This week’s episode is about shifting from employee to owner.
Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify | Watch on YouTube
Host: Michelle Rowan, President, Franchise Business Review
Guest: Paul Kuskowski, IRS Enrolled Agent and Founder of Cobalt Tax Services
Making the leap from employee to franchise owner means more than swapping a paycheck for a P&L — it means rethinking how you find business, manage cash flow, and structure your company from day one. In this episode of From A to Franchisee, host Michelle Rowan sits down with Paul Kluskowski, an IRS enrolled agent and founder of Cobalt Tax Services, who’s built his practice around serving Snap-on Tools franchisees and other franchise business owners.
Paul shares how he discovered his niche almost by accident, why entity structure decisions can make or break your first year, and why buying into an existing client base often beats starting from zero. He and Michelle dig into the mindset shift every new owner faces, the real cost of getting comfortable with discomfort, and the one question he wishes more prospective franchisees would ask before signing on the dotted line: what does failure actually cost?
Whether you’re weighing your first franchise purchase or already running one, this conversation offers a clear-eyed look at what it really takes to protect — and grow — what you earn.
Resources
- S1E22: The Pros and Cons of Buying an Existing Franchise
- Should You Buy An Existing Franchise?
- Top Considerations for Transferring a Franchise Business
- What to Expect in Your First Year As a Franchisee — also covers cash flow/budgeting, ties in well with Paul’s checkbook-buffer advice
- S1E9: Understanding the Franchise Disclosure Document
- Local Leader Transforms Wichita Falls Staffing Scene Through Spherion Franchise Ownership
- Hiring a Franchise Accountant – Is It Worth It?
- How to Prepare for Franchise Financing Before Making the Leap
- Trends in Franchise Financing
