Congratulations to US soccer team, who qualified for the second round of the World Cup thanks to a very late Landon Donovan goal against Algeria yesterday.
Some fans may have given up hope, but the American team has shown great determination throughout the tournament. The win means they will play Ghana on Saturday afternoon (EST) and by winning Group B, America have avoided some of the heavy-hitters in the tournament- the likes of Argentina, Germany and England. There is a pretty good chance that the US will be able to roll onto the semifinals of the World Cup, which would be a historic achievement.
We have a very international team at Franchise Direct, with our German and Spanish staff still hoping their respective countries can go all the way. Ireland, of course, did not qualify (the less about that, the better, but at least France have received their own serving of misery).
So all the best to the US and Germany in the Round of 16 and hopefully Spain will get out of the group stage as well.
Football season kicks off tomorrow night in Nashville. There is something in the collective spirit and all of the constant game planning that prepares football players perfectly for a second career in franchising.
We’ve blogged in the past about pro football players who own franchises. Add to that list Kory Minor, a Notre Dame graduate who played with the San Francisco 49ers and the Carolina Panthers. For their new September issue, Franchising Times have written one of the most insightful profiles of a franchisee you’ll ever read, as they document Minor’s journey from the gridiron to the pizza kitchen, as he now owns a Domino’s franchise in California.
“I must have every FDD out there,” he quips. “My wife said, ‘you’ve reached the end of the Internet, there’s nothing else out there. You’ve got to do something.’”
It’s great to hear the way Minor has taken the lessons learned in the locker room and brought them to his staff.
Motivating young employees is tough, even for a former football star. But Minor was counseled by some of the best coaches available.
He uses positive reinforcement and saves the reprimands for behind closed doors. “It’s hands-on, coaching, even ministry at times,” he says.
One of the first questions he asks youth groups he speaks to is: “Who dreams?”
He worries about the kids who don’t raise their hands. “If you have no goals, nothing to aspire to” where are you going? he asks.
The same question is posed to his workers. “I ask them, ‘If you’re not here tomorrow, what do you want to do?” he says. “I don’t mind losing someone to go back to school.”
There is life after football and its great to see Kory Minor succeeding in the franchising game.
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