Don Swedo & Don Herborn
Franchisees of EagleRider Motorcycle Rental
Don Swedo, 42, calls it his secret squirrel mission. Posing as a
customer at EagleRider Motorcycle Rental, which specializes in
Harley Davidson rentals and guided tours, Swedo was able to rate
their customer service, appearance and flow of the company before
buying his own franchise location. What he saw he liked, but
Swedo's covert operation was just the first step he took to
making sure EagleRider was the right franchise for him.
"[The franchisor] had done all the hard work," he
says. "Their European connections [alone] would take years to
establish."
Next Swedo toured all the EagleRider franchises in an effort to
get the full flavor of the company, asking specifically about
problems and seeking recommendations. He spoke with competing
franchises and read all the press material he could get his hands
on. He even called customers.
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Swedo and partner Don Herborn, 35, opened their first EagleRider
franchise in San Diego in April 1999 and now own four units. So
what advice would Swedo give to other prospective franchisees just
starting their research missions? "It's stupid to learn
from your own experiences when you could learn from others.
That's not time-conducive," he says. "The idea is to
hit the ground running."
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