The role of spilled ketchup in my path to business ownership.

I've been associated with Teed & Brown for almost 5 years and the past 2 years have seen the most change. I got my degree from the University of Connecticut in 2005 in Agronomy with a concentration on Turfgrass Science. When most graduates in my program had dreams of managing golf courses, I always knew I wanted to own my own business. Looking back to before college I'm not really sure why I thought having my own business looked so enticing.

During the first two summers I was in college I cut lawns for the Parks Department in my home town. I would spend late afternoons and weekends doing side work for people making what I perceived to be "awesome" money. ($15/ hr cash trimming trees, clearing brush, picking weeds, spreading mulch...you know... the glamorous stuff.) At that point running my own "business" was a way to make extra cash that went to paying for tuition, books and rent along with the cheapest brand of fermented hops and barley with what was left over. The two summers I spent with the Parks Department showed me that a focus on the science of turf maintenance was what I wanted as a career. The following summer at an extremely high-end country club proved that punching a clock with minimal advancement and little career ownership was something I didn't want in my future.

Then everything changed. At a random Turf club meeting during the fall of my senior year in college we had a guest speaker, Christopher Brown (not the singer/ dancer) who was talking about a business as an asset, sellable for profit, much like a home is. He talked about brand building, franchises as a network of small business using the benefits of a well recognized brand for a like cause. You know what to expect when you purchase from any franchise. (Someone says "McDonald's" and you can immediately think of what the burgers are like.) It was the mention of franchises like McDonald's that led Chris to mention why he was donning the perfectly creased/pressed UCONN shirt. We all just assumed he buys shirts from all the schools where he speaks so he fits in or as a way to unify the room or something. (Chris's explanation that the burger he had on the way to UCONN had left his shirt covered in ketchup, leaving him in need of a clean one, which he purchased at the CO-OP.) Aside from the talk of a Heinz covered shirt, the talk about business changed my perception of business ownership, franchises and assets, forever. It was a captivating talk about being able to have a business and own my career. Chris's talk was the 30 or so minutes that most had me sure of what I would be working toward after college.

After graduating college I started working with Teed & Brown to see what running a service business was all about. After three years of learning day-to-day operations, sales, production, billing, building better business relationships and the like, I opened the first independent Teed & Brown franchise in January 2008. Two years into true business ownership, I often look back and wonder how things professionally would be different had I not heard the business talk that changed everything. I wonder if that famous ketchup stain ever came out either?