Austin Kassner first became a Spherion franchise owner through a resale opportunity in Madison, Wisconsin, in 2022. It didn’t take long for him to set a course of personal and professional success in connecting local job seekers with business opportunities in his home community. After the first 12 months at the helm of his Spherion Staffing and Recruiting franchise, Austin was recognized with the franchise’s “General Staffing Office of the Year” award. Spurred by his frenetic success in year one, Austin added a second Spherion franchise office location in Rockford, Illinois, in 2023. Under his leadership, his teams have helped secure nearly 30 new clients while expanding multiple services for his existing partners. The two combined offices have experienced an astonishing growth rate of nine percent—earning a second consecutive “General Staffing Office of the Year” award from Spherion Staffing and Recruiting. According to the brand, Austin has become one of the new official pacesetters for capitalizing on emerging opportunities.
Meet Austin Kassner – Spherion Franchise Rock Star
At 31 years of age, Austin is still classified as a Millennial, and he’s definitely doing his part—not just to uphold the work ethic of his generation but also in his dedication to giving back to the community. Two local charities, The River Food Pantry and the Regional Access Mobilization Project, have been the annual beneficiaries of his charitable contributions. Austin also donates a generous amount of his time serving as a mentor to area high school students, tutoring them in several business ownership and entrepreneurship subjects.
Why the Spherion Franchise Chose This Millennial “Rock Star”
It should come as no surprise that Spherion would select Austin Kassner for Rock Star status in the Millennial category. Aside from his obvious business acumen, his empathetic nature is on full display as he spreads a positive message in representing the brand’s core value of giving back to the local communities where they operate. Austin has shared his expert insight on staffing with the local Madison and Rockford Chambers of Commerce, even recently contributing an article to the Rockford Chamber’s monthly newsletter regarding recent legislative changes related to staffing at the state level.
In his own words, Austin shares his journey to Spherion franchise ownership and Rock Star status.
During your research, what made your franchise brand stand out?
While the Spherion franchise appealed to me for many reasons, three specific factors stood out. First, it’s a well-proven business model and franchise concept. Customers clearly value the combination of local presence and national muscle that the Spherion model enables. Second, many franchisees have been with Spherion for 30+ years. This demonstrates the business model’s strength and underscores that long-term value creation is a core tenet of the Spherion franchise system. Lastly, everyone I met at Spherion was nice, fun, and passionate! Given that franchise agreements are long-term commitments, it was important for me to feel like I was joining a strong community where I would enjoy my work for years to come.
How did your franchisor help you to prepare for and launch your business?
My entry into the Spherion system was through a resale, not a new launch; however, the Spherion team partnered closely with me and the seller to ensure a smooth transition for clients, employees, and our internal team members. Spherion invested in me as a new franchisee with a comprehensive onboarding plan that included in-person training and access to other Spherion franchisees. Coming from outside the industry, Spherion made me feel as prepared as possible to enter my new role.
What advice would you give to potential franchisees considering your brand?
Reach out to other franchisees and make in-person visits! There is no better way to learn about a franchise system than through conversations and validation sessions with existing franchisees. Everyone was once on the outside looking in, so not only can they help answer your questions, but they can provide insight into how they evaluated the opportunity themselves.
Name three key things that empower your success.
- A great team: I’m fortunate to have an incredibly strong, tenured team in our markets. You can’t do it alone; our team is one of our biggest differentiators.
- A roll-up-your-sleeves mindset. Franchising is a small business at its core; in a small business, you can’t be afraid to dive into the issues. While franchisors can provide lots of support, it’s ultimately up to franchisees and their teams to drive results.
- My family. I’ve got a great support team at home that gives me leverage at work. Franchising isn’t always a 9-5 job, but it can be rewarding for the whole family.
What unique aspects do you bring to business ownership as a millennial franchisee?
As someone who is still early on in my career, I use my relative lack of experience as justification to ask a lot of questions. While I strive to surround myself with experienced team members, I believe curiosity is powerful. An outside-in perspective can help facilitate the conversations required to evolve and improve service delivery continuously.
What might surprise people about millennial business owners?
I won’t speak for all millennial business owners, but my personal style skews towards transparency and a flat organizational structure. It’s not quite “move fast and break things,” but I strive to create an environment where everyone has a seat at the table to share their perspectives, especially those closest to the front lines of our service delivery. I encourage team members to adopt a continuous improvement mindset and to seek opportunities to step outside their defined roles.
