Our 2024 Kick-Off National Conference brought the wisdom, stories of resilience, and actionable insights we’ve come to expect. We aren’t too humble to admit we have truly amazing speakers grace our mainstage each and every Conference – the vast majority of whom are our own N2 leaders and franchisees. This year, we had two top-performing N2 franchise business owners take the stage to share their personal experiences and lessons learned, from navigating the highs and lows of entrepreneurship to embracing help as a stepping stone to success. We also heard from our fearless co-founders who participated in a Q&A session led by our CMO.
Here are the key takeaways from the speeches delivered at this year’s celebratory event.
RC Smith: Embracing Growth and Delegation
RC Smith – the legendary franchisee behind Stroll Mira Vista, Stroll The Tribute, and Stroll Highland Park – helped kick off the conference with a poignant reminder of the importance of continuous learning and staying motivated in the face of challenges. He draws great inspiration from his father and grandfather, both of whom will always win the award for most memorable quotes:
“Just because you hear hoofbeats doesn’t mean a herd of zebras is coming after you.” -RC’s father
“If you ever stop learning you might as well just die because you’re no good for you or anyone else.” -RC’s grandfather
RC emphasized the value of finding a supportive community and maintaining a positive mindset. “In any business, you’re going to have good times and bad times. Find your tribe and stay positive – keep it even keel.” RC walks the walk: He hops on a call every week with a group of fellow N2 business owners from across the nation who lean on each other for support and advice.
His personal anecdotes and practical advice illustrated how to master one’s craft, avoid complacency, and embrace the distinction between business and hobby. For RC, great success comes from the power (and acceptance) of delegation and strategic time management to be his most productive and profitable. He invited his fellow franchisees to embrace off-loading certain to-dos to reach their peak – a compelling blueprint for sustainable growth.
And trust us, RC’s is a blueprint worth following. He worked 200 days last year – that’s right, he enjoyed a whopping 12 weeks off work. And yet he managed to book more than 450 appointments, resulting in his earning hundreds of dollars an hour based on the amount of hours he actually put in. If that’s not #businessownergoals, we don’t know what is.
Earl & Duane Q&A: Building a Legacy of Purpose and Resilience
Earl Seals and Duane Hixon’s candid (and, dare we say, emotional) Q&A discussion was a deep dive into the founding principles and evolution of The N2 Company – a journey marked by sacrifice, resilience, and endless commitment to a shared vision. Reflecting on the early struggles of launching a self-funded venture, these two long-time buddies touched on the importance of courage, teamwork, and a clear mission statement. 
Before starting N2, Earl worked from 7am until 10pm six days a week. He was in a seasonal business and, as he puts it, this resulted in “out of whack balance.” The personal sacrifice of family time was tremendous – he had four young kids already.
“The number one thing I desired for my life is what God wanted for my life. We had everything and nothing simultaneously.”
In other words, the Seals had a big house, a Lexus, kids in private school, the ability for his wife to stay home, and the list goes on… and yet Earl was miserable. He called his buddy Duane and they both knew it was time to branch out. “I had to have the courage to follow the calling.”
Both founders agree the first thing they did right was write the mission statement:
To build a nationwide business that honors God, strengthens the family, and creates wealth for everyone involved.
The early years were tough. It was all a learning curve. “I used to tell people, ‘If you want some advertising, call me.’ My phone was so silent,” joked Duane. But they’ve always had a spirit of of “let’s just try things.” As both founders agree, N2 is what it is today not because of the two of them but because of so many team members who believed in the company early on and helped pave the way.
This Q&A was intended as a reflection to celebrate N2’s 20th year in business. So we all wanted to know how two friends-turned-co-owners managed to keep the peace over two long (and sometimes difficult) decades in business.
“Lovingly share. Graciously forgive. It’s like a marriage. Once you get in, you have to commit and fight for it,” answered Earl.
Twenty years of the same ole, same ole could leave anyone itching for something different. Lucky for us, Duane and Earl both agree they’re not bored. Not even a little bit. Duane and Earl’s focus and desire are still all about helping our franchisees better their business. There remain huge opportunities to improve our impact and the lives of our people.They pointed out that the franchise system we provide today is unparalleled with earning potential compared to the very minimal upfront costs involved.
“This is my calling til the day I die. I die fighting for this for all of you,” said Earl.
Jordan Espeseth: Embracing Failure and Taking Action
From overcoming massive debt to navigating rejection and skepticism, Jordan Espeseth’s journey epitomizes the resilience and grit required to pursue one’s dreams relentlessly. By reframing failure as a catalyst for growth and embracing uncertainty with confidence, Jordan challenged his fellow franchise owners to adopt a proactive mindset and take decisive action toward their goals.
Six years ago Jordan sat at a national N2 Conference listening to Mike Maletich, a legendary N2 franchisee, deliver the close-out speech. Jordan said to himself, “I’m going to do that one day.”
At our 2024 Kick-Off National Conference Jordan did just that – and it was memorable, to say the least.
Jordan’s N2 story began when he was $70K in debt and agreed to move solo across the country to launch his first Real Producers magazine. In other words, he took massive action.
His start at ramping up a Real Producers publication wasn’t great – he went 0-37 in his first sales calls. But looking at other job opportunities, he was frustrated with “how little they paid and how much they asked.” So he kept pressing on, and it’s safe to say it’s been well worth it.
A lesson he learned early on is that we are always closer than we think to our goals. The issue for many of us is we stop short and turn back. But you never really know how close you are to making it happen. You never know the consequences of seemingly good fortune, and you never know the consequences of seemingly bad fortune.
He asked his fellow franchisees, “Are you trying to be a fortune teller?” And reminded us that, frankly, we’re all really bad at it.
The business owner who gave Jordan that 37th initial “no” at the start of his ramp-up – a particularly harsh put-down during which Jordan was told he was wasting his time on this magazine thing and should just give up– is now a premium sponsor of Real Producers who makes sure he attends every RP-hosted event. And to think it would’ve been so easy for Jordan to hang up his hat after that rejection…
As he reminded us from the stage: “We need to be put through the fire to turn gold.” He invited us to take a lesson from legendary NFL running back Christian McCaffrey: Surrender the Uncontrollables:
Jordan’s close-out message, which he delivered donned in a dapper tux in theme with our “Roaring 20s” celebration of N2’s 20th year in business, was one for the books. He offered so many takeaways his fellow N2 business owners will lean on for months and years to come. This impressive franchise business owner, who has not one but four Real Producers magazines under his name, spoke with confidence on the stage, and shared one last reminder on the subject: “Confidence is a result of action, not a prerequisite for it.”
The 2024 Kick-Off National Conference was much more than a social hour (though plenty of fun and socializing was had over these two days) – it was a platform for inspiration, reflection, and empowerment for our hundreds of local publishers. The conference encapsulated the spirit of innovation, collaboration, and forward-thinking that has defined N2 for 20 years…and counting.
N2 Conference photos by the amazing @hey.lizette. Give her a shout!
