Inspiring a Love of Franchising Comes Naturally to IFPG President Red Boswell
Following in your father’s footsteps may not be the goal of every child these days — especially Gen-Zers who don’t buy into the 9-5 grind. But when your dad is in franchising, the family business may seem more appealing. Entrepreneur Red Boswell has succeeded in inspiring all three of his children to follow in his footsteps and he attributes it to his love of franchising.
Saying Boswell is passionate about franchising is a massive understatement. It’s who he is. The entrepreneur and president of the IFPG has created an idyllic life for himself and his family through franchising. He has achieved an ideal work-life balance and has found great fulfillment. Boswell believes anyone can have the same things by staying true to themselves. “My priorities are faith, family, and then franchising. When you know yourself and seek opportunities that align with who you are, you’ll find them,” he says. Boswell has helped countless others achieve financial freedom and flexibility as franchise consultants and franchise owners.
Teach Your Children Well
Boswell has made it his mission to expose his three children (Mason, Max, and Bradie) to the same opportunities he has enjoyed. “I love franchising so much, and I love my kids so much that the combining of the two just makes all the sense in the world! Why wouldn’t I want them to experience the joy and fulfillment I’ve been so blessed to receive?!?,” he says.
All three Boswell kids spent their childhoods going to franchising events, such as trade shows, franchise conferences, franchise discovery days, and more. As they got older, they tried their hand at different jobs in franchising and now understand why their dad is such a fan.
Boswell’s eldest child, Mason (above), is a 20-year-old student at Ouachita Baptist University. He started working as a teenager with FranchiseBeacon, a franchise sales and consulting agency. He rolled up his sleeves and learned the business by making cold calls to potential franchisees. “A few years later, I joined the franchise consulting world and began to take on the whole process on my own,” he says.
Mason is going all-in on franchising and plans to be a franchise owner and consultant. “I will make a million dollars by the time I am 25 years old, and I hope to write a book combining my faith and business experience. Franchising provides me with unique opportunities like this,” he says.
Mason looks up to his dad and considers him a legend. He admires Boswell’s many accomplishments, including launching, growing, and selling PetButler, a nationwide franchisor of pet-service franchises. “He’s a legend. No one does it better than him. The way I see it, he’s a comedian first, then a dad, then a franchise enthusiast,” Mason says. “He has done so much for the franchise world.”
Mason has a great appreciation for the freedom that comes from franchising. “In today’s world, we are often told that you have to listen to what someone tells you to do when making everyday decisions at work, but in franchising, there is so much more freedom,” he says.
Work-life harmony is a daily mantra for me — do what you love and love what you do because life is too short to waste a single day.
Red Boswell
Gen-Z Wants More
Boswell’s love of franchising has resonated with his Gen-Z children, who come from a demographic that wants more purpose from their work than their Gen-X parents had. Boswell’s kids think it’s cool that he doesn’t accept the status quo. “Work-life harmony is a daily mantra for me — do what you love and love what you do because life is too short to waste a single day!” Boswell says.
Max Cannon (above), Boswell’s middle child, is a rising sophomore at Texas A&M pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering. He loves how happy his dad’s work makes him. “I have literally heard my dad speak to no less than 1,000 people on the phone over the years. Every conversation is different and yet they all lead back to helping a person achieve their hopes, dreams, and desires through franchising,” he says.
For the past two years, Max has worked part-time with Blue Sky Franchising, a franchise sales organization. He is still learning and developing an understanding of what he’d like to do in his career. “I enjoy engineering, so it would be super cool to integrate that world into franchising,” he says.
The youngest Boswell child, Bradie Austin (above), is not quite sure what her career path will be, but she’s certain that getting stuck in a “boring, lame industry or company” is not for her. The rising high school senior has done some marketing work with umbrella franchisor Premium Service Brands. She plans to attend the University of Arkansas and is open to a career in franchising. “I hope to be as happy as my dad is when I am his age. Franchising seems like a cool way to do that,” she says.
A Proud Father
Even if his kids don’t pursue a career in franchising after college, Boswell will still be happy that he has given them a taste of all it has to offer. For now, he will continue to expose his kids to all the amazing opportunities in franchising. “I’m so proud of each of them; I just want them to be happy. Of course, if that means following in my footsteps into the wonderful world of franchising, then I will be even more proud!”