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Finding the Perfect Work-Life Balance

“I’m all about watching my kids in their athletic endeavors.” Allen Busse is afforded the opportunity to watch his kids grow because he owns an Our Town America franchise, the nation’s premier new mover marketing franchise. Busse, who owns and operates Our Town America of Greater Milwaukee, is dedicated to family, church and work. The order of those three can change on any particular day, but for Busse, life is good.

The busy schedule that comes with being a husband and father comes with some unexpected, but welcomed, “consequences”. In March, at Our Town America’s annual convention, Busse earned the company’s “Highest Percentage of Revenue Growth from March 2017 through February 2018” award. That earned he and his family a trip. “The hardest thing about this is trying to determine when we’ll be able to take the trip,” says Busse. “It’s hard to imagine when our schedules will align. Between school, and camps, and practices, life can sometimes get in the way of us having fun – but that’s OK!”

For Busse, it’s one of those “good” problems to have. He’s been with Our Town America for 12 years. Prior, Busse sold packaging equipment in the food and pharmaceutical industry. The job paid the bills, but it came with a steep price. “I was away from my family all of the time,” recalls Busse. “My kids were very young and here I was travelling, on the road two weeks out of the month at times.”

Allen Busse Family Pic Our Town America Franchisee
Allen Busse with wife, Jennie & children, Andrew & Sophia

He wound up switching jobs. The desire for a more consistent work-life balance, coupled with an ambition to increase his income eventually lead him to the decision to become an entrepreneur.

“My list of criteria wasn’t particularly long but there were a few non-negotiables,” Busse says. “That included excluding any brick and mortar type business. I wanted minimal to no employees. Finally, my business opportunity required I worked from home. I had been in sales all my life. I knew owning a business was something I could do.”

Research quickly revealed that Our Town America cleared the bar on his list of criteria. Before long, Busse purchased the territory to open his Our Town America franchise in the Greater Milwaukee area. Owning a business was a new experience for Busse, personally, but it wasn’t a foreign concept to him.

“My father was a business owner,” says Busse. “He was a hard worker. I knew if I worked hard and did what I was supposed to do, things would turn out just fine.”

Busse was particularly confident because he believed in franchises, particularly the Our Town America model. “The corporate office in Tampa has a very good formula for success,” Busse says. “Our Town America provides a road map for success. If you follow their plan, you should be successful. Their external product and services, what we present to businesses, are excellent. Their internal services, how they treat me and other franchise owners, is superb as well.”

Unfortunately, life tends to throw curveballs. The game of life stared down and threw a curveball in 2009. Three years after becoming an owner, Busse, like the rest of America, was dealing with the economic downturn. “When the market crashed, we lost a lot of business,” he says. “I was second guessing my decision to own a business. Hardships included making sure we had enough cash flow to pay the bills. It was a very stressful two or three years, but we made it through”.

Busse remembered the lessons learned from his father, to always work hard. That, plus he leaned on his faith. “It gives me a lot of strength to always keep on doing what I’m supposed to do. I’m tasked with making sales every single day in this business, or at least prospecting. Faith helps me get through that process.”

With that tumultuous period behind him, Busse is now enjoying the perks that come with being an Our Town America owner. Mainly, more time with his wife and kids. “It’s been very rewarding,” he says. “I enjoy my work-life balance.”

Personally and professionally, things are going quite well. “I’m meeting my goals,” says Busse. “You have to work hard to reach them, that’s why they’re goals. Some years you reach them, some you don’t. No matter what, you must set goals. The great news for me is that my revenue has been trending upward the last few years.” Which, of course, was made evident by his recent Revenue Growth award.

“The Our Town America business model is great. If you check off the items on the list needed to be a successful Our Town America franchisee, you will certainly prosper. By staying motivated and meeting new business owners each day, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t succeed.”

Are you looking for a better work-life balance such as the one Allen has achieved? Does the Our Town America franchise opportunity sound like it could be for you? If so, learn more at https://www.ourtownamerica.com/franchise-us/.

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