ross, just shut up. You know, I get that too. Like, I get it. Like I could be a real pain in the ass. Hands down. No, we admitted 

 

Dana Dowdell  07:42

Oh, no, no.

 

Russ Harlow  07:44

So I think that frustration started to come out over time, when it wasn't getting the responses I really wanted. And so that was the challenge. And I think, you know, from both, I tried to be objective about it, you know, I don't, I don't feel like they were just trying to get rid of me. But I just don't feel like you know, it was a match anymore. And both sides saw that. And I got out I was able to negotiate, and then removing the non compete clause, because I couldn't just leave the franchise and stop working. So we decided to stay in business and rebrand. And that has been exciting.

 

Dana Dowdell  08:22

How long from the moment that you got to the mutual termination agreement to the actual execution? Was there like a timewise? And what were some things that you did during that time to make sure that you really protected yourself, the business, the integrity, the reputation that you have developed for the business?

 

Russ Harlow  08:45

So it was like a month to the day, from the initial conversation to alright, we need to have a signed agreement, like by the end of the week. And you know, from the very beginning, I took a weekend I was floored I was in the very beginning, I was kind of it was kind of like that grief going through that. That grief, I think I probably think

 

Dana Dowdell  09:10

Well, I think we've recorded that day and you just came in and you were it was like very much like it was almost like mom and dad are getting a divorce, you know, right? There's no way to really communicate it in a way where it's like you're prepared for it. And I was I'd known your frustrations. But I was very surprised about just kind of the matter of factness of it.

 

Russ Harlow  09:30

Yeah, and so after throughout that month's time, I just tried to figure out what I was going to do moving forward as I was trying to make decisions. I tried to start thinking, well if I decide to move on, what will that look for? Like for me and what will I need to do? So I started talking to people about what do I gotta do to get my own website up and running? You know, I started thinking about if I change what will my brand name be? Is it then you start diving down the worm hold of, you know, can I use this name can I use that name is this domain exists available. So when you're starting a business, it's like, all of a sudden, you're changing horses midstream, and you're back down that rabbit hole from beginning, I never had to do those things. When I opened my business, those things were all done for him because it was a franchise. So just, you know, trying to figure all those things out was talking to people I had experience with, in the past, helping me, you know, talking to a graphic designer, helping me figure out what our logo would look like, you know, designing a wrap for our vehicles and talking to marketing people about that knew me knew our industry, how am I gonna get up and running? How do I not miss a beat and have to restart with, you know, Google and everything else? Because let's face it, it's Google's world. We're all just living in it. Right. So that was, it was a long, 30 days. And that was two months ago, since we left. So.

 

Dana Dowdell  10:57

I think it sounds like it was, you know, in a moment of not desperation, but kind of like, What the frick do I do now? You took the time to make sure that that agreement was really made sense for you. Right, you didn't just take it for face value.

 

Russ Harlow  11:17

Right. And Mike, my franchise agreements, hundreds of pages, and any franchise agreement that anyone signs is almost guaranteed to be in the favor of the franchisor, not the franchisee you just know that going in, they don't really make changes to them. So you could talk to your attorney about and they could say, Hey, you should change this, this and this. And they're almost never going to do that. Some will, some won't depends on the size of the franchise, etc. But, you know, it's, it's their business. I mean, that's why they franchise. You know, we have to, you know, think about then now, if we upon separation, the biggest thing was how do I move forward? And how do I just stay in business. So the non compete was the biggest thing. And then I had to agree to not use any of their branding going forward. So I had to cleanse all of my social media accounts of anything that had the old brand on it. T shirts, equipment, name, all that jazz. It was a long weekend, one after that greement got signed.

 

Dana Dowdell  12:29

Was there like a moment that you couldn't work in a way? Because you were focused on doing all of that cleanup around the termination agreement?

 

Russ Harlow  12:40

No, you know, unfortunately, there were some shortcomings, I think, with the old website, and we were in a real slow period as it was. And so it actually, you know, we've, the phone wasn't ringing, and it actually filled my time. I don't know, it was bittersweet. I suppose I wasn't making any money. But I always at least had the time that I could spend trying to figure out what I was going to do moving forward. Oddly enough, when we did redirect everything to the new business name, and the new website, things changed almost immediately. Because here in our region, we have a great reputation. You know, they have a guy, they don't always think of the name. And I guess, in the long run, that's really a shortcoming as a business owner, because you want them to recognize the brand, the name you, because then you're building something, you're building a company. And it's not just a job, you know, still, you know, everybody prefers, hey, I know a guy Ross, he takes care of that stuff you should call Ross. It doesn't matter whether it was the old brand or now the new brand. It's still Russ. So that works in my benefit, although it's probably not a it's not a huge compliment to the business that I'm building yet. Because it's still, I'm still the face of the business.

 

Dana Dowdell  14:10

I think franchisee aside, that's, that's a common experience of business owners. I've run into that where it's been me for three and a half years. And now that I am starting to build a team, it's how do I my marketing has been all about trust and the trust that people haven't read for three and a half years. So how do I bring some new faces into it? When the trust is not there between my new employee and whoever's reaching out to us, I think that's a common, a common theme. I want to go back to when the termination agreement was signed, and you did all of your website and rebranding and all of that. Was there anything that you found out that If you had to learn in, you know, like you had to figure out like, I don't know, if your franchise was doing your bookkeeping or, you know, payment processing all of that was, what did you have to learn in order to continue on.

 

Russ Harlow  15:17

So we were doing just about everything on the local level anyway. There was nothing really new that we had to learn. We were pretty much just doing a few other things that we were paying for, through royalties, you know, I had to learn, you know about website stuff, because that was all done for me. But what I did learn was I pay somebody to do that for me, because they're better at it than I am. So I already knew that. I mean, when I first opened my business five years ago, I was like, Oh, I'm gonna learn QuickBooks, I'm gonna take these online tutorials and blah, blah, pop up. Ah, I did that for about an hour and a half. And then I called my friend who's a bookkeeper. And I said, What are your rates? And how can when I, when can I start paying you, because I am not going to learn how to do bookkeeping. And as a business owner, that's one of the important things you have to learn is when to outsource and kind of move that on to the next person who does it better. Because honestly, my time is spent better doing what I do well in my business, and letting them do what they do in their business. And I think that is important. So there wasn't anything out of the ordinary. That came by surprise, although when I started making a list right away from that first phone call going, what are the things I have to do now that the franchise isn't doing it for me, and you know, the website, some of the marketing was probably the biggest, I have no one to answer my phones for me anymore. So we had to get set up on buying a block of phone numbers to be used on the van and the office phone, and then a system to have them all forwarded. Again, it's about asking the right person, hey, what do I got to do? Where do I sign up? And then, you know, getting it moving forward? Now, every single phone number in my company gets forwarded to my cell phone. Yay. 

 

Dana Dowdell  17:14

Oh, that must be so fun. 

 

Russ Harlow  17:17

Well, yeah. And the dog comes in as the caller's ID as opposed to like, it'll let me know, Oh, it's from the website or whatever. Because I want to have the record of the phone, customer's phone in my phone. So I have to answer my phone no matter what number shows up, you know, thanks, calling Reliable, this is Rous. And it could be I wear this is Jonah down at the auto place about your car's warranty. Like I'm trying to work

 

Dana Dowdell  17:48

Russ, It's your mother, why do you have to answer the phone like that?

 

Russ Harlow  17:52

Let's see mom's name comes up in the caller ID it's fine that I'll know. But it is what it is. And so the nice thing is, you know, with technology now, you know, I can get text messages through those numbers, you know, the voicemails all get recorded and everything else, not just on my phone, but on the platform that we're using, you know, my, my voicemail sounds professional, it's like, Hi, you've reached reliable remediation. And you know that, that means my other My office is on the phone, and I'm probably in a basement and can't get service. So just leave a message or text me at this number. And I give them my cell phone number so they can get directly to me if it's an actual emergency. So with that, I feel like we're covered and I'm not taking, you know, 1000 phone calls a day anyway. And when we get to that point, guess what, there's a service for that.

 

Dana Dowdell  18:40

So you had to rebrand? What were some considerations that you took in, in that rebrand and defining your new business name? And what did it look like?

 

Russ Harlow  18:55

So I had learned through, you know, the last several years that, you know, search terms are important. And remediation is one of those things that gets searched a lot when in our business, whether it be water, mold, or fire or whatever. And I said, Well, what goes along with that? And I like I like alliteration, so reliable came up. And then it was alright. Are there other businesses with that name? Or is it available locally? What kind of domain name is available? Because that's kind of a big one, too. I didn't realize the shorter the domain name, the more expensive it is. Like literally 1000s of dollars sometimes, depending on how good it is, or how good they say it is. And so this was pretty simple and pretty direct, and then was available. So I thought it was a good one. I thought it went along with our culture that our values that were trying to portray and it was fit. So then from there, it was like, Well, now, I started looking at logos and was like, Hey, I kind of like this one, I talked to my graphic designer, and I said, this is what I'm thinking. And I made a couple of mock ups. And she's like, Oh, I get your vision, let me run with it. And of course, anytime I've ever designed anything, and then sent it to Julie, it came out 10,000 times better because she has, that that's what she does. And, you know, she provided everything else with the service I cones, and even our vehicle wrap and different things, it just followed our vision and was able to put it to paper or computer screen, however you want to say it. And that was a huge thing, because I didn't hate our brand and logo and everything else. I mean, we had a big orange van going down the highway, and everybody always saw us, you could see us from miles away and everybody honk and wave. And I'm like, I don't know who's in that white Camry. You know what I mean? I have no idea who owns that car. But everybody recognized us. And so it's important to have that same kind of recognition, driving around, because that's what a vehicle wraps for. And so, you know, I think we came across with something that that's still pops out and is recognizable. But it was important for us to build on the cultural values that we are instilling and building our brand on and yeah, that's kind of what directed us in that way.

 

Dana Dowdell  21:35

Were you able to keep any of your you know, we're able to keep the van, were you able to keep any of your equipment? Was that part of your termination agreement? You know, what was the structure of that?

 

Russ Harlow  21:51

So are everything that I purchased at the beginning was mine, because it was part of the original equipment purchase. When I got into the franchise. We have a trailer and a vehicle that, of course, I my business least. So I still have those, you know, the trailer was mine a couple of years ago, at the end of this year, coming in June, next January, that truck will be mine 100%. Because that agreement is with my business. It wasn't through the front, we we were introduced through the business through the franchise, and they probably made a few bucks off of the introduction. But again, that's franchising, and that's how they make their money. So it was nothing like that, I still have everything, some of its branded, so we've been peeling stickers off here and there. You know, try to blur them out when we use them in social media and post them on there just trying to follow the termination agreement to a tee and be respectful. And because it really is it wasn't there wasn't any real bad blood. Other than the surprise that I was asked to go, or given the opportunity to go, I wasn't asked to go. But given the opportunity to say hey, you're not happy. It's not good for either side, if you want to go this is it's okay. Even though I was trying to make improvements, or at least I felt like I was trying to make improvements. It wasn't interpreted that way or accepted that way. So here we are. And that's okay. I think one of the biggest things moving forward was the acceptance that because our, you know, we talked about that day, when I had that phone call, we I think we had a recording, but I also had a meeting with my coach that same day. And it turned into a therapy session. And one of the things that I mean, over the last six to eight months prior I had been struggling with was all of the issues we had, we just discussed. And Christine was fantastic. She said Russ, the brand and you your your core values no longer aligned. And I was like, oh, ah, it was I have been so so you know, caught up in the middle of it. I didn't even see that one. Simple fact. The reason I was so tied up in knots over everything is because our core values didn't line anymore. And I was like it was it was that helped me move forward. Because after that weekend, it was like alright, I think this is probably going to be the best decision because now I can build a company that is based solely on my core values. I have to answer to no one about it, except myself and my family who you know, are important part of this organization. And at the end of the day, that's it. I don't have to complain to somebody because something didn't happen or it didn't line up with the brand or anything else because the brand is us. And that's that was the biggest thing moving forward is understanding that sinker, sinker succeed, it was up to me anyway, even with the franchise, because, you know, there's we talked about in that franchising episode, you know, two years ago, it was, there's no business model that will substitute for a bad owner. So, when you get into an organization, you still have to do the work, you have to be good at what you do. And so this is just the same thing, you know, I there, when the model was good, I got started, it wasn't panning out the way I thought it was going to, there were a lot of changes on the franchise side that were well outside my control. And our core values didn't align any longer. And I was actually given a gift by allowed to go out on my own and do it myself. And actually, kind of appreciate it now.

 

Dana Dowdell  25:55

It's almost like you had to relinquish that, that control or that desire to change everything, so that it aligned in your, to your core values, and just accept that you couldn't change it?

 

Russ Harlow  26:09

Yeah, cuz I mean, at one time, the core values really did align. You know, that's how I got into the organization in the first place. And like I said, to no fault of, really anyone's, I mean, with two purchases in two years. And moving forward. You know, we were part of a an organization that had like seven other brands, and we're serving under a larger franchisor that, you know, had different models and different brands elsewhere. And so it just, it changed. No one's fault, really, it just was different. And for me, personally, it didn't align with my business. And it caused me a lot of consternation. So now here, we are living free and

 

Dana Dowdell  26:53

Free as can be.

 

Russ Harlow  26:56

It's not really that different, you know, we still are offering the same service the same, you know, service is, it's just like, I'm doing the same job, just in a different t shirt. I've told people because we're still the same.

 

Dana Dowdell  27:10

When you did the rebranding, was there an opportunity to retain, like your customer list? Or anything like that? Probably not?

 

Russ Harlow  27:21

Well, they, those all belong to the franchise. That's part of that 200 Page franchise agreement I saying a long time ago, I think they still contact all of them. And they are all considered them. There's legally the I guess the only positive is in our industry, many times it's a one off, like, or not a one off, but it's a it's a once and done, you know, not too many times do you know, people have fires or, you know, their their basement, we do have some customers that have basements flooded a few times, and we felt them, but they've got chronic issues. Most people don't have those issues. You know, it's like a one time this pipe froze, and you know, so it's a one time emergency and done. So it's not like, there's a residual income coming from a lot of our customers. So it's not a it's not a great loss. And I guess on the other side is likewise talking earlier, it wasn't always the brand that brought people in it was the I still call ROSC when I've got an issue. And so that is to our benefit, because my phone still rings from people that know us in the in the in the region and in our community, and say, Hey, I didn't even realize you changed, but you're still my guy. You know, and so I think that's what's interesting, is it's not really a great loss.

 

Dana Dowdell  28:49

Now that you're free, man. What are you doing differently? Or what are you able to do differently? That you weren't able to do before?

 

Russ Harlow  29:01

I think the biggest one is more influence on the webpage and the information that we put out to the world. Because I mean, it is the World Wide Web, right. We had some things that we could change on our because the website before was central to the franchise, there were a lot of shade shared pages, you had some things that were just you know about your local industry, but it was just like one page, maybe or your local region. And now we're shaping an entire website on just us. And we're putting all the information in that we want. We want to add a video from us being on the local news and the report covering our family and our business. I can put it on the website. I can make it exactly the way I want to I oh I don't want it there. I want it up here above the fold. I can do that. I have that creative influence now. And it probably drives my good friend and marketer great Easy. But it is what it is. So I think that's one of the biggest things is influencing the content. Because the content, like we talked about the content marketing with, with our good friend, Sarah, Sarah. Yeah. And yep. And we, we now want to use that content to attract our ideal clients. So we want to shape the message. It's not just keywords and search words, okay? We know those are important. But we also want to attract our ideal client, because we don't just need every Tom, Dick and Harry calling us up because they saw it was mold, or whatever. I mean, because they might be like, chasing corner cutters, or, Hey, how do I get out of this cheaply, and that's not our ideal client. You know, we want somebody who's wanting to take care of it the right way, get it done right, first, maybe solve the problem, instead of just getting it cleaned and led to come back next year. So those are ideal clients, we get to control the content. And that's probably one of the biggest things. And again, my business coaches really excited that we can start shaping that message better, because it's been important in our journey, and my journey, as we Pumpkin Plan our business still, and trying to build it up and make it what we dream it can be.

 

Dana Dowdell  31:25

Did you feel at all like a sense of like, you mentioned grief? Like how long did that grief last? And is it a complete opposite feeling now where it just like, you don't feel that loss or that, but yeah, the grief?

 

Russ Harlow  31:45

Yeah, I'd say it was probably one of the biggest things that helped me overcome it quickly was that conversation I had with my business coach, talking about the core values, because the realization right there helped me take the next step. Like it was kind of a breakup, right? And it was like, it was it was literally it's not me, it's you. Not, you know, it's it was one of those. And so, I'd say the weekend and after that, I think it was reinforced every time a fellow owner would reach out to me, maybe someone I didn't have a relationship with, it was like, Hey, what's going on with you? How, and I still am getting calls like, how did you get out? I wish I could get out like things have been changed throughout the the entire network and the change for everyone. And so I'm like, listen, I mean, I it was offered to me, and I took it, I was given a gift. It's not like I did anything like, Hey, I'm breaking free of the franchise. So it's not like it's a different situation, if they're trying to get out. That's not what happened to me. I was literally offered a lifeline and I took it. So I can't even but knowing that other people kind of have similar feelings, I guess, you know, reinforces the idea that I made a good choice.

 

Dana Dowdell  33:16

This goes back to kind of what we first started talking about and even our original conversation with Eric Aleta about franchising, but, you know, what did your franchisee or a franchisor agreement have around termination? Like, traditionally, what are the terms, the circumstances that allow you to get out of a franchise agreement?

 

Russ Harlow  33:40

You know, they're all different. And I'll be honest, the franchisor, especially when they first bought the brand, they were really generous, helping people who were either struggling and wanting to get out, they allowed them to get out. Now most of those people got out of the business altogether. And, you know, were relieved of their responsibility from the franchise agreement. You know, there are certain extenuating circumstances, and every year is a different franchise agreement. So I only know mine, and the franchise has been around for a long time, and there are different ones for every year. So, you know, for us, some of the biggest things were, you know, non compete, like, you could not work for another company, or a competitor. You can't work for any family in the same industry like that could just have my son start a company and then start working for him. These were all kind of written out in the noncompetes probably the biggest one. And I think, and this is just my speculation. And we kind of have struggled the first four years, just kind of leveled off and revenue and everything else. And I think it was just kind of looked at, like, I wasn't going to be a big player. And they were like, my just let them go. What's the big deal? And, you know, I guess that worked out in my benefit, too, I guess I don't know. But again, that's my speculation of what happened. I mean, there are owners in the in the, in the network that are paying as much in royalties as I was doing in revenue. I mean, they're just, they're big players. And so I think it was easily looked at us, you know, he's not, he's not really making it anyway. And he's kind of a thorn in our side. So let's just give him a life jacket and wish him the best. Because I don't think there was really any necessarily any malice or anything. I don't know. I just got lucky feelings. Yeah, I feel like it.

 

Dana Dowdell  35:58

Just good. Last question, is to look back on the experience, is there anything that you would have done differently?

 

Russ Harlow  36:10

As far as the separation? No, I don't think so. I, you know, they didn't have to grant me the non compete. And so I was, I was happy that I was able to negotiate that and maintain a, you know, because otherwise, I would have been stuck there, I would have had to choose to stay, and then comply. And that is not in my nature. And I knew that ain't never gonna

 

Dana Dowdell  36:34

What do you mean?

 

Russ Harlow  36:37

Well, it was going to be Listen, we need, I think it was, it was either you're going to go ahead and sign the mutual termination agreement, or we're going to meet, and we're going to talk about what it looks like moving forward. And for me, that was a lot less, a lot fewer emails about what you're not happy about. And so I that's just not me. And I was going, it would have been soul crushing if I had stayed. And so it was just an easy decision.

 

Dana Dowdell  37:12

But it sounds like it was the right decision, and that you're in a much better place. And in terms of business, just able to have a greater sense of autonomy.

 

Russ Harlow  37:23

Yeah, I mean, everything was left up to us anyway. But now there's a little, there's no safety net anymore. Like, there used to be a safety net, like, you know, and the owner network was always fantastic. That's the one thing I'm gonna miss the most is the network of owners was just a wonderful support network. You know, you could always call somebody and say, Hey, how do you do this? What did you do there. And they were really great and helping out. Over the last several years, I have built a similar relationship in my region from other restoration company owners that, like me, are now are independent. And we support each other, you know, we believe in an abundance mindset, even here in our own small region in Eastern Connecticut, and we assist each other Hey, what do you use for software? Hey, you know, I've got this job, that's probably a little bit too big for me Do you want to bid it with me and we just approach life and business that way, and the good guys always do. And so you know, that network is a little bit smaller for me now, because this is a little bit smaller pond. But those same relationships are being built. And it's it's a great support to have.

 

Dana Dowdell  38:37

That's fantastic. Russ Thank you as always, for your vulnerability and your openness and sharing your experience. We are lucky to I'm lucky to have you as part of the this journey.

 

Russ Harlow  38:53

I'm gonna save that part of the recording.

 

Dana Dowdell  38:59

Oh, and thank you guys for listening to rest and I and it's just business podcast, we always appreciate any and every lesson that we get every share that we get every interaction that we get. So go ahead and give us a follow on Instagram and or Facebook and or LinkedIn. At it's just business podcast. We're also online at it's just business podcast.com You can see all about all of our guests, you can give all of our previous episodes a listen. And as a reminder, we also have merch, which any purchase goes to support the show. So again, thank you so much for listening. And remember, it's not personal, it's just business.