To BEE or Not to BEE a Franchisee
Over the last several years, we’ve had the honor of talking with people from all over the country who are considering opening a Bee Organized Franchise in their community! We love these conversations because they help us better understand why people are eager to start their own Franchise—and what roadblocks are standing in their way. Many people daydream about opening their own business because they are feeling stuck and discouraged in their current jobs. In fact, the Harvard Business Review reported that job dissatisfaction is at an all-time high, with 60% of workers feeling “emotionally detached” from their jobs. We know that several of our Franchisees opened their businesses because they needed to make a meaningful change in their work lives. We hear from others that they were motivated by a desire to try something outside of their comfort zone—that they needed a fresh challenge at this point in their lives. And some of our Franchisees made the leap because more than anything else, they love the feeling of pride and joy that comes from helping people transform their lives, one cluttered space at a time. Opening a Franchise is not the right choice for everyone, but it most certainly is the right choice for some of you! So how do you figure out whether this is the right path for you? Our WannaBEE Franchisees tell us that there are three main reasons why they are hesitating to make the leap. 1 Fear of Failure Thinking about failing is scary. After putting so much time, energy, and hope into taking the leap, the idea of failing can be so overwhelming that it keeps one from trying in the first place. Our advice to you is to acknowledge that fear—sometimes things can happen that are out of your control that will lead to failure. But at the same time, you need to be honest with yourself about all of the reasons why success is more likely than failure for you. With a Bee Organized Franchise, you are not alone on this journey. You have a wealth of support, knowledge, and best practices from seasoned and experienced Franchisees who have successfully launched and scaled their own organizing business. You will do the research, talk with experts, and have the Bee Organized branding and reputation to lean on. Fear is a critical part of every new business venture—it’s what helps you sharpen your planning and what drives you to make smart, research-based decisions 2. Financial Risk Starting a new business—especially when you are walking away from a career to start it—is most certainly a financial risk. Especially during the first couple of years, the financial rewards of starting any sort of business can be a bit of a rollercoaster. It takes time to build your business and to grow your base of regular customers. You can’t collect dozens of heart-felt Google reviews and word-of-mouth references all in one day! Unlike many Franchise options, a Bee Organized Franchise has a low financial entry point and you can begin your business from your own home—no need to rent expensive retail space, buy professional equipment, or hire multiple employees out of the gate. When you buy a Bee Organized Franchise, you’re buying a system based on years of organizing, running, and managing a successful business. Plus, you’ll have access to a whole HIVE of experts to help you every step of the way. You’ll have the opportunity to speak directly with the founders and existing franchise owners to understand what it’s like to go through the transaction, learn firsthand about capital, selecting the right partners, organizing your affairs, and what to expect from pre-launch to taking flight. 3. Lack of Confidence One of the roadblocks standing in the way of some of our WannaBee Franchisees is a lack of confidence. But as renowned organizational psychologist Adam Grant reminds us, “You don’t have to build confidence before taking action. You build confidence by taking action.” What does that action look like? Scheduling an informational call with our co-founders so that you can pick their brains. Talking to friends and family and mentors about your exciting idea. Reading every single page of the Bee Organized website to learn more about every aspect of the mission and business. Meeting with your financial advisor or bank to plan a financial strategy. Our Franchisees learned how to run a successful business by leaning on our expertise and resources. The last part of the Adam Grant quote we mentioned above is just as valuable as the first part: “Never let doubts about your ability undermine your faith in your ability to learn.” We know that making the decision to purchase a Bee Organized Franchise may be your biggest decision yet. If you’re feeling the nudge for change, take the next step and schedule a call today—it might BEE the right choice for you. The only way to find out for sure is to get the conversation buzzing! Learn how our co-founders, Kristen Christian and Lisa Foley, came to BEE!
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Why Not YOU?
If you regularly find yourself daydreaming about doing something more—more fulfilling, more flexible, more YOU—this might be your sign. Maybe you are craving work that energizes you, a schedule that finally fits your life, and a career that reflects your values. Maybe you’ve even started researching new possibilities, like buying a franchise or starting a new business. And yet…something is keeping you from taking that next step. It’s completely normal to feel stuck between wanting change and actually moving toward it. In fact, the moment just before you leap is often when the self-doubt is the loudest. That’s the moment when your brain starts offering every excuse it can imagine: “What if I fail?” “What if I don’t have enough experience?” “What if this isn’t the right time?” But those thoughts don’t mean that you aren’t ready—they just mean you are human and care deeply about making the right decision. What’s Holding You Back? Most of the barriers that stop people from making bold moves aren’t external— they’re internal. Fear of failure. Worries about money. Perfectionism. Imposter syndrome. These quiet roadblocks can be so powerful, but only if we let them stay unexamined. You might worry that you don’t know enough to start your own franchise or that you have to wait until every star is perfectly aligned. But perfection is a myth, and no one starts with all of the answers! Some of Bee Organized’s most successful franchise owners weren’t business experts before they started. They were people with heart, determination, and a willingness to learn. Growth Doesn’t Happen in the Comfort Zone Think back to the times of your life when you grew the most. Maybe it was switching jobs or careers, becoming a parent, or relocating to a different city. Our guess is that you weren’t 100% ready for any of those things, but you showed up, you stretched yourself, and you figured it out as you went along. All of the times of your greatest growth happened WAY outside of your comfort zone because the only time we truly grow is when we challenge ourselves by stepping into uncertainty. Buying a franchise—or making any big life change—isn’t comfortable and it isn’t easy. But if this opportunity is a good fit for you, saying NO to it has its own risks. Are you protecting your comfort zone at the expense of your future self? You Don’t Need to Be Perfect Perfection is a myth and there is no such thing as a perfect franchise or perfect entrepreneur. No one starts with all the answers. No one feels 100% ready when they first open their doors. No one has a perfect track record and a perfect plan. At Bee Organized, we’ve seen people thrive—not because they had an MBA and already owned franchises—but because they were motivated to try their best. Owning a franchise is more about curiosity, grit, and values than it is about credentials or perfection. What If You Are More Ready Than You Think? In our conversations with franchisees in their first year, the term “imposter syndrome” comes up a lot. It’s that little nagging voice in the back of your mind that questions whether you are qualified to own a franchise or wonders whether people will find out that you are just a regular person—not an entrepreneur. It’s important to remind yourself that you are not an imposter—you are a person learning something new. Feeling like a fraud is often a sign you are doing something brave. If imposter syndrome shows up on your journey, meet it with self-compassion. Then use evidence to quiet that voice—remind yourself of your past wins, your work ethic, and your values. And surround yourself with people who believe in you (like the Bee Organized Hive!) and let their confidence in you help carry you forward when yours wavers. Become More of Your Possible Self This isn’t just about a career change. It’s about a personal transformation. When you take a leap like this, you don’t just grow your business—you grow into a fuller version of yourself. You grow into the boss you wish you had. You lead with your heart, you serve your community, and you create something that reflects your values. Imagine yourself a year from now. The bumpiest days of small business ownership are behind you. You’re finding your rhythm and getting more confident with your decision-making. You’re making mistakes and learning from them. You’ve built a team that you absolutely cherish. And you’re making a real impact on your community, employees, and family. And you are expanding into the person you’ve always had the potential to become. Why Not YOU? You get one big, beautiful life. Don’t forget to make room for the kind of bold, meaningful work that lights you up. Maybe that’s a Bee Organized franchise, and maybe it’s not. But if the idea of taking this leap sparks something in you, don’t let that fire go out. Listen to it. Explore it. YOU might be the next addition to our Hive! Schedule a call with our co-founders to start your next chapter—we’d love to meet you.
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A Day in the Life of a Franchise Owner
Ever wonder what it’s really like to run a Bee Organized franchise? It’s one of the most common questions we get from aspiring franchise owners, so we asked a few of our current owners (we call them Zee Bees!) to walk us through a typical day. While no two days are ever the same, familiar themes show up again and again—leading a team, connecting with people, learning new skills, and keeping the business side of things buzzing along behind the scenes. Every day brings something new, and every day is invigorating, people-focused, and deeply rewarding. Here’s a glimpse into what a day in the life of a Bee Organized franchise owner looks like! 8 am – Morning Check-In With your coffee in hand and your laptop open, you are ready to start your day! You spend some quality time sorting through your email, responding to inquiries, following up with past clients, and staying on top of the inbox. You are excited to find in your inbox the latest issue of Creating Buzz—the monthly marketing kit from the Main Hive! The featured blog gives tips on a problem that one of your current clients is struggling with, so you forward her the link. You review the day’s work schedule and check in with your Bees as they head out to today’s job sites. You take a peek at your social media accounts just to make sure everything is on track. 9 am – Schedule Management While the day is still young, you hop on to your Jobber account to confirm upcoming jobs, assign team members, and answer any last-minute questions. One of your team members texts you to tell you that they need to stay home with a sick kid, so you make a few quick adjustments to the calendar and reach out to the client to let them know about the change. You send a note to a new Bee reminding them about their upcoming training shift (and then pat yourself on the back for making another great hire!). 9:30 am – Social Media and Marketing The Bee who is in charge of your social media accounts stops by for a cup of coffee and to talk through next week’s posts. You look through the Instagram posts she’s developed, brainstorm ways to get more Google reviews for your new business, and reply to DMs from folks asking about how your services work. You sort through before-and-after photos you’ve been collecting from your Bees and decide which ones you’ll use in the promotional email to your clients you are planning to send out tomorrow. You remember the new issue of Creating Buzz in your inbox and the set of customizable marketing emails inside—they will round out next month’s marketing plan nicely! 10:30 am – Quickbooks Tutorial & Bookkeeping You are still learning the ins and outs of managing a business budget, so you jump into an online tutorial to help you better understand cashflow and how to automate invoicing. You open the Zee Bee GroupMe chat to ask other franchise owners how to handle a specific W-9 question. You upload a few receipts from last week’s purchases and email your tax advisor about an upcoming deadline. You pull a sales report for the month and track your growth against previous months, understanding that while each month might have dips and bumps, the goal is steady upward progress. 11:30 am – Zee Bee Roundtable You spend 30 minutes on a Zoom call with your Zee Bee Roundtable group. You’ve found talking with other franchise owners through these peer support groups to be so helpful, and this session is no different. You laugh, you problem-solve, you hype each other up, and you leave the call feeling connected and supported. 12:00 pm – Networking Luncheon You know how important it is to make connections with folks in your community—after all, those relationships and partnerships are invaluable to your success. You head to a local Women in Business luncheon where you connect with a real estate agent and a home stager who will both be great referral partners. You hand out a few business cards, talk about organizing with a group of new homeowners, and offer a gift certificate for a new contact’s silent auction. 1:30 pm – Product Run You’ve got a few minutes between the end of the luncheon and your next appointment. Now’s the perfect time to head to your favorite box store to grab bins, drawer inserts, and labels for the kitchen reorganization you are sending a team of Bees to tomorrow! You text your group chat of Zee Bees for advice about a product that would work for a specific organizing challenge. Sometimes you order what you need online from the comfort of your couch, but other days, you prefer to see your options in person before you buy them. 2:30 pm – Client Assessment Off to meet a new client! They filled out the form on your website last week and then you scheduled a time to chat for a few minutes on the phone. It seems like Bee Organized is a great fit for what this client needs, so now it’s time to visit her home to have a look at the space and what’s currently filling it. You take careful notes and snap a few photos so that you can put together an accurate estimate to send to her for approval. You leave the appointment confident that they will book your services and excited for the opportunity to transform another person’s life for the better. 3:30 pm – Admin Time You try to carve out time every day to cross out a few things on your To-Do List. The annual Thrive Summit for all Bee Organized franchisees will be here before you know it, so today would be a good day to book those flights (Exciting!). You write and email a detailed estimate from today’s assessment and promise to follow up with the client next week to answer any questions. You take a few minutes to watch the Zoom recording of the most recent Zee Bee Focus Session on better understanding profit and loss statements. You haven’t scheduled your monthly Coaching Call with the Main Hive yet, so that’s another thing you can squeeze in before you start wrapping up your day! 4:30 pm – Wrap Up Your Day You check in with any Bees who are still out working with clients and take notes on items they will need for tomorrow. You catch up on emails that came in throughout the day, flagging those that you will prioritize in the morning. You find the business cards you collected during the Women in Business luncheon so that you can plug their details into your database and connect with them on LinkedIn. You respond to another assessment request and add a few notes to Jobber. You return a couple of phone calls. You look over your To-Do List, scheduling tasks and meetings into your calendar. Then, after a long day’s work, you close your laptop and feel that familiar mix of satisfaction and purpose—knowing that you did your best to support your beloved team of Bees, helped your clients improve their lives, and you made progress toward your goal of growing a thriving and fulfilling business. No two days are exactly alike, and that’s part of what makes owning a Bee Organized franchise so rewarding. The work is hands-on, heart-centered, and full of variety—and for our franchise owners, that’s exactly the way that they like it! Whether you’re deep into QuickBooks, chatting with a new client, or cheering on your team, every task contributes to building a business you are proud of. YOU might be the next member of our Hive! Schedule a call with our co-founders to start your next journey.
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Who is the Ideal Bee Organized Franchisee?
We’ve had the joy of welcoming dozens of franchise owners from all over the country into the Bee Organized hive! Each one brings their own personality, strengths, and story, and each one encounters their own unique set of challenges along the way. We’ve noticed that a few traits have consistently stood out over the years among those franchisees that absolutely thrive in this business. To better understand what makes our top-performing franchisees so successful, we partnered with Zorakle Profiles to survey our current owners to identify capability and performance predictors that they share. If you are wondering whether a Bee Organized franchise is the right fit for you, keep reading. And if you can see yourself in at least five of the eight traits below, we need to talk. 1. You are driven and goal-oriented. You have always set high standards for yourself and take pride in achieving what you set out to do. You’re the kind of person who dreams of a goal and then works your tail off until you reach it. That kind of internal motivation is common in our Bee Organized franchise owners. Goal-oriented leaders thrive here—whether they are hitting a revenue milestone, growing a Hive, or helping a client transform their home room-by-room. 2. You appreciate a strong system. You are someone who loves using tools that work and who knows how to follow a process efficiently. You’re not interested in reinventing the wheel when there is already a reliable and well-tested structure in place. That’s exactly what Bee Organized offers—a plug-and-play franchise model built on a decade of experience. From marketing to client onboarding to day-to-day operations, we provide effective tools, training, advice, and community to help you put the system to work for you. 3. You are both a leader and a planner. You’re a natural decision-maker who can confidently lead a team—maybe because of your experience in a corporate environment or your years of managing a bustling household. You like to think before you act, rather than just react to what’s happening around you. That balance of leadership and planning is a key strength for Bee Organized franchise owners. They set goals, track progress, and guide the work of their team members. If you always suspected that you would be a good boss, you would probably be an ideal Bee Organized franchise owner! 4. You know how to connect with people. You are naturally curious about other people and you are genuinely interested in what they need. You build trust through listening, empathy, and thoughtful conversations and you earnestly love helping people improve their lives. These relational skills are at the heart of what makes Bee Organized so special. One of the things that all of our franchisees have in common is the compassionate and nonjudgmental relationships they build with their clients and employees. This is one of those things that simply cannot be taught—it’s just who you are. 5. You’re willing to learn the business side. You may not be an accountant, but you are confident that you can learn to manage a budget, track performance, and make informed decisions for your growing business. You may not have hired a team before, but you are willing to learn how to conduct interviews and onboard new hires. Our successful franchisees embrace the business side—even when it’s new to them—with just as much energy as the organizing side. 6. You’re optimistic—even when things get tough. You bring a positive outlook, even when things get a little messy or unpredictable. When you run into road blocks, you don’t get stuck in the stress or frustration. Instead, you look for ways to solve the problem, to minimize the setback, and to find the bright side. That mindset is invaluable for Bee Organized franchise owners. Our work is meaningful but not easy, so we need franchise owners who are calm under pressure and lead with resilience and heart. 7. You love to compete, but you value community. You’re ambitious and you are always looking for ways to improve, to reach new goals, and to push yourself forward. At the same time, you value collaboration. You enjoy learning from others, sharing what’s worked for you, and celebrating the success of your peers. The dual mindset—competitve AND collaborative—is exactly what fuels the Bee Organized community. Our franchise owners want to grow and succeed individually AND together. 8. You think big. You’ve never been content with small dreams. You can picture yourself growing something meaningful—not just launching a side-hustle, but building a business that makes a real impact. You are looking for the next big step in your life’s journey and you suspect that this might be it! If you’ve got the long-term vision and the drive to match it, we’ve got the tools and support to make it happen. Do you see yourself here? If five or more of these traits sound like you, there’s a good chance you would be an excellent Bee Organized franchise owner. We’d love to connect, answer your questions, put you in contact with other franchise owners, and talk about what’s possible. Let’s find out if YOU are the next member of our Hive!
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Franchise Times: Bee Organized Expands Franchise System in Niche Home Organization Segment
Bee Organized wants to be a household name, and not just because of its work as a home organization concept. “We really want to be seen as a thought leader in the industry,” said Kristen Christian, Bee Organized co-founder. “It’s so much more than numbers and quantities and dollar signs. We want to change people’s lives through organization.” Bee Organized’s services revolve around home organization, with “Worker Bees” decluttering and organizing any and all rooms. The company tackles moving and life transitions, such as downsizing after the loss of a loved one, as well as concierge services, helping simplify to-do lists by running errands, shopping and seasonal decorating. Christian and lifelong friend Lisa Foley created Bee Organized in 2015. Christian, Foley and Scott Sjoberg are equal partners in the company, acting as chief marketing officer, CEO and chief growth officer, respectively. Christian and Foley describe themselves as having a yin-yang relationship, incorporating their unique personalities and skills into Bee Organized. “Lisa and I have been best friends since junior high, and we joke that she has always naturally been very organized and I not so much,” Christian said. “Both of us had corporate backgrounds in our earlier professional lives … and then we both took time off to raise kiddos at home. In doing that, I came to the conclusion that organization really helped me be a better version of myself, allowing me to be more present and effective.” Franchising began in 2017, with the company now at 42 units in 22 states. Franchisees operate all but one unit, the flagship location that’s run by Christian and Foley in Overland Park, Kansas. From left, Bee Organized co-owners Lisa Foley, Kristen Christian and Scott Sjoberg. The decade-old company has driven sizable unit growth as of late, opening 18 units in 2024. As Bee Organized continues to grow, with plans to open 20 units this year, the co-founders believe success comes from sourcing mission-driven franchisees determined to scale the model and possess a front-facing community presence. “We try to look at everything we do through the lens of actually being a franchisee,” said Sjoberg, who highlighted his own franchising experience. “What we do, how we do it, how that feels to them as a franchisee … I can talk to a prospect and say, ‘I know how you’re feeling. You’ve got all the jitters, you’re excited, you’re scared. We can walk through that together.’” The cost to open a Bee Organized franchise ranges from $38,416 to $58,881. The company’s core “Beeliefs”—“We love all the puns,” said Foley—are integral to the company’s success, those being confidentiality, compassion and approaching each project without judgment. Franchisees and staff in training are given temporary tattoos of the values as a lighthearted reminder of the company’s mission. “Without those values, we really would not be where we are today,” Foley said. “For Bee Organized, it’s kind of different than a lot of our competition. It’s really not about the Pinterest-perfect, after picture of a project; it’s when we leave someone’s home, how we’ve made them feel.” The company’s Bees Giving Back program plays into those values, encouraging franchisees and staff to participate in local volunteer and charitable work. On top of supporting a good cause, the program builds community engagement and familiarizes locals with the brand, reducing the stigma around asking for help with decluttering. “We often say our biggest competition is people’s fear of being judged,” Christian said. “It’s so intimate what we do, as we come in and see areas and spaces and parts of their home and life they’re not so proud of.” As Bee Organized looks ahead to large-scale goals, like reaching 100 units by 2028, the brand is focused for the time being on sustainably growing toward becoming a household name, feeling a duty to franchisees to scale the right way. “In this space, there’s very few franchising—which was very attractive and still is—but we know we have competition and are going to have more,” Sjoberg said. “While we’re doing that, we’re doing everything possible to enrich, enhance and protect the brand and grow so Bee Organized is the first company that comes to mind when someone says professional organizing.” Read the full article on franchisetimes.com.
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