Avoid These Mistakes as a New Franchise Owner Franchise Fridays with The Designery's Casey Ridley On this episode of Unemployable with Jeff Dudan, I sit down with Casey Ridley, President of The Designery, to talk about the journey from a mom-and-pop surplus store to building a fast-growing franchise brand with over 40 locations. We cover: Why franchising gives people time freedom and community impact The biggest mistakes new franchisees make (and how to avoid them) The key traits of successful franchise owners Misconceptions about franchising and what really matters The role of culture in making a franchisor great Trends shaping franchising: AI, automation, and the customer experience Whether you’re an aspiring business owner or just curious about franchising, this episode is packed with insight. 👉 Learn more about The Designery and Homefront Brands A FREE COPY OF JEFF'S Book Discernment Find Out More About Jeff Dudan 00:00 – Intro & welcome to Casey Ridley 01:12 – From surplus business to franchising 02:30 – Role as President of The Designery 04:05 – Why franchising gives people their time back 06:18 – Entrepreneurial background & Georgia Bulldogs banter 07:52 – Why people choose franchising today 09:03 – Competing in business: vendors & marketing advantages 11:05 – The ideal franchise candidate: team builders & fearless leaders 13:10 – Misconceptions about franchising 14:30 – Mindset shifts new owners need to make 15:45 – Culture: the difference between a good vs. great franchisor 17:10 – What people overlook when evaluating a franchise 18:25 – Biggest new owner mistake: “genius attacks” 20:12 – Success story: corporate escapee turned top franchisee 22:01 – Franchising trends: AI, automation & showroom experiences 23:45 – One big question for those on the fence 25:00 – Closing & CTA #Franchising #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #FranchiseSuccess #HomefrontBrands #UnemployablePodcast #JeffDudan #TheDesignery #WealthCreation #SmallBusiness