The Franchise War Stories That Still Shape How I Operate Today

Author

Erik VanHorn
February 05, 2026

Most franchisees think they need to work harder.

More hours. Better execution. Tighter operations.

But the real gap isn't effort. It's perspective. You can't solve strategic problems from inside the weeds. And the operators who figure that out early are the ones who actually scale.

WHAT MOST FRANCHISEES MISS

There's a reason the best franchise owners often come from the hardest businesses. It's not because they're tougher. It's because chaos forces you to develop problem-solving instincts you can't learn from a playbook. When systems break, customers are furious, and money's on the line, you either learn to think strategically or you burn out.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Early operational chaos builds judgment. Jeff and I spent years in the tax business: break-ins, software failures, angry customers who needed their refund to pay rent, working through every holiday. That pressure teaches you to diagnose problems fast and create solutions when there's no manual.

  • You can't be strategic while buried in operations. New entrepreneurs carry the weight of everything. You're working IN the business 20 hours a day. But until you step back and look at the business from different angles, you're just putting out fires. Strategic thinking requires space.

  • Test your market penetration with 10 conversations. Walk into 10 businesses within 1/2 a mile from your location. Ask where the nearest [your business type] is. You'll learn fast whether you're as well-known as you think. Most franchisees aren't.

  • Focus on 5-10 things that move the needle. Strategic doesn't mean overhauling everything. It means identifying what actually drives revenue, incrementally improving those things daily, and letting the compound effect do the work.

  • Customer service under pressure builds fans. When things go wrong (and they will), your job isn't to fix everything instantly. It's to communicate, show empathy, and make it right somehow. That's how you turn disasters into loyalty.

THE REALITY

Jeff spent the Christmas season getting ready to open his tax locations across his territory. Systems that were "battle-tested" still broke. Banking connections failed. Customers were furious. Corporate wouldn't communicate directly with franchisees, so Jeff and his team absorbed the anger while scrambling for answers they didn't have.

That's the tax business. Seasonal. High-pressure. Tight deadlines. No room for error.

And it produced some of the sharpest franchise owners I know because when you survive that, you learn to think differently.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU

If you're a franchisee, ask yourself: Are you stuck in operator mode, or are you thinking like a CEO? Can you step back for a day and map out the 5 things that would actually move your revenue? Do you even know how well-known you are in your own market?

If you're a franchisor, recognize that your best operators often came from the hardest situations, not the ivory tower. Grit matters more than polish.

If you're buying a franchise, understand that the playbook gets you started, but your ability to think strategically is what gets you profitable.

Where are you on the tactical/strategic spectrum right now? Hit reply and let me know.

Erik

P.S. Looking to go deeper?

🎙️ LISTEN TO WHAT MATTERS

⏱️ 00:00 – The Hardest Business We Ever Ran
⏱️ 03:00 – The Horse Story & Neighbor Garbage Lesson
⏱️ 04:41 – Early Tax Season War Stories
⏱️ 06:21 – Break-Ins, Exhaustion, and Chaos
⏱️ 07:32 – Jeff’s Holiday Scar Tissue
⏱️ 09:11 – When Systems Break and Everyone’s Angry
⏱️ 15:11 – Customer Pressure & Creating Raving Fans
⏱️ 17:21 – Stepping Back to Become a Strategic Entrepreneur
⏱️ 19:27 – Jeff’s Evolution Into a Strategic Thinker
⏱️ 26:55 – Franchisee Strategy: Visibility, Local Branding & Market Penetration

WEBINAR SERIES 2025🚨

I will be hosting 3 different types of webinar series this year for Franchisors, Franchisees & Everyone who wants to learn about Building Passive Cash Flow.

🔥 Franchise Development Accelerator

How to Attract, Qualify, and Selecting the Right Franchisees

Want to scale your franchise brand with qualified, high-performing franchisees? Franchise Development isn’t just about getting leads—it’s about having a structured, repeatable process that attracts the right candidates and moves them from interest to investment smoothly and efficiently.

🔥 Franchisee Growth Accelerator

How to Scale Profitably and Build a Thriving Franchise Business

Growing a franchise isn’t just about working harder—it’s about working smarter. In this insider-only webinar, we’re pulling back the curtain on the strategies and playbooks used by the most successful franchisees to scale efficiently, increase profitability, and dominate their markets.

🔥 Passive Income Roadmap

Building Passive Cash Flow and Creating Generational Wealth

True wealth isn’t just about making money—it’s about keeping it, growing it, and passing it down. The wealthiest families use proven passive income strategies to ensure financial security for generations.

Each 60-minute session is packed with real-world strategies and expert insights. Pick the one that fits your goals—or join all three. Remember we will give the recordings to those that register.

CONNECT with Jeff Herr 🤝

💼 LinkedIn: Jeff Herr

CONNECT with Erik Van Horn 🤝

🌐 Website: Franchise Secrets

📷 Instagram: @erikvanhorn

👍 Facebook: Erik Van Horn

💼 LinkedIn: Erik Van Horn