After 35 years in corporate America, Darren Leavitt felt disconnected. Finding himself either in a car, plane or in endless meetings, he no longer felt he was bringing the level of leadership and value that was important to him. “I had always thought the higher I was promoted the more I would enjoy my career and the less I would travel but I found the opposite to be true. So, I walked away from a corporate paycheck to come home,” says Darren.
Wanting more of a work-life balance, Darren began to look for a local position that would be enough to cover the bills. However, he quickly came to the realization that many people looking to change careers find: searching for a job is hard. “I had never really job searched before. I realized three things during my job search. 1.) I am not good at it. 2.) I felt old. Ageism is real in the workforce. And 3.) I’m expensive!”
The course of Darren’s job search changed when he was contacted by a Career Ownership Coach™ from The Entrepreneur’s Source®. Initially, he did not think franchising was for him. “To be honest, I didn’t know much about franchising at the time. I just knew that I didn’t want to sell burgers or invest a huge amount of money,” Darren says, “The discovery experience helped me see that franchising wasn’t just all fast food and that there are funding options available that make franchising more accessible.”
Darren’s point of clarity came when he realized franchising, and more specifically becoming a TES Career Ownership Coach™, would help him achieve his income and lifestyle goals while at the same time having the professional impact he was searching for. Having a personal understanding of the challenges and uncertainties that come with changing careers combined with his corporate experience, Darren was well-positioned to help others in the same situation.
Since making the decision to join The Entrepreneur’s Source® in September 2019, Darren has built a sustainable and successful coaching business, helping his clients reach their own point of clarity in their career journeys. “I love what I do. I get to work with people and bring value through helping them decide which career pathway is right for them, be it starting a business from scratch, franchising, or corporate America. The coaching experience is about bringing awareness and clarity.”
“Together we look at their individual goals, needs and expectations. I ask them ‘What do you want a random Tuesday in July to look like for you, in one year or in five years?’ And we go from there. Everything is on the table,” explains Darren, “Eventually my clients gravitate in one direction or the another. It’s this clarity that we celebrate. I am just as happy for someone who decides to take a corporate job as I am with a franchise placement. It’s not about the ‘close’.”
Being detached from the numbers and making the “sale” has been important to Darren’s success. He goes as far as to have instructed his business coach not to tell him his placement numbers. “I couldn’t tell you how many placements I made last year. If I allow sales to run my business, I miss the point of my role in my client’s journey.”
As a former sales manager, this detachment from the traditional sales model has taken some unlearning on his part. “I have two sticky notes on my desk. One says ‘Allow’ and the other says ‘Shut Up’. I have to allow my clients to find their way to clarity. This can only happen if they can explore their options in a safe place, free of a sales agenda. And the Shut-Up note is to remind me to not talk so much or take the leadership role in the relationship, the client has to drive the journey, not me.”
Darren’s unlearning began right away. He says, “You join a franchise because you want to use their system. When I first joined The Entrepreneur’s Source®, I committed to being a student of the system. I had to learn to get out of the way and not try to lead it.”
Darren continues, “The great thing about The Entrepreneur’s Source® is that you can be yourself while still following the system. You are able to leverage your strengths while having support systems to fill in the gaps. You won’t find another organization as supportive as TES. Over the years, they have invested in and evolved their system in ways that make it better for their coaches.”
As a valuable asset to the TES team, Darren is empowering his clients to make informed decisions about their career path, helping them find fulfilling and satisfying work that at the same time helps them achieve their income and lifestyle goals. When asked if becoming a TES Coach has done that for him, he says. “Absolutely, I work less than before and make more money. Nothing is more flexible than being a Career Ownership Coach™. Now I can make my own schedule and set it around my life rather than fitting my life around it. I am creating value without compromising the lifestyle that I want. This is something I couldn’t do before.”
To learn more about becoming a TES Career Ownership Coach™, click here
To learn more about how TES can help you along your career journey, click here.
