August 4, 2026 · Reva Enzminger
The $200,000 franchise that turned into a logo
Why I started Open Territory, and the one kind of business I will steer you away from.
I started Open Territory after watching a friend put $200,000 into a franchise whose entire value was a scheduling app. Two years later, the app was a free feature in three other products, and the franchise was a logo.
He did nothing wrong by the standards most people use. The brand was growing. The pitch was good. The website was beautiful. Nobody asked the question that mattered: what does this business do that a cheaper piece of software cannot?
That is the business I do not want you to buy
The ones I do want you to buy are less glamorous. They fix, clean, teach, cook, and care for things. They have trucks. They have a hard part, and the hard part is why they work.
How to spot the difference
Ask where the value comes from. If the answer is a platform, a lead system, or an app, be careful. If the answer is skilled people doing real work for customers who need it done, keep going.
I would rather lose a client than place someone in the wrong business. That is not a slogan. It is the reason this company exists.