Hi There! I'm Joshua
I grew up inside the McDonald’s system. My father bought his first McDonald’s when I was two. Ever since I could remember I wanted to be like him and own a McDonald’s (or 20). I started working for my dad at the age of 7. I guess child labor laws weren’t a thing when your dad was the boss! But it was great for someone like me who believes in systems and has an analytical brain. McDonald’s taught me a lot about measuring results, goals, as well as how to create and duplicate systems. Think about a Big Mac that tastes the same regardless of what McDonald’s you go to.
In 2008 my dream came true. I was officially a McDonald’s Owner/Operator two days after my 27th birthday. I thought I had made it, and that life was going to be smooth sailing once I achieved my lifetime dream. However, life does not always work like that. I thought that getting my dream job and title would make me content with life. I thought that becoming a McDonald’s franchise would make me happy. Turns out my professional status had no effect on my feelings.
While the McDonald’s system is probably the greatest system I have ever seen, it doesn’t mean that everyone who works for McDonald’s is great. I slowly realized that showing up and working your ass off doesn’t necessarily mean you are a right fit or right in someone else’s eyes. While in the system McDonald’s was life, every day (even the weekends) I would be at work from 7 to 7 most days and everything I did was to try to please a ‘boss’ who didn’t exist and who could never be pleased. It wasn’t for anything operational; it simply was I was not liked by the right people within the system. So after a 27-year career with McDonald’s, I reluctantly sold my restaurants.
I never wanted to leave McDonald’s, but the corporate leadership at the time favored larger operators and wanted the smaller ones out of the system. While I may not agree with how they did things or why they did the things they did, I still consider McDonald’s to be a great company.
In the next season of my life, I was introduced to a small restaurant start-up that had just started to franchise. This was when I was being forced out of McDonald’s. Perfect timing right? I had thought at the time franchise was the way to go for me, as I was not the best at marketing, but very good at operations. Partnering with a startup franchise, I would be able to focus on operations of the restaurants, and for my royalties and advertising fees, they could focus on menus and marketing.
While the experience didn’t work out as I had planned and I lost lots of money on this deal (we are talking multiples of millions), it taught me some great lessons about business and choosing your partners. While I would love to talk more about it right here, there is still pending litigation going on and I don’t know what I should or shouldn’t say legal (lawyers!).
For the third time in my life, I had to start over. This time with nothing but a ton of debt. I feel that sometimes things need to fall apart so the things you are meant to do can happen. Life can knock you down and kick the crap out of you if you allow it. Your mind and body are two powerful things. At this time in my life, I had given up drinking and became a serious gym rat, I was able to turn 30 pounds of fat into muscle and for the first time in a very long time, I was happy. I wasn’t on top of the world or at the top of my game, but I was happy with who I was and how I was handling all of this adversity.
With a blank slate and this newfound mindset, I was able to find out who I am and what I should be doing. When you can change your mindset, find your purpose, and fill your mind with positive affirmations, you are unstoppable. I have been able to successfully create four new startups, as well as help transfer my years of knowledge and experiences into others.
In 2008 I created my first Forever Young company. I love the name and ideals I have put behind the name Forever Young. Eight years later, I have transformed a company name into a brand name Be Forever Young. Check out some of the companies that I have found inside the BFY brand of companies.
While I may not be part of the day-to-day operations, the systems and values I have learned through years of study, experience, and my failures are still part of the core of each of these companies.
Thanks for stopping by and remember
Be Forever Young,
jr