Doc Franchise Writings and Ramblings

This is a continuation of yesterdays article, "Franchisors, Here's a Criteria You Might Have Missed!"


Due to the tragic problem of ignorance and passivity in our world today, I've been extolling the benefits of reading. Yesterday, we talked about number one: reading sweeps the cobwebs away; it expands us. Today, I'll note three additional benefits.


2. Reading increases our power of concentration.

Through the discipline of reading, the mind is programmed to observe and absorb. It replaces the "Entertain Me" mentality with "Challenge Me." The eye of a reader is more observant, alert, probing and questioning.

After I left home for the last time I found myself in a house full of party animals. Since I lived with just my mom I had become comfortable with solitude and with solitude I found reading. One day, when the house we rented was uncharacteristically quiet I lay on my bed and began reading a book my sister had given me, In His Steps by Robert Sheldon. As I read it was changing my life. Suddenly I realized I was being watched. One of my roommates was at the door staring at me. Finally he spoke up, "So I guess this is why your mind is so much calmer than the rest of us huh?" It struck me that he was probably right.

3. Reading makes us more interesting to be around.

Small wonder the boredom factor in social gatherings is so great! After you've run through the weather, the kids, the job, and your recent surgery, what else is there? Being a reader adds oil to the friction in conversation. Furthermore, it opens to the businessman new avenues of approach to the outside world. It helps to meet the inquisitive and those needful of our products and services on their own ground or expansion of places they wish they could go. We need to read widely, including some periodicals as well as the classics.

4. Reading strengthens our ability to glean truth from Inspired Reading.

In the Bible, in the New Testament section there was one of Jesus followers. His name was Paul. Paul was a late player to the "Party of Jesus" but become one of its greatest advocates. If you have any sense of the Christian faith at all it most likely has much to do with Paul. He was what you might call a true warrior. At one point Paul's faith in Christ had gotten him tossed in the pokey. Only this was serious. This was probably going to be it for Paul. Paul was in the dungeon awaiting death, he asked his friend to - bring the cloak which I left at Troas . . . and the books, especially the parchments. - 2 Timothy 4:13

The "parchments" referred to the sacred manuscripts, copies of what we think of as Biblical Scripture.

But what about "the books"? What books?

Obviously, those volumes he was reading prior to his imprisonment. Right up to death, that capable spokesman for God - that master of logic - was reading. He certainly would have agreed with another great Christian of letters and of reading John Wesley:

Either read or get out of the ministry!

I think the same holds true of businessmen, of franchisees especially. We have the opportunity to be on the cusp of our market segments but we can lose that edge if we don't keep up. Franchisors you need to create a preferred reading list for your franchisees. You need to have a book of the month club.

Can't find the time? Come on, now . . . not even fifteen minutes? Don't know where to start? How about the library? Most every town has one. Heck, go to the second hand book store. They're filled!

They probably even have books with pictures in 'em. (For your kids, right?)