Nick Shankland - FranNet Franchise Consultant

10/21/2026

Most ownership decisions don't get made in my office.
They get made at the kitchen table.

Early in a conversation, I'll ask who else this decision belongs to.
A spouse. A partner. Sometimes grown kids, or a parent helping fund it.

Because ownership doesn't just change your job.
It changes the household budget, the family calendar, the mood at dinner during a tough quarter.

The people at that table are going to live with this decision too.
They deserve a seat in it from the start.

When everyone's in, the hard stretches get a lot more manageable.
When someone isn't, it tends to surface at the worst possible time.

So bring them in early.
Ask the questions together. Let them push back.
A decision you make together is one you can lean on together.

10/20/2026

The Long Way In started with a nudge on someone else's show.

This summer, I sat down with Arica Netterville on The Denver Business Beat.
Near the end, she looked at me and said I needed a channel of my own.

I'd been turning that idea over for a while.
Hearing it out loud - on camera! - made it a lot harder to keep filing under "someday."

So here we are.
Episode 1 is recorded. It's launching inside Arica's The Denver Business Beat Podcast family.
And the show exists, in part, because she wouldn't let it go.

Big decisions rarely happen in a vacuum.
Sometimes you just need one person who sees it before you're ready to say it yourself.

Thank you, Arica. Clip below.

10/19/2026

Some of my best business meetings don't look like business meetings.

Earlier this month, Bryan and I got together to catch up - and he suggested something I hadn't thought about since I was a kid.
Ice cream.

So we swung by Golden Sweets, grabbed a couple of cones, and took a slow walk through downtown Golden and along the creek.

No agenda. No (PowerPoint) slides.
We got to know each other a little better as people - and somewhere between the first scoop and the last bite, the business ideas started flowing.
We both walked away with something we've each been building on since.

I still run plenty of structured meetings. When there's real work on the table, that's the right call.
But slowing down has a way of loosening up the thinking you've been stuck on.

Never underestimate a good cone and a walk by the water.

10/16/2026

My wife, Janna, raced her first gravel race over Labor Day.
And she finished it!

Before we got into gravel, it had been 20 years since she'd really been on a bike. She came to Mad Gravel in 2024 purely as a spectator, fell for the whole scene, and we had gravel bikes not long after.

This year she signed up for the 33-miler and did the work.
Training plan. Eating routine. Fueling strategy. All of it.

Then the course handed her everything she'd hoped to avoid.
Deep sand. Washboard roads. Rutted double track through grass.

So she learned on the spot - fueling on the move, when to shift, when to back off, how to let a downhill buy back time.
She's a better rider today, from 1 race.

That's the part of deciding well people miss.
Preparation gets you to the start line with confidence. It can't show you every stretch of the course.

Getting you ready for that start line is my whole job. The course teaches you the rest.

So proud of her.

10/15/2026

What’s standing between you and business ownership?

If you’re thinking, “I could never afford to start a business,” you may want to take a closer look at your funding options.

Join us October 19 at 12 PM ET for a free live webinar covering financing strategies and funding options—including some that may surprise you.

Learn what’s possible. Ask your questions. Start turning your business dream into a plan.

Register at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/5017679840038/WN_cTiXbVFJRpG07U22ZHJESg

10/14/2026

Big decisions almost never happen as one leap.
Even when they feel like one from the outside.

In this clip from Coaching Matters, I tell Mike Bahun about a client who kept describing buying a franchise like summiting Everest.
I get it. From the bottom, it looks like one enormous, terrifying move.

But nobody climbs a mountain in one move.

By the time you're actually on it, you've made dozens of smaller calls.
The plan. The gear. The people coming with you. The way back down.
Each one is a decision you can verify - and each one shrinks what's left.

That's what readiness looks like up close.
The final step still takes nerve.
It's just a lot smaller than it looked from the trailhead.

10/13/2026

What if you could build a business without the typical seasonal slowdown?

Many home service businesses face a predictable challenge: when one season ends, revenue slows, cash flow tightens, and the cycle starts again.

But what if there were a business model designed to create demand across multiple seasons?

Join us for an exclusive Franchise Spotlight to discover a unique home services opportunity built around a proprietary three-in-one service model designed for year-round revenue potential.

📅 Wednesday, October 14
⏰ 2:00 PM ET
💻 Live online
Discover an opportunity that shines in every season.

👉 Reserve your spot today: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/3317679822056/WN_hIqeiYEWT6m8L3kjXfDr9Q

10/12/2026

Some of the conversations I value most end with 2 words:
Not yet.

People expect a franchise consultant to be allergic to that answer.
I'm not.

My job is helping you see clearly whether ownership fits your life right now. Sometimes the clearest thing we find is that it doesn't.
Maybe the savings need another year.
Maybe the family needs to be fully on board.
Maybe the real problem is one bad boss, and the career itself is fine.

A good "not yet" has a shape.
It names what has to change - and roughly when you'd check back in.
That makes it a plan. And a plan keeps every door open.

I'd much rather help you land on an honest "not yet" today than a shaky "yes" you regret in 18 months.

Somewhere in between? That's a great place to start a conversation.

10/09/2026

Here I am, practicing what I preach.

Episode 1 of The Long Way In is LIVE!

I'll be honest - sitting in front of a camera, talking solo for 25 minutes, was not comfortable.
Fear rode along the whole way.
I hit record anyway.

Which is exactly what this first episode is about: the decision itself.
Why certain and convinced are two very different feelings. And why "not yet" deserves a lot more respect than it gets.

Is it perfect? Not even close.
But it's a start - and I'll keep getting better with every episode.

For now, Episode 1 lives on The Denver Business Beat's YouTube channel. Starting with Episode 2 next month, the show moves into its own home as well.

While you're there, give The Denver Business Beat Podcast a follow. Arica Netterville has built a deep bench of shows well beyond mine, and they're worth your time.

Thank you, Arica, for giving this one a home.

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-dlL-gM-lE

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10/09/2026

Some of the hardest decisions are the ones that keep you exactly where you are.

In this clip from my conversation with Mike Bahun on Coaching Matters, I get into the golden handcuffs.
The title's good. The pay's good. Walking away from all of it would be crazy... right?

Sometimes that's absolutely true.
And sometimes it's comfort wearing a very convincing disguise.

The tricky part? Both sound exactly the same in your own head.

Sorting out which one you're hearing - what's truly holding you there versus what's just familiar - is a big part of what I do.
No pressure either way. Just a clearer look.