An Opportunity to Be A Part of History

Baseball’s opening day has arrived, and, as always, optimism overfloweth on opening day! Next week, myself, and many others, will head to Washington, D.C. for the Small Business Lending Summit (SBLS), and we will be armed with that same sense of optimism as we strive to truly make a positive difference. Just like with opening day, the SBLS marks an opportunity for a fresh start, a chance for us to step up to the plate and swing for the fences! If, collectively, we accomplish the objectives set forth for this event, we will: educate lendors and policy makers alike on the power of franchising, build communication bridges between each of these communities and encourage them to make credit more accessible to our organizations, thus letting us get back to what we do so well – fulfilling the American Dream and getting Americans back to work!

Let’s be honest, most of us are never gonna make history by hitting 73 home runs in a single season, or by taking part in turning a triple play, but we can make history in the arena where we serve. That’s exactly how I view the SBLS, a chance to (in some very small way) be a part of history. Won’t it be awesome when franchise businesses are highlighted in the footnotes of history books as being responsible for restoring economic stability in the United States?!

I am going to D.C. for my parents, two wonderful kids from Iowa who had to figure out how to make ends meet in the mid-1970’s, so they took the $17.42 they had and turned it into the construction of over 700 car washes across this great nation. More people should have the opportunity to be like Bob and Mary Black.

I am going to D.C. for my two little boys who deserve a chance to know a future where anything is possible, not a future where little is possible.

I am going to D.C. for you and me, because the people of franchising are some of the best I have ever known, and you deserve a chance to surpass all of your projections and expectations!

So, you see, it’s game time. I assure you, those of us going to D.C. to represent you, franchising, and the IFA, will do everything we can to “knock it out of the park”!! Let’s play ball!

Follow me on Twitter @superwashsusan for live updates from SBLS. Search for hashtag #SBLS.