The Brian Beers Show — Episode 294

In 38 Minutes I’ll Rewire How You Think About Franchises

Date: October 27, 2025
Host: Brian Beers

Episode Overview

In this episode, Brian Beers, entrepreneur and franchise operator, offers an unvarnished, deeply practical breakdown of how he's scaled an eight-figure franchise business—primarily with Midas auto repair shops. He walks through his entire journey, from buying his first two shops in 2016 to running a multi-market, $50M portfolio. Beers focuses not only on growth tactics but also on the do’s and don’ts of franchising, sharing real stories, lessons learned, and actionable advice, especially around leveraging “boring franchises,” people, deal structure, and the power of repeatable systems.
Theme: How focusing on proven, repeatable franchise systems, building relationships, and continuously reinvesting can create massive, compounding business growth—without shortcuts or outside capital.

Key Points & Insights

Why Boring Franchises? (00:40)

• Focus: Instead of searching for random businesses, Beers zeroes in on “boring” franchises with proven playbooks, built-in networks, and scalable models.
• Rationale:
  • Proven, repeatable systems.
  • Built-in network of buyers/sellers.
  • Scalable operations.
  • Once you learn the playbook, it’s “copy-paste” to scale.
• Quote: “I don't buy random businesses off BizBuySell and just hope for the best. I stick to what I know, which are boring franchises.” (01:12)

Early Deals & Lessons in Leadership (02:10)

• 2016: First two Midas Auto Repair Shops for $130,000 (with his brother).
• Personal Stretch: At 28, bet his life savings and managed teams all older than him—had to quickly earn trust and stabilize operations under debt pressure.
• Quick Wins:
  • Upgraded outdated tech and equipment.
  • Invested in making employees’ jobs easier.
  • Positioned self as supportive, not a “strip for parts” outsider.
• Quote:
  • “My philosophy is we go in and we invest in these teams...” (03:24)
  • “Every single employee was older than me… I had to build their trust.” (02:39)

The Power of Relationships in Franchise Networks (05:30)

• Buying Store #3: Built on existing relationship with another franchisee. Sellers prefer trusted operators over outsiders, even if at a slightly lower price.
• Private Deals:
  • Insiders benefit from less red tape and franchisee approval hurdles.
  • Networks facilitate smoother deals and higher trust.
• Quote: “There’s this tight, private network when you join a system… franchisees want to sell to franchisees.” (06:50)

Tackling Competition & The Upside of Fear (08:43)

• Opening from Zero:
  • Opened a new Midas in a saturated market surrounded by competitors—used direct calls to competitors to ID weaknesses and validate opportunity.
  • Result: Cash-flow positive within months; proved execution matters more than competition density.
• Quote: “I picked up the phone and I called every single competitor... What I learned was, none of them were that good.” (10:10)

Seller Financing & Creative Deal Structures (13:20)

• Major Acquisition: Bought a key Philadelphia store for $350k, but with only $50k down; the seller self-financed the rest with a balloon payment after five years.
• Advantages:
  • Faster, easier process—bypasses banks and their due diligence.
  • Tax deferral for seller.
  • Only possible due to high trust and insider status.
• Memorable Moment: Hilariously mismatched handoff with exiting manager (sleeping in car, quitting in a month), which led to a total staff overhaul and a 4x increase in profit in 12 months.
• Quote: “Sometimes we make up all these excuses...but at the end of the day, if we are not having success, it is because we have the wrong people running the business.” (18:46)

Buying Underperforming or Zero-Profit Locations (22:00)

• How to Value: When buying a store with no profit (despite revenue), pay for tangible assets, not a profit multiple.
• Negotiation:
  • $120k store, $20k cash down via seller financing.
  • Preceding experience in building out new/“dead” locations gives confidence and leverage.

COVID: Unintended Accelerator for Expansion (24:50)

• Impact: COVID led to accelerated exits by tired franchisees and forced Beers to build operational independence away from his own direct presence.
• PPP: Payroll Protection Program loans stabilized cash flow, enabled reinvestment and quick new deals.
• Lesson:
  • Disproved the myth that success requires the owner’s physical presence.
  • Openness to non-local expansion led to the biggest acquisition yet (seven stores in NJ).
• Quote: “It proved to me that the business could grow without me. For years, I thought all of our success up to this point was because of me.” (29:09)

Scaling Up: Multi-Market Strategy, Seller Deals, and Building Teams (31:30)

• Cluster Strategy: Don’t buy isolated stores; build out clusters/markets for better management and oversight.
• Deal Example: Seven-store acquisition—over $1M total, $200k down, seller-financed, heavy reinvestment to bring stores up to standard.
• Filling out Markets: Added stores via direct outreach from sellers and referrals from Midas corporate or even by monitoring competitor locations for closures (leveraging employee tips!).
• Quote: “If you are interviewing people and they say they’re leaving and they work for a competitor, your ears should be ringing...” (36:50)

More Deals: Compound Success & Repeatable Playbook (38:50)

• Acquisitions keep compounding as his market reputation grows; established footprint makes further deals easier.
• Seller Motivation:
  • Many prefer steady, tax-deferred payments to avoiding capital gains.
  • Sellers value a buyer who cares for existing employees and their legacies.
• Performance-based compensation: Implemented to rapidly ramp employee motivation and results.
• Quote: “We are intentionally doing the same thing over and over again… There’s almost nothing that happens… that we don’t already know what to do.” (44:55)

Evolving Leadership: Letting Go to Grow (48:10)

• Hired Military Veteran as COO (then CEO): Recognized need to bring in operations specialists; used a nonprofit program to recruit ex-special forces.
• Rapid Transition: Within months, executive took full operational control, allowing Beers to focus on growth, vision, and new ventures.
• Lean Corporate & Remote Back Office: Most support team now in the Philippines; minimal domestic overhead.
• Quote:
  • “I am terrible at operations. I am the idea guy.” (49:10)
  • “For anybody that works for us, the buck stops with me, my brother... and Colin, who has our full support.” (51:15)

Expansion Beyond Midas & the Future (53:10)

• Diversification:
  • Launched new painting franchise in 2024 from scratch.
  • Co-owns an artificial turf franchise in Texas.
  • Runs a mastermind group for franchisees (“Eight Figure Franchisees”).
• Personal goal: To become a leading voice in franchising, document the journey, and help others create freedom through franchises.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Franchising:
  • “Once you know what you’re doing...it’s copy and paste. There’s nothing new here.” (47:58)
• On Buyer/Seller trust:
  • “Franchisees want to sell to other franchisees...The outsider might pay a little more, but the fear of deals falling through—and waiting on financing—isn’t worth it.” (06:50)
• On Taking Risks:
  • “Sometimes we think growth has to be slow...but we literally 4xed the profitability overnight, and all we did was change five people.” (18:17)
• On Compounding Success:
  • “Repeat the process, repeat the process. That’s why I’m into franchising.” (45:11)
• On Leadership:
  • “For years, I thought...they needed me. After COVID, I learned I don’t need to be in the stores.” (29:09)

Key Takeaways

• Franchising Advantages: Predictability, community, established processes, operational support, and efficient network deal flow.
• Deal Structures Matter: Seller financing and relationship equity unlock much bigger opportunities than chasing “deals” as an outsider.
• People are Everything: The right or wrong team can make or break a store—sometimes, changing one person is transformative.
• Systemization & Repeatability: Real growth comes from relentless standardization—tweak, copy, paste, repeat.
• Leadership Evolution: Replacing oneself with better operators unlocks the next level of business growth.
• Staying True to Mission: Rapid expansion is possible when grounded in playbook execution, constant reinvestment, and never skipping the basics.

Timestamps of Key Segments

• 00:00–03:15: Starting out—mindset, first acquisitions, investing in teams
• 05:30–08:00: Getting private deals, power of franchisee networks
• 13:20–18:43: Seller financing, restructuring a failing store, importance of staff changes
• 22:00–24:49: Buying no-profit stores, asset-based pricing, leveraging learnings
• 29:00–31:29: COVID’s surprising benefits, moving beyond “owner dependence”
• 31:30–36:50: Seven-store deal, market fill-in, off-market opportunities through competitor closures
• 44:55–47:58: Business is all about playbook repetition
• 48:10–51:15: Hiring an expert COO, delegating for scale
• 53:10–end: Diversification, mentoring, and the big picture mission

Final Thoughts

Brian Beers delivers a no-fluff, experience-rich look at building and scaling a franchise business—highlighting why “boring” franchises can be smart, scalable, and immensely profitable. The episode is a masterclass on leveraging relationship capital, creativity in deal-making, and the transformative power of systems and people. Whether you’re in franchising already or just intrigued by entrepreneurship, Beers’ candid, self-deprecating, and actionable style makes this episode a must-listen.