Thanks Team Subway!

What a weekend! After two presentations (one on Friday afternoon and one Saturday morning) at the Subway Worldwide Franchisee Convention, my infatuation with the power of franchising continues!!! 33,000 stores in 90 countries is almost incomprehensible for me, but Subway is "gettin' 'er done!" It was really neat to see Fred DeLuca and Pete Buck (the founders of Subway) on stage together at the opening of the Convention - history in the making.

For my part, Friday started a little slow. Energy hadn't really started to flow through the group yet as the Convention hadn't even opened, nevermind the fact that it was 95 degrees outside with 95% humidity (that can make anyone sluggish). One comment I received on the evaluations was, "Too motivational..." I didn't know a speech could be too motivational!?!? Because I am a motivational speaker who talks at the 30,000 foot level about the importance, and value, of setting goals, doing personal and business assessments, writing an action plan, completing the tasks and then realizing the goals, I learned a lot about the importance of setting the expectation for what is going to be delivered right from the get-go. Which takes me to Saturday...

Saturday was awesome! We had a nearly capacity crowd of 260 people (they had to bring in more chairs) despite the fact it was an 8:45 a.m. session and some torrential down pours had left much of the city of Chicago under water meaning buses were having to zig zag all over to get attendees from the hotel to McCormick Place. Right away you could feel a difference in the room. We set the expectation and never looked back. Here's a few of the comments I received back on evaluations:
* "Excellent and captivating, but pertinent to today's market." A. Ambrosini
* "Sounded like she really knew something about Subway and how to relate." A. Etchison
* "Easy to put into action in daily life and daily business life." Presentation Attendee
* "Good kick to organize and do." Presentation Attendee

Since what I'm most trying to achieve is getting people to commit to taking action when they get back in their markets, I was most excited by the statistic that 92% of evaluation respondents said "yes" they would take action when they got back to their market!! Now we're making progress.

There will be YouTube video of this presentation posted soon. Thanks Team Subway for making me feel welcome at your event. I was thrilled to be a part of it .

With Energy and Purpose,
Susan

Subway Day has Arrived

Tip of the Day: Never start dying your hair at home and then get caught up in working on your PowerPoint presentation! Thankfully I remembered that I was sitting with hair dye on my head before the damage was too bad. I just got swept up in the story of this Powerpoint and almost had a disaster on my hands, or head as it were. :)

I am really excited about the Subway Convention today and tomorrow. I think "Plan for Profit" will be a great program for them. They are expecting 4500 people total, with my rooms set for 300 each. It should be quite the scene. We are going to try and videotape tomorrow's gig, so hopefully we'll have some footage to share soon.

Have a super weekend!
With Energy and Purpose,
Susan

The Power of People

I give a speech entitled, "The Power of People," and in that speech I talk about the importance of building a strong network and the real and awesome value of such a network. I have been very fortunate in my life to be surrounded by many wonderful individuals and for that I am always thankful. I must say though, as I have started this new business venture, I have been truly and absolutely blown away by the outstanding people of the franchise industry. The words of encouragement and recommendation have been amazing, and I am so grateful to all who have either published comments, sent emails, gave a phone call or just wished me luck. Thank you!

I am using LinkedIn more and more these days to continue to build and keep in touch with my network. What a super tool this site is! There have been some really good discussions posted in the IFA Group and it is always fun to receive updates on what's happening with the Women's Franchise Network's around the country. If you are on LinkedIn, please look me up under "Susan Black-Beth" and let's LinkUp!

Never underestimate the power of people. One good relationship, or connection, could be the difference between a lived life and a life lived. Remember, you just never know who you are standing next to!

With Energy and Purpose,
Susan

Just 4 Open Gigs Left for 2010!

Hello Friends!

I have just four speaking spots open in my calendar for the last 6 months of 2010. I would like to say, "Thank you" to those who help me reach my goal of filling these spots by paying all of my own travel expenses for any full-fee gig booked as one of these last 4 spots in 2010. I hope this helps to relieve some of the financial pressure for franchisors as we continue to feel the force of this poor economy.

I am so grateful to all who have contacted me about speaking at your events and to all who have supported me in this journey. I will do my absolute best to make you proud! If you're interested in learning more about me, my speaking topics or how we might work together please contact me at susan@susanblackbeth.com or by phone at (815) 222-1894.

With Energy and Purpose,
Susan

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July to all! Be safe, and have a wonderful holiday weekend with your family and friends. Please stay tuned for the Summer Special I am going to be offering starting just after the holiday. Celebrate with energy and purpose.
Susan