SPORTS CLIPS Franchisee: Failed Owners Have Themselves to Blame

Not ALL the recent comments about the Sports Clips franchise have been negative.  One commenter, who claims to be an experienced franchise owner with three decades of experience, claims that Sports Clips is a great business model and that every one of the franchisee’s stores has been profitable. 

According to the Worksforus, “operated PROPERLY, this concept is an easy winner.”  He/She states “Most people that fail need to look in the mirror and stop blaming others for their lack of business success.”

Thu 11/12/2009 11:17 AM  Worksforus wrote:

We are happy with our Sport Clips stores and wish we had gotten into the business sooner. We don’t agree with everything that happens at Corporate but it’s unrealistic to expect otherwise. No one gets along or agrees 100% of the time.

We’ve been involved with different franchises for nearly 30 years and find Sport Clips to be a great business model. We have yet to have a store not make money. Nothing is fool proof but operated PROPERLY, this concept is an easy winner.

Most people that fail need to look in the mirror and stop blaming others for their lack of business success. The tone of some of these commentors gives great insight into why they may have failed.

Of course, the lone positive comment of the month prompted a quick rebuttal.  Sat 11/14/2009 10:23 AM  Doesn’t Work for LOTS of people wrote:

You write: "We have yet to have a store not make money."

What state are you in?

Have you talked to franchisees in Calif or any of the states in the south, whether it be Louisiana, Georgia, Florida?  The store average for the 140+ states in the southeast is barely $4,000 a week, for both service and retail.  These people are not making money. 

You write: "Nothing is fool proof but operated PROPERLY, this concept is an easy winner."

Are you aware of the corporate store in Jacksonville, Fla?  I have informatrion from a franchisee down there that this store has been opertaing as a corporate store for two years.  Surely SC is operating their own store properly?  After two years that store is averaging $3,300 and 230 customers?  Do you consider that a winner?

You write:  "The tone of some of these commentors gives great insight into why they may have failed."

I followed the advice of some of these commentors and called lots and lots of former owners.  What I heard makes me think that you have it backwards.  The tone reflects not why they failed, but the fact that they were bullied by the franchisor, that they lost their life savings, and that the system fails many times in spite of how hard they worked.

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