86: Lessons From A Franchisee Turned CEO, with ShelfGenie CEO Andy Pittman

The Franchise Story Podcast

Stories from Franchisees & Founders

Andy Pittman is the CEO of ShelfGenie, the nation’s leading custom shelving and home improvement solutions franchise. Andy doesn’t have your typical franchise story, though.

Back in the day, Andy was running his own appliance store with 13 employees in Raleigh, North Carolina, when he found an article about ShelfGenie in a national business magazine. Within a month, he purchased the rights to the Raleigh franchise territory. A few years later, he had expanded to six territories across the state and earned the system’s highest volume group designation multiple times. Then, in 2018, he was named the company’s CEO.

As a "franchisee-turned-CEO,” Andy is able to lend a hand to new and existing franchise partners trying to navigate the world of franchise ownership at ShelfGenie. Andy has experience having spent time in both seats, both excelling and struggling, coming out of each experience with valuable advice for any entrepreneur looking to pave their way in the franchising world.

Tune in to hear more of Andy’s story and find wisdom in the experiences and lessons to apply to your own journey.

What we talk about:

• Andy’s journey in business and as a franchisee
• Dealing with businesses that do not work out very well
• Selling with a noble purpose
• Dealing with the business through the pandemic and keeping the business up
• How Andy transitioned into the CEO role in the franchise company
• Being aligned to both the franchisee and the franchisor side
• Biggest lessons learned at being a corporate employee
• Being able to listen to and understand people and becoming more patient
• Having a dedicated and passionate team in the corporate office

What we mention:

• ShelfGenie
• Selling With A Noble Purpose, book by Lisa McLeod