He Took Over the Family Business at 21. It Grew to Nearly 200 Parks | Jeff Platt, Sky Zone

Jeff Platt was 21 when his dad asked him to take over a two location trampoline park in Las Vegas. He had no plan and no idea how franchising worked. Then a UFC fighter trained there on Spike TV. Three minutes of footage aired internationally, and emails poured in from people who wanted one in their city. Jeff flew to Chicago, took a two day course on franchising, and started selling. In this episode of The Exit Plan, Alex Smereczniak sits down with Jeff Platt, president of The NOW Massage and co-founder of Bowie Barker, to trace how his dad's failed attempt at a new pro sport became Sky Zone. He grew it to nearly 200 parks before the 2018 sale, and the early investors who backed it had asked his dad not to tell anyone they were in. His most contrarian take is that franchise owners will almost always be better operators than the franchisor, and the best ideas in a system come from them. You'll hear: - How three minutes of a UFC fighter training at Sky Zone on Spike TV turned a two location business into a franchise - Why he was on his way to the office at 5:36 the morning after the sale closed, and bored within a month of leaving - How a three week wait at his own groomer led to Bowie Barker, and why they started franchising 18 months after the first location opened - What he got most wrong: he went into franchising sure no franchisee would operate as well as corporate, and now tells prospects they will learn more from other owners than from the brand Chapters (00:00:00) Intro (00:02:32) Taking over at 21 (00:08:42) Three minutes on Spike TV (00:10:03) Learning franchising in two days (00:10:52) Wrong about franchisees (00:17:20) The investors who stayed quiet (00:21:09) Why he jumped back in (00:28:20) A three week wait for a groomer (00:39:56) Who makes a good owner (00:46:12) Quick hitters Connect with Jeff: Website: https://bowiebarker.com | https://thenowmassage.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-platt-aa502124/ The Exit Plan: Follow on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-exit-plan/id1814643428 Follow on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/46Fegpnlum8YtWUuuCnoiF Free guide, real costs and earnings for the top 5 franchises under $150K: https://go.franzy.com/top-5-franchises-under-150k Find your perfect franchise, free: https://franzy.com Follow Alex: https://instagram.com/alexfromfranzy | https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-smereczniak-40310329/ Enjoying the show? Tap Follow in your podcast app so next week's episode shows up automatically, and leave a rating if this one earned it. The Exit Plan is a Franzy podcast, hosted by Franzy co-founder and CEO Alex Smereczniak.