A Q&A About Running your own Business as a Student

A lot of people are interested, or skeptical about what the company College Pro is, what they do and most importantly where we’d fit into that. I’ve met a lot students who hear about the opportunity and take it with a grain of salt, not buying into the opportunity right away. I understand the skepticism, I was the same way. Beginning university as an 18 year old from the small town of Stratford, I remember sitting in my residence cafeteria, eating corn flakes in my pyjamas, throwing out applications left right and centre hoping that something would stick. After scouring job listing website I came upon an ad calling for student leaders. I assumed from the vagueness of it that it would be a part time campus ambassador program that could be an opportunity to provide me with some spending money for my growing coffee addiction while at school. So naturally, I followed the email listed and sent off my resume

The next day I got a call from Brennan, my future General Manger and friend, asking me if I wanted to learn more about running my own business that coming summer. Now I, just like so many other students I meet, received it with a skeptical optimism. It sounded too good to be true and something I was in no way qualified for, but I agreed to meet up for coffee (who would pass up a free coffee?) and talk more about it. 

Insert some sweaty handshakes, me trying to act more professional than I was at the time, a few more free coffees, lots of questions and the rest is history. I slowly, but surely bought into the idea of running my own student painting business; my parents, with some convincing, were also brought on. There was a lot of anxiety about the amount of commitment involved, but I was very eager and enthusiastic about the idea of getting to run my own business. 

In order to help any students who may be in a similar situation to myself in the future, I’ve compiled a Q&A with my new General Manger, Chris Lancaster to hopefully bring some clarity to what College Pro is really like and the culture within it. I’m doing this for myself as a way to get to know Chris better, but my main priority is providing some transparency to help out any students who, like myself may be uncertain about the opportunity if they come upon it in the future. So let’s see what it’s like after passing the threshold of thinking about starting your own summer business, to actually committing to the challenge. Here it is:

Ryan: Give us a brief introduction to who you are and what you do within College Pro.

Chris: My name is Chris Lancaster, born and raised and live in Hamilton, ON. I have been a Franchise Manager with College Pro for 3 years, and have just started the roll as General Manager.

R: How did you get involved with College Pro? Tell us a bit about your journey from first hearing about College Pro all the way to your current role as General Manager.

C: I got involved funny enough by seeing an ad on Kijiji. In terms of my journey, I would say it taught me the value of struggle in my life. I had been through some hardships before College Pro with losing my Golf Scholarship in the States because of injuries and experiencing depression, and viewed those years with remorse. However, as I experienced the hard lessons of running a business, specifically with hiring the wrong people, working with the wrong customers, and overcoming those challenges and finding better people to work with, I began to see the value in struggle. As millennials we are swarmed with internet articles preaching life hacks, imagery of Insta entrepreneurs, and for most of us, do not understand the value of a job because there is less exposure to working young (we have things better). For me, I needed this stage in my life and continue to need it because I truthfully do not have everything put together and need to learn more about how to work with people and be successful. With that in mind, I have been able to improve my output in my business in terms of revenue and profit each year, while increasing my time to work on side projects like creating an album and a tech company one day. As I continue to work in College Pro, I really try to help move a franchisee from their current level to one they desire. Everyone has a why, and it is important for me to hit on that, even if it means thankless hours, tough conversations, and of course, struggle. 

R. What’s one of the most valuable thing(s) you’ve learned from your experience with College Pro?

C. Aside from learning the value of struggle, the most valuable thing I have learned is that people are everything. I am not the smartest, strongest, or most intuitive in the room, and alone I could not do what I do. I rely on people everyday to make me better, and chose to be proactive about those relationships so I know that they will always be there to help, and that they know they can rely on me. 

R. What kind of people do you meet at College Pro? (specifically about FM’s and GM’s)

C: There really is no single type of person you meet at College Pro, and it certainly defied what society would think of as a typical entrepreneur. I learned that anyone can run their own business if they have the ability to work hard, follow a system that works, and use expert opinions around them to grow and change when needed. We see people who want to run their own law firm or tax firm, people who want to build a company around an original idea, people who are artists, or people who are looking to get a step up in the business world. 

R: What kind of culture do see develop among Franchise Managers as they progress through the program?

C: There is certainly a family feeling to College Pro, in that most are very dedicated to the roll and the people within it. My best friends are all within the company and I really am grateful for it. We work hard and we play hard, and we also allow for growth outside of College Pro, which is a very hard thing to find in most companies. 

R: Does anything surprise you about the kind of individuals you meet at College Pro?

C: Most people in College Pro are open to different ideas and hearing about early stage concepts before they are polished and clean. I feel comfortable in sharing my ideas with others, whether it be about a company I want to start, a practice I want in my business, or a song I want to write. The other piece is that you can get personal with people, about the darkest and hardest parts about your life, and the best things as well, and there are people there to hear you out and help you through it. 

R: Are there any differences you see among the new Franchisees in January during the launch weekend and the same individuals at awards night in October?

C: Expect grey hairs. There is usually a dramatic difference with the College Pro Franchisees that make it through to the end, even if they are not totally successful. Your barrier to handle stress is so high, and your ability to manage your time and finances, that franchisees typically do better in school, and with life after College Pro. People’s ability to think big also increases, as I see a lot of franchisees look to double their output from previous years, and take on other projects. The last piece would be that it could become hard to relate to others because you get an atypical experience. In my opinion the bad things about University culture like partying too much, or purging on Netflix, social media or video games gets weaned out of the franchisee’s lifestyle. Running a business is about development and facing reality, and taking time for yourself that you really have not earned is not a priority as much anymore.

R: What necessary skills, mindsets or characteristics do you think students need in order to run their own painting or window cleaning businesses?

C: You have to be able to handle stress, and believe in the mission you have set out. Calmly going through your trials and tribulations will reduce the amount of time you spend in anger, complacency or sadness, and will allow you to see the things that you need to be doing. There are so many dangers in running a business of being too involved, and you really have to be the conductor of your orchestra. It is not the conductor's role to play any single instruments, but precisely to play the orchestra. It is counter productive to paint, to market, and it is important to hire and facilitate a caring and productive culture. 

R: What are the biggest things you look for when interviewing potential Franchise Managers?

C: There really are two things I look for. They need to be able to work hard and grind out 60 to 80 hour work weeks, and have the ability to be coachable and follow the systems we set out. Most franchisees come to us because they have not run a business before, and we have systems and people that have so much experience, it is important to learn the fundamentals and really work with your coach. Time for innovation comes when you are well practiced at your craft, and have the finances and time to invest in something a bit more risky. Work hard and listen!

R: At the end of the day what do you think it takes to be a successful Franchise Manager? Is it something innate in all Franchise Managers, or is it something that varies among all of them?

C: It does vary, not everyone in the end is cut out for the roll. Back to my previous points, you need to work hard and follow the system.