Murphy Business & Financial Franchise Owner, David Parker - Austin, TX

by FBR ViewPoints

Franchise: Murphy Business & Finanacial

Location: Austin, Texas

Age: 41

# of Years Franchising: 1

Previous Occupation: Semiconductors (operations and then sales & marketing)

Top Reason you chose your Franchise: The top reason I chose my franchise was because of its’ reputation. When researching the profession of business brokering, I found that the reputation for being an effective firm with great people in the organization was what Murphy Business & Financial Corporation was known for.

Best part of being your own boss? The best part of being my own boss is the flexibility of commanding my own schedule and the concepts of self-accountability and self-discipline. I find it comforting knowing that each decision from the smallest to the largest and most significant, is made by me with my own (and my client’s) best interest at heart.

Worst part of being your own boss? I am still actively looking for the worst part of being my own boss and I have yet to come across it.

Craziest/most interesting thing that has happened to you as a franchise owner? The most interesting thing that has happened to me as a franchise owner was when I got to do my first valuation. It was a ‘broker opinion of value report’ for a music store with lots of instruments that they either sold or rented to school children for band or orchestra. The breaking down of the financial performance of the store and applying the various valuation methods to calculate the fair market value was very interesting.

Advice for prospective franchise buyers? Find something that you care about and that you like doing. Make sure the fundamentals (blocking and tackling) are covered and then the rest becomes just details.

What was the total length of time from when you started researching franchises to when you purchased? This might be an atypical answer, but I purchased my franchise 3 weeks after starting my research. I quickly decided that I liked the sound of being a professional business broker. My research was thorough and comprehensive and I looked at most other national brokerage firms and even spoke to several local offices. I also validated Murphy Business & Financial Corporation by speaking with several other franchise owners and regional directors. I was doing this research full-time and when I had analyzed it as much as was reasonable, I relied on my own instincts, capabilities, and intuition. The decision was easy.