Emma Southwood & Dan Kolody
Franchisee Interview
Emma & Dan
Many Albertans can relate to Emma’s story: organization changes thanks to volatility in the energy sector saw her transitioned out and into the realm of “between successes” after a 20+ year career.
Emma saw this as an opportunity to explore business ownership as a way for her to regain career control and satisfaction and team up with her husband Dan and run a business together.
It can be hard enough to find the right business when you are only having to weigh your own criteria. The challenges are compounded when other stakeholders are added. Emma and Dan share insight on how they successfully navigated the research and decision-making as a cohesive unit. We cover a range of topics, including:
- How to craft the strategy with equal input
- Managing the research as a team
- What to do when opinions may differ
- Successfully making a decision together
- Planning roles, responsibilities, and division of duties
Emma and Dan share a tremendous amount of insight and wisdom. This should be a prerequisite for anyone looking to get involved in a franchise with someone else.
Will it just be yourself running the business? There is more than enough take-away on approaching the research carefully and respectfully with your joint-decision maker, even if they won’t be involved in the day-to-day operation.
From the start of the planning and research process, it’s important to include anyone who stands to be impacted by your decision—this could be your spouse or partner.
About our guest:
Emma Southwood & Dan Kolody
Franchisees
Emma enjoyed a 20+ year career with Suncor Energy starting with promotions, retail, and merchandising. The final seven years saw a focus on the human capital side of the business, including director-level roles in talent acquisition and HR systems and integration.
Dan was born and raised in South West Calgary. He grew up wearing cowboy boots and has fond memories of adventures on Electric Avenue and the Back Alley during his youth. Dan graduated high school and went on to pursue post-secondary education in IT. He fell into a career in supply chain management – and progressed to leadership roles in inventory control and warehouse operations. In 2004, Dan jumped in to help out a friend who was in the throes of starting a small business specializing in window film services. He enjoyed the work and became quite skilled at installing window tint and film. Dan saw the opportunity to own an Image360 franchise as an extension of his experience in the window film industry. The best part of the biz? For Dan, it’s the moment when the client gets to see the final installation of their solution – that’s pure magic.
Emma and Dan clearly defined what they wanted (and didn’t want) in business ownership. Once they set their sights on the objective, they approached the research with borderline tactical precision. And they weren’t fazed with the idea of launching a business in the middle of a pandemic.
About your host:
Grant Bullington
I’ve been helping people explore franchise opportunities for over 15 years. While the industry continues to evolve, one thing remains constant: prospective franchise owners have a lot of questions. And without getting answers and education, dreams of business ownership remain unfulfilled. My goal as your host is to help you get closer to your ideal franchise – step by step, topic by topic. I love hearing peoples’ franchise success stories – you’re my inspiration for the Franchise Scout and hope this podcast helps you to have your story to share. Thanks for listening, Grant.
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