This is not a story I would usually share in a newsletter. In fact, on the surface it doesn’t reflect well on me at all. But I think it’s important you hear it, because it’s real, and because I want to make sure this never happens to you.
It’s the story of a franchisee who left People Building. And more importantly, it’s the story of why.
The Domino Effect of Skipping Steps
When new franchisees join, we give them a carefully designed sequence of steps to follow. Each step builds on the last, and we guide them through in order for a reason – to protect them, and to set them up for success.
But this franchisee decided to skip ahead. Without consultation, they set up their own email account, not realising it duplicated the name of an existing practitioner. The result? A data breach. Suddenly, multiple accounts became connected as the server delivered emails for the new person, designed to be delivered to the existing one, and we were forced to report it. All of this could have been avoided if they had simply waited for us to complete that stage for them.
Skipping steps doesn’t save time – it costs trust, credibility, and sometimes your business.
When Professional Boundaries Blur
Once client leads began coming in, new cracks appeared. The practitioner sometimes arrived unprepared, and sessions often ran an hour beyond their scheduled time. What felt like “going the extra mile” actually triggered early complaints.
Worse still, they blurred boundaries – lending clients personal resources like DVDs, and then struggling to retrieve them. What seemed helpful created awkwardness and a lack of professionalism.
This pattern continued: struggling with client conversion, avoiding marketing masterclasses, and claiming they “couldn’t afford advertising” – when in truth, the lack of clients came from avoidable mistakes and missed training.
When you don’t respect the professional framework, the framework can’t protect you.
The Turning Point – Or the Breaking Point?
As complaints trickled in, the office was forced to spend more time on investigations and disciplinaries than on supporting the practitioner to grow. Instead of working with us, they began pushing against us.
Soon, they told us they no longer wanted leads from the office. They wanted to focus on corporate work instead. On paper, that sounds like ambition. But in reality, it looked like distance – pulling away from the coaching franchise, the team, and the support available.
When you isolate yourself from the system, you cut yourself off from the very support designed to help you succeed.
The Final Outcome
Five years after joining, the practitioner told us they would not be renewing their franchise. Their reason? They said they found it too difficult to lone-work, and missed the support of the team behind them.
The irony is, the support had always been there – but by resisting, skipping, and distancing themselves, they shut themselves off from it.
And that is why I’m sharing this uncomfortable story. Because while it’s not pleasant to admit, it shows what can happen when someone tries to run before they can walk, or when they stop engaging with the very people who want to see them succeed.
A coaching franchise only works if you work with it. The system is designed to give you structure, support, and strategy. But it’s up to you to follow it.
by Gemma Bailey (with the help of Ai)
