Chief Change Officer
#197 James Hilovsky: Why Athletes Are Built for Business (And How Franchising is Their Secret Weapon) – Part Two
Mon, 24 Feb 2025
Part Two. James Hilovsky dives into the real game of franchising—where passion fuels success, but unchecked ego can lead to fumbles. He breaks down how even non-athletes can thrive in franchising by overcoming fear, finding the right fit, and partnering with a franchisor that has their back. Whether you’re a former athlete or just someone tired of the corporate grind, this episode will show you how to step up to the plate and own your future.Key Highlights of Our Interview:When Ego Enters the Game“For highly successful athletes, ego can become a stumbling block. In their circle, they’re often surrounded by ‘yes’ people—but in franchising, the system is the boss.”Coachable or Combative?“Not every athlete thrives in a franchise model. If they’re resistant to coaching or feel they don’t need the franchise system, they might be better suited for entrepreneurship.”From Control to Chaos“Athletes transition from highly controlled environments to the unpredictable world of business. Education and mindset shifts are crucial to navigate these new challenges.”The Athlete’s Advantage: Resilience“Athletes are no strangers to failure. In baseball, hitting .300 is a win—despite failing seven out of ten times. That resilience becomes a powerful tool in business.”The Franchisor as a Partner“Your franchisor should be more than a brand—they’re your business partner. Look for one that offers strong support and aligns with your vision for success.”_________________________Connect with us:Host: Vince Chan | Guest: James Hilovsky______________________--**Chief Change Officer**--Change Ambitiously. Outgrow Yourself.Open a World of Deep Human Intelligence for Growth Progressives, Visionary Underdogs,Transformation Gurus & Bold Hearts.6 Million+ All-Time Downloads.Reaching 80+ Countries Daily.Global Top 3% Podcast.Top 10 US Business.Top 1 US Careers.100,000+ subscribers are outgrowing. Act Today. --Chief Change Officer--Change Ambitiously. Outgrow Yourself.Open a World of Expansive Human Intelligencefor Transformation Gurus, Black Sheep,Unsung Visionaries & Bold Hearts.12 Million+ All-Time Downloads.Reaching 80+ Countries Daily.Global Top 3% Podcast.Top 10 US Business.Top 1 US Careers.>>>140,000+ are outgrowing. Act Today.<<<
Chapter 1: Who is James Hilovsky and what is his franchise consulting focus?
Hi, everyone. Welcome to our show, Chief Change Officer. I'm Vince Chen, your ambitious human host. Our show is a modernist humility for change progressives in organizational and human transformation from around the world. Today at our studio, We welcome James Hilofsky from Riverside in Southern California.
James runs a unique franchise consulting business, primarily serving retired athletes from the NBA and NFL who are starting new chapters in their lives as franchisees. He also helps regular people with their franchise businesses. James believes that using his expertise in franchising to change lives and livelihoods of families and future generations is a dream come true endeavor.
I haven't been a franchisee or franchisor myself, but I do have experience with the franchise business. Many years ago, when my parents immigrated to Canada with zero local experience and connections, they ventured into franchising to make a living. Despite the hardships, using franchising as a means to fulfill the dream of becoming immersed and settled in the community was life changing.
Chapter 2: What personal story does Vince Chan share about franchising?
So I have great respect for franchising as a business model that can positively transform lives. Let's discover how James has used franchising for the greater good for both athletes and everyday people.
When you look back at these examples where you acted as the advisor and matchmaker, helping them figure out their plans and goals, what are the three qualities that stand out in these successful individuals? These qualities could be skill, mindsets, psychological traits, or something related to the sports they play.
Can you name some key qualities that are common and contribute to success in franchising for these athletes?
Chapter 3: What qualities make athletes successful in franchising?
I would say the one and most important quality that athletes bring to the table when it comes to franchising is they are able to take a risk. And what I mean by that, when you get into business for yourself, you're taking a risk and you're betting on yourself. A lot of people have a problem with, Hey, I'm going to step out of the box. do something different and it's going to be risky.
And the athletes are very good at being able to take that risk because at the end of the day, their whole lives, they've bet on themselves. They've used their training and all the skills that they've done ever since they were a child. And it's all been about, Hey, I'm good. I can do this. I'm going to bet on myself much like jumping into business. It's betting on yourself and taking that risk.
And most every athlete has the ability to go out and say, yeah, I have the confidence and I'm going to bet on myself. So I would say that is the number one out there. Number two, the other one that is really good is A franchise system is an athlete is usually really receptive to coaching.
Chapter 4: How do athletes' leadership skills transition into the business world?
So in business, when you're going to get into any business, you're going to have to take coaching and be able to apply that. So again, anything that in this case, the franchisor will tell an athlete, They will take that to heart and they will try 100% to implement what the franchisor has told the athlete to do.
Much like when they were playing, like the coach says, you need to run a five-yard out and turn here and they work on that. So it's being able to take that risk, take that coaching and apply it. And then really another thing that athletes are really good at, and not just business, They're really able to go out and be leaders.
So some athletes lead by example and naturally in the field and other athletes are vocal leaders. But they all have some sort of leadership kind of quality, even though they're a part of a team, they have that leadership quality. And so they are able to, they're able to take that risk. They're able to take that coaching, but then they're also able to lead teams.
their team or their employees or whatever the case may be into the franchise system that they're able to facilitate and go, okay, it's all on my shoulders. I've got the coaching. I know how to set up the business. And now I'm going to be able to lead and I'm going to be able to put my right players in the position they need to be in to be successful in the business.
Chapter 5: Why is coachability crucial for both athletes and entrepreneurs?
So those are just really just three that really just come off the top of my mind that athletes are exceptional about.
Sure. Leadership quality, of course, being a strong team player and having a risk-taking mindset. In fact, leadership has many elements, but basically it's about being a team player, a risk taker, and being coachable. In sports, they always have coaches. When you talk about coaching, it reminds me of the scenario in venture and entrepreneurship, especially in tech ventures.
In the past, when I talked to investors, or venture capitalists. I asked them what kind of entrepreneurs or founders you'd like to invest in or admire. One quality they mentioned was being coachable. They explained that some founders might be very smart and passionate, but if they are not receptive to coaching, is a problem.
These founders may resist advice, fail to learn from mistakes, and ignore experienced voices. This is what investors mean by being coachable. I can totally relate to that when you mentioned the coachability of athletes.
Yes, absolutely. They're very good now. Now, the flip side of that, it sometimes could be athletes are very, they're very coachable. They're very passionate, like we were talking about. Now, sometimes in a franchise system, If they're very... Yes, they may be coachable, but they may be passionate. So maybe they... And remember, they're used to taking risks.
So the flip side could be is, okay, they've been showing how to do the business. They're in the business. They're passionate about it. But now... Maybe they're going to go a little bit off the tracks because they think that in my speed in this play, I can make it better. Like on the field, sometimes they might improvise on that. So they might take it a little bit. Okay, I get it. I know. And...
They just will have this sometimes be invincible and I could go off the rails and take my business this way. And that's where the franchise system is really great because the franchisor will go, you're going off the rails here. Let's turn it back in. and take it back to, let's get back on the road there. We put the guardrails up for a reason and let's get back on the road.
So sometimes that passion could lead to maybe slipping out of the system a little bit. And much like a manager that, or on a team, the franchisor will take it and take them back to center. Sometimes an athlete's so good at those, they go a little bit too far, but the franchisor will always put them back on track.
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Chapter 6: What challenges can ego present for athletes in franchising?
Would you say ego could be a risk for athletes? What other qualities should athletes watch out for? Looking at the flip side, what traits could counteract success in franchising and leadership?
Really, basically, what we said, it also could be if they go a little bit too far. But the ego is definitely, that's a great way to put it, the ego could get them into trouble. And especially the more famous athletes or the ones that have had more success on the field, they have typically much bigger egos.
And there's not a lot of people in, once you're dealing with an athlete that's dealt with a lot of success, You got to understand, too, in their circle, there's not a lot of people that will be, no, it's always going to be, yeah, you're right. You did the greatest thing and you're good at this. And so there's not going to be many people that will say no to him in their circle, him or her.
And the great thing about a franchise or they're looking out just for the business. They don't care who this, what he's done on the field or her. And it's, Hey, let's get back to center. So ego is definitely one that has to be held in check. And then there are athletes that we, even when they played. that they sometimes had some problems with coaching.
And there'd be times when I can talk with an athlete and if I felt that they really had really great egos or they were not going to be coachable, Maybe franchising is not for them. Maybe entrepreneurship is, but maybe a franchise is not a good fit. If I hear the words, why don't I just do this franchise on my own? Why can't I just take that business model and just do it on my own?
I don't need their help. And because I would want to do it this way and I could do it much better and I could do it cheaper. And why pay those royalties? Then it's okay, let's have this conversation and let's talk about that. Let's talk about why a franchise is successful because they've hit all the potholes. They've set up the business. They've done this from day one.
So if you start out on your own, you're going to make those mistakes and maybe some of the mistakes you make are not going to be recoverable and you'll lose your whole investment. You get in a franchise because they know they have a proven system.
They've been through and made mistakes that you would make into your business and it would save you thousands of dollars or even save your business than if you went off on your own. And that the responses be, I still think I could do it better on my own and I don't need to pay these fees and just think I could do it.
And that's a person that probably athlete or not does not fit into the franchise model.
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Chapter 7: How does franchising mitigate risks compared to starting a business from scratch?
Yeah, I can tell from your explanation that when athletes transition into the business world, whether as franchisees or stand-alone entrepreneurs, ego can be a risk. But Beyond Ego is also about figuring out what kind of risks they want to take and what costs they are willing to incur. By costs, I don't just mean money, but also learning curves and other challenges.
To me, franchising is a more controllable type of business venture because, like you said, the system is established, risks are calculatable, and there is a track record. In contrast, starting a new business from scratch is riskier. If you are a creative type of athlete, you might want to start something on your own from the ground up. In that case, are you ready to take that kind of risk?
Are you ready to step up and make the best use of your leadership skills? Different personalities and risk tolerance levels come into play during this transition. Let me play devil's advocate for a moment. While you argue that the transition from sportsmanship to franchise leadership has many similarities and seems like a perfect fit, there are hidden areas to consider.
In sports world, everything is clear cut and measurable. For example, in swimming, one of my favorite sports. You know who wins the gold medal because it's the person who finishes the fastest. The timing technology is sophisticated and precise, leaving no ambiguity.
In the business world, however, while we have financial goals and key performance indicators, there are many hidden risks and ambiguities, especially when dealing with people, partners, and employees. Athletes are trained in controlled environments. But when they move into less controlled business environments, even within franchising, they face uncertainties.
How do you help athletes make this transition? Does it involve mindset shifts, education, or more coaching? What do you think?
Yeah, very education. You look in an athlete and you think of business and everything that we've talked about. But one thing really we haven't really hit on is in business, when you're going to go through a struggle period, like you're saying, maybe there's so many moving parts where...
You know, that you're struggling with maybe finding the right employees or you're struggling with the day-to-day operations. And you do know that you can turn to the franchisor for help and all that. But one thing that athletes are another really good trait that they have that it's really great in business is they're used to failure. Not every athlete succeeds at every game.
Not every game's played great and they're going to go through ups and downs. In baseball, if you're a 300-year-old, that's outstanding. That means you failed seven times out of 10. So the athletes are used to failure. So it's one of those where... If your business is in a slump, it's okay. I've been used to this before. I've had a slump. I've had a shooting slump. I've had a hitting slump.
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