The Scaling Podcast With Aaron Harper Franchise 101: How to Build It, Scale It, and Sell featuring Scott Abbott | Scaling Podcast (EP 11 )
Jun 27, 2025
Scott Abbott, a serial entrepreneur and franchise guru, shares his journey from launching his first business at 15 to scaling Five Star Painting into a franchise with 1,500+ locations. He discusses the critical lessons learned from a failed partnership and the importance of marketing strategies like A/B testing. Scott delves into the 'feed what works' philosophy for growth, highlights the significance of building systems independent of founders, and emphasizes the value of integrating family and work. He also shares insights on partnerships and plans to acquire more brands in the future.
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First Hustle: Cold Calls Built Confidence
- At 15 Scott cold-called retailers from a yellow-pages list to sell fishing tackle he imported with his dad.
- Those early sales calls built confidence and taught him gatekeeper tactics and grit.
Feed What Works: Test Marketing A/B
- Scott tested marketing variants and discovered telling price up-front plus excellent phone coverage massively increased calls.
- He turned that insight into a call-center strategy and a distinctive pricing message that scaled lead generation.
Scale With The 'Feed What Works' Rule
- Do 'feed what works and starve what doesn't' to scale quickly and remove bottlenecks.
- Double down on victories fast and cut failing experiments immediately.
