When I started in this business I had a hard time making a profit.  My contractor made a profit, the equipment manufacturers made a profit, my landlord made a profit, my lender made a profit, my food distributor made a profit, my accountant made a profit, the franchisor made a profit, even my employees were making three times more per hour worked than I was.  After everyone else got their money each month, I didn’t have enough left over to live on.

Because my store had a low sales volume, the 80 hours a week I worked didn’t help me make a profit, they just kept me barely above my break even.  That was, at least, before the long winter when the population in our tourist town was cut in half.  After one year I ended up taking on another job in order to survive.

I used to go to franchisee meetings, too embarrassed to let anyone know I was broke, hoping to learn something that would help me.  Unfortunately the help wasn’t there and after awhile I stopped going to meetings.  It was too depressing.  I know now that I was not the only one struggling, but at the time it seemed that way.

I struggled for three years and nearly went bankrupt before finally turning the corner.  Heading into my third full summer season, I decided to quit working elsewhere and come back into my store full time with a heavy focus on the following areas: **This Content is For Members Only. You Must Login or Join to See More.**