John Hayes has worked in the franchise community as a consultant, franchisee and franchisor since 1979. He is the author of several franchise-related books and countless articles that have appeared in media worldwide. Dr. Hayes has served as an advisor to franchisors, franchisees and small business owners internationally. His areas of expertise include management development, marketing, customer service, training, and strategic planning.

He is the author or co-author of 18 non-fiction books including the Franchise Pre-Investment Checklist, Franchising: The Inside Story, Start Small, Finish Big, You Can’t Teach A Kid To Ride A Bike At A Seminar and most recently Get It! The Secrets of Cultivating the HomeVestors Millionaire Mindset.

His articles about franchising have appeared in Reader’s Digest, Inc. Magazine, Wall Street Journal, International Herald Tribune, USA Today, etc., as well as many IFA-sponsored publications. Dr. Hayes leads seminars—How To Capture & Keep Customers—strategic planning workshops and Franchise Masterminds. He is the founder of FranchiseMastermind.com and he’s a popular speaker and trainer at franchise conventions and meetings internationally. He has provided services to more than 100 franchise companies during his career. Dr. Hayes served aas President/CEO of HomeVestors of America, Inc., the We Buy Ugly Houses company from 2004-2009. He is based in Dallas, TX.

Here are some of the questions that guided this segment:

1. You’ve been around the franchising universe for some 30 years. How has the environment for franchising changed since you started?

2. We’re sitting in early June 2009—-we are booking a 9.4% percent unemployment rate and likely to face still more job losses in the US. How has this changed the face of franchising and small business in general—-from your vantage point.

3. Franchising is not for everybody—-but how do you really know if it’s the patch you should follow?

4. I know you’re working with franchisees a lot—-are you also consulting aspiring or established franchisors?

5. When you do your speaking and consulting events, teleseminars and so forth——where is the pain with small business owners on the street and how do you find your work most helpful to relieve that pain?

6. Tell us about the Franchise Mastermind System you’ve founded—-what is it and how does it work?