Greg Mohr is the Wall Street Journal Best Selling author of “Real Freedom, Why Franchises Are Worth Considering and How They Can Be Used For Building Wealth”, and has managed restaurants, been a micro-electric circuit engineer, owned and operated dry cleaners, storage units, rental properties, and franchises.
Greg has helped hundreds of people invest in a few hundred franchise units. Greg is also the podcast host of the Franchise Maven Podcast
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you ended up writing a book?
I got my start right out of high school as a restaurant manager for a fast-food chain. That’s when I got my first actual look at franchising. I worked for a master franchisor of Taco Bell throughout the Sacramento area, helping the restaurants grow and become more profitable. As a teenager, I definitely saw that franchising was a great option. I would later learn much more about it (especially that it’s not limited to restaurants), but I’m grateful for my first experience in the franchise world. I then moved on to a 24-hour food chain, Lyon’s. Then, after seventeen years in the food service business, it was time for something else, so I went to school and became an engineer. I received my degree in electrical engineering and physics at Sacramento State University and went to work for Motorola’s semiconductor division. While working, I also received an MBA in management information systems and read a lot of business books. I thought I would be able to advance my corporate career by doing so. It turns out I didn’t, but I learned a lot of valuable information I would use later.
Over the years, I worked for other people, but I knew that there had to be a better way. While I was living the corporate life, I was reading Robert Kiyosaki’s books. He writes some good ones, and I remain a fan today (if you haven’t already done so, I encourage you to look into his book Rich Dad, Poor Dad). Later on, I was also reading books by Zig Zigler, who writes a lot about sales. He once wrote, “You can get what you want in life. If you help enough people get what they want in life.” These influential figures probably ruined corporate life for me, on a certain level. Overall, it was still encouraging to know that there was indeed a better way.
Before I finished my master’s degree, I thought I might return to my old roots. In the interest of keeping things a little more interesting, a fellow engineer and I purchased a dry-cleaning business with several drop-off locations, and one location had storage units as well. I also bought some rental properties, which I very much liked handling. A little problem with me (and the problem with a lot of folks) was that I needed to take a closer look at what was driving me to do something different. Well, a great opportunity to do exactly that presented itself.
The day eventually arrived when my bosses figured out what I was figuring out: my heart was just not in the corporate job. I was laid off. For some people, that’s probably the deciding factor. A big change like that happens, and then it’s time to just take a look at your life, see how it’s been going, and see what needs changing. For me, I decided that I never wanted to work for another person again. Moving forward, I would only work for myself.
I knew from great minds like Kiyosaki and Zigler that if I wanted to help as many people as I could, the corporate world simply would not cut it for me. I needed something more. I already knew that franchising was a good option (and I can tell you today that it definitely is). I researched more businesses and started learning what it would take to do franchising well. I invested in a telecommunications consulting franchise, and I haven’t looked back since.
In truth, getting laid off was a blessing in disguise. I found myself somewhat reborn in the world again, helping many businesses with their telecommunications needs. And yes, it was still a lot of work to start off with, but there was a new factor: I was doing this for me, and I was doing this for my customers. It was a night-and-day difference.
What do you hope your readers take away from this book?
My book has examples of people I have worked with and how I helped them avoid mistakes. I am hoping people will get a good idea of what franchising is all about and whether it is really for them or not. Most of the folks I work with know about the franchises they see every day, brick and mortar types. There are many more franchise opportunities than what you see on the street corners.
What are the top three tools you are currently using to write, publish, and promote your books?
Top three tools, Amazon for publishing and promoting, Canva for picture design, and Word for writing.
What were the top three mistakes you made while publishing your book what did you learn from them?
- First and foremost, I should have put together an advanced reader team. These will be people to will help proofread your book. I learned that as the saying goes “you can’t see the forest for the trees in the way” that when you look at something over and over again you may miss something where new eyes will not.
- Start with a table of contents. I found that when I started writing without this being as complete as it should, I would start getting lost and it was challenging to continue. Break it down by steps. Simplify it.
- Not enough real-world stories. For my non-fiction books, real-world stories are a must. Also, include the people that you have in your real-world studies as part of your advanced reader team. I should have done this, and I did not.
When will you consider your book a success?
It made it to the WSJ best seller list, so I consider that a successful book.
Can you share a snippet that isn’t in the blurb or excerpt?
Talk and you can only tell someone something you already know.
Listen and you may learn something new. I listened to many people about starting my business and book. It helped immensely.
How have the pandemic and Lockdown affected you or your new business?
Just the opposite in fact. Since I work from home there were no lockdown issues for me. I actually have more people considering franchising since the pandemic. People get used to a daily routine and it is challenging to step away from it. The pandemic changed almost everyone’s daily routine and that got people looking at their life a little more closely.
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
For starting my own business, the biggest challenge was working from home. Quite a few distractions around the house as compared to an office environment. I started making a list for the next day of everything I needed to get done and the time I would do it. Check emails: 8:30am-9:00am, Follow up calls: 9:00am-10:00am, New calls: 10:00am-11:00am. Doing the list and checking it off every day kept me focused.
For the book, setting the time to do the writing. Since I was already in list mode, I just added the time to do the writing and focused on writing during the set time frame.
What is the one thing you wish you knew before publishing your book?
Actually, how much easier than I thought it would be. I put it off for quite a while before actually writing it. The most important thing I wish I knew was about creating an advanced reading team. Having a group of people that will proofread, support, and motivate you is essential.
Please share one thing new self-publish authors can do to gain more reviews on Amazon.
Advanced reader team. They have been with you from the start, and they will give you the reviews you need because they helped you with the book. Since I did not have this, I reached out to all my family and friends, a little more challenging.
Can you share some of the marketing techniques that have worked for you when promoting your book?
Amazon, Facebook, and Instagram were good starters for me.
- Then HARO Help A Reporter Out, Cision, Pitchrate, Sourcebottle. People who are looking for stories to write about, particularly yours. Gets your name and book out there in the eyes of the public.
- Next up are book promotion sites, EBooksHabit, Indie Author News, EBookcornerCafe, Books Butterfly, Many books, Book Goodies, BookBub. These are discount book sites which will help with getting your name out there and bringing in a little money as well, as more sales.
If you had the chance to start your career over again what would you do differently?
I would not have stayed in the corporate world for so long. I would have taken more classes in business and entrepreneurship in school to start off.
What’s a productivity tip you swear by?
Daily check off lists.
What helps you stay driven and motivated to finish writing your book?
My desire to help people realize their dreams as I have realized mine.
Can you recommend one book, one podcast, and one online course for entrepreneurs and authors?
- Book – Robert Kiyosaki – Rich Dad Poor Dad. It made me realize there is a better way to get ahead in the world. Pretty much ruined my corporate career!
- Podcast – The Luck Titan – How entrepreneurs can create a large following. They helped me with my podcast after writing my book. I now have thousands of listens.
- Online Course – Best Seller Publishing, They helped me put it all together. A great resource for information or they will do it all if you don’t mind the cost.
What are you learning now? Why is that important?
How to utilize the resources available (both free and paid) for getting my book out in front of more people. While the book sales income is nice, for my business, I make money by getting people into franchising. The book is far better than a business card. Business cards get thrown away, books get read and you are identified as a person in the know if you wrote a book. Very few people in any profession have actually written a book. You will stand out with a book.
If you only had $1000 dollars to promote a new book, knowing everything you know now, how would you spend it?
Amazon, go with publishing and selling exclusivity on Amazon. It comes with many perks. I would say virtually everyone uses Amazon so you will have access to the world.
What’s your best piece of advice for aspiring and new authors?
Start now! Set aside a certain amount of time each day to write and stick to it.
What is your favorite quote?
“Nothing tastes better than thin feels”,
– Tony Robbins.
I was very overweight and unhealthy at one time. Now I can easily turn down food that I love because I love being healthy better. This can go for other things in life as well. Nothing is better than the freedom of doing what you want when you want.
Who should we interview next and why?
Nick Neonakis, leader of The Franchise Consulting Company. Went from a franchise consultant to the largest and best franchise consulting firm in less than five years. Made his dream come true.
What is your definition of success?
Being able to do whatever I want, whenever I want.
How do you personally overcome fear?
Planning, we fear something when we do not know the outcome. Plan, create checklist, investigate. My due diligence is essential when trying something I have never done before. Like writing a book. You will always make mistakes; they are learning experiences. It builds a better you.
How can readers get in touch with you?
You can reach out to me through my email: greg@franchisemaven.com or check out my website: www.franchisemaven.com
