Franchising, Fatherhood & Other Bad Decisions: Jan ‘26

In short

Rob Lancit starts the year by denying that January resets anything. It continues whatever was built the year before. He has just finalized dual citizenship, Canadian by birth and American by choice, and finds the process a fair comparison with franchising: both reward preparation, punish shortcuts and make a person prove they belong.

The center of the edition is saying no. In the previous year he turned away two candidates who had reached Discovery Day, which is late in the process. Both were smart and capable. He lists good reasons to decline: the candidate is not set up to succeed in the system, the system cannot deliver what they want, they ask for exceptions before signing, they want to fix what already works, they expect return before effort, or they like the idea of a franchise more than the work. He lists bad reasons too: not charismatic enough, not the typical owner, no franchise experience, an unflashy background, no instant rapport.

A related section says a first call is for listening. He asks who the person is and what they are trying to build before he presents anything, and warns that a candidate who hears the pitch first will shape their answers to fit it. The dad lesson is to stop giving unsolicited advice and to stand beside his kids instead of steering them, and he applies the same restraint to candidates leaning toward a choice he would not make. He also previews a Let’s Grow panel in Fort Worth and checks on resolutions, 14 days in.

Summary by the editors of this site. The original is Rob’s own writing; read the edition at the source.