Today we’d like to introduce you to Meg Schmitz

Hi Meg, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?

In business today, I am inspired by entrepreneurial thinking and action. With intention, I surround myself with free thinkers who have a vision for their future and their business. The funny thing is that I was raised to be very conservative financially, to play it safe and save for the future. I had no idea about investing in myself, using my savings to create greater income opportunities. My parents were a Registered Nurse and a surgeon, which are pretty structured and rigid careers with a very clear trajectory (at least back then… they are 86 and 92 years old now).

Fear dominated my money decisions. Don’t spend unless absolutely necessary. Keep that Rainy Day Fund plentiful, because surely there would come the day that disaster would strike. Fear of failure drove a lot of conversations around the dinner table. Go to college, get a degree with a real major, land a great job, and plan to stay there for a very long time.

What I didn’t know when I was a girl was that my mother was a budding entrepreneur. As a nurse, she had grabbed onto the notion of hospice care while visiting England during my dad’s medical training. Emotionally, my mom knew that patients and families weren’t getting the care and guidance they needed to navigate dying and death. As a community, she and 11 other like-minded people formed Hospice of the North Shore. They expanded from cancer care into AIDS patient management as well.

Recently, I interviewed my mother for my podcast called Free Agent with Meg Schmitz. We were reminiscing how my dad used to say, from the far end of the table… “Oh Jackie, we took the Hippocratic Oath! We don’t help people die!!” My mother’s retort was always the same… “well, you do realize that someday you are going to die, too, don’t you?”

It was my dad’s black skies forecast that kept all of us living in fear, scarcity, and safety.

Starting a business involves risk, and my dad wasn’t having anything to do with it. He stood in her way at the hospital when she presented the hospice conversation to other physicians. . Starting the hospice meant time away from the family, time away from parenting and being a domestic engineer. I see now how hard it was for her to keep her vision clear and focused.

The entrpreneurial gene is part of my DNA. It just took me a very long time to feel the fear, and do it anyway.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

I use a graphic for a presentation I present monthly to aspiring entrepreneurs that perfectly answers this question. I will gladly share that with you!

Here is my answer:

Anything that involves risk is going to be bumpy. What event in life is guaranteed to be easy? Learning how to ride a bike is risky. So is getting married, having kids, owning a business. Plan on obstacles and challenges. Expect the unexpected. Be ready to pivot and change. Some changes will be minor adjustments, and others are going to be seismic! You will lose sleep, and become obsessed with getting it right.

Being an entrepreneur is a very lonely journey. My guests on the podcast are in 100% agreement on this topic. You need to have Passion, a Purpose, and a Posse. Know your why (if you don’t know your Why, watch the YouTube videos by Simon Sinek).

Just like my mother found when starting the hospice, having clarity pf purpose and vision, and sound advice from a group of mentors will take any good idea over the finish line.

As you know, we’re big fans of Take The Leap Franchising. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?

As a FranChoice business consultant who recently signed on as a franchise owner with IMAGE Studios, I am walking the walk and talking the talk of investing in myself and my financial future via business diversification. My husband and I own five independent businesses in many different industries, but my real passion and joy is in building entrepreneurs in the world of franchising.

America is full of independent minded people who want to break free from a job and take control over their destiny. They want to own a business that builds generational wealth. Most people don’t have an original business idea that they can execute, so owning a franchise is a great way to benefit from a proven model that makes real money.

As a franchise consultant, the greatest value I offer is that I feel all the fears and concerns that everyone experiences when making this type of investment decision. I’m in the thick of day to day business decisions, and understand that the buck stops with me. It is a great obligation and honor to create a great culture that employees want to be part of every day.

I have my finger on the pulse of consumer behavior, and can answer people’s concerns about recessions, elections, pandemics, interest rates, and more!

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?

This is a fun exercise… thinking back on who I was, and how much of that still defines me.

I am a middle kid, so I was always trying to keep people together, getting along and cooperating. I have always been a peace keeper and maker. I love animals, and as a kid I couldn’t wait to learn how to ride horses, groom them, take care of them. I loved everything about horses! I also loved babysitting when I was old enough to do so, and made a lot of money until I was old enough to get a real job.

Diligent, well behaved, reserved, and reliable are good descriptors for my younger self.

All of that changed in high school when I met my first boyfriend. I didn’t know it at the time, but his partying was turning into early alcohol dependency. We were a bit naughty during the two years we dated! I still had a job and kept good grades, but our group of friends hung out in places that I probably shouldn’t have been. I don’t know what triggered it, but his dad made him break up with me. That probably saved his life AND mine.

Pricing:

• FREE! I get paid after a successful placement in a franchise concept

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.megschmitz.com
• Instagram: @schmitzmeg and @imagestudiostosa and @franchisefashionista
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/franchise.guru.meg.schmitz
• Youtube: @MegSchmitz

Image Credits

@stacykaat