During an extended crossroads in her career, Anja Wenzel discovered a new path that would provide financial freedom and allow her to pursue her passion.

Anja spent more than 30 years working at a small company in the travel industry that specializes in connecting hotels with international tour operators. New management and the pandemic outbreak forced Anja to search for new opportunities. After being furloughed from her job for 18 months, Anja connected with Jan Claesson of The Entrepreneur’s Source^®, who helped her explore new possibilities.

“COVID was in some form a rescue for me,” said Anja. “I needed to find something that would fulfill me. The passion for your career is very important.”

TES helps people who are feeling battered and bruised in their current corporate roles. In the new career economy, many people reach a point at their jobs where the climb up the corporate ladder slows, and they are no longer earning a salary that is commensurate with their experience. People who have been down-sized, right-sized or let go after years of dedicated service can still discover self-sufficiency and achieve the American dream.

TES coaches help people do a deep dive on their goals to determine if leaving the corporate world behind and taking charge of their future is the right path. By identifying their Income, Lifestyle, Wealth and Equity™ goals, TES helps people determine if they want to take another corporate job, start a business from scratch or invest in a franchise.

“At first, I was skeptical when my coach asked me if I had thought of starting my own business. I thought I was too old and set in my ways,” Anja said. “I liked very much how he created a vision for me to go by. I was quite intrigued and impressed. The testing and questions that he asked forced me to take a closer look at my career and my future.”

In addition to attaining financial freedom, Anja wanted her new career path to provide a legacy and opportunity for her autistic son, who is attending special schooling in Texas. While furloughed from her job in the travel industry, Anja worked part-time at a cannabis dispensary, where she learned about the medicinal value of the all-natural product. Following the legalization of hemp in 2018, CBD became a lucrative investment opportunity, and it is projected to be a $23 billion business by 2025.

After thorough research and deliberation, Anja made the decision to sign a franchise agreement with Natural Life, a Tallahassee, Florida-based company specializing in CBD, as well as other holistic plants. The emerging franchise gave Anja the opportunity to open a storefront location to educate consumers about the value of all-natural medical options. It also will potentially provide a job opportunity for her son when he graduates.

“We are at the tip of the iceberg for exploring the wellness aspects cannabis has to offer,” Anja said.

Claesson started his role as a Career Ownership Coach™ in 2016 after a long tenure running companies in the technology industry. In search of a new opportunity that would provide work-life balance and flexibility, Claesson decided to use his mentoring and management skills to help other corporate workers discover self-sufficiency.

“The TES mission resonates with me,” Claesson said. “Our approach is to focus on the client. We invest time and effort to get to know each of our clients and to understand their motivation and aspiration. We help them keep an open mind and learn.”

Anja is still in the early stages of opening her new location in the Las Vegas, Nevada, area. She recently signed a lease for her shop and plans to open her doors in February. “My coach helped me understand I’m not too old and that I shouldn’t be settling and accepting my old career as the end all be all. There are still opportunities for people in my age group. People can still be successful and build something for themselves. I was not happy making other people wealthy. I wanted to make myself wealthy and live a fulfilled life,” Anja said.

Discover Benefits of Entrepreneurship

If you are starting to realize your corporate career may not be generating the income you deserve, resolve to spend time discovering a new option for your future. If you might be considering franchise business ownership, discover your new path by taking the first step with FranchiseMatch.com and we’ll connect you with your own Career Ownership Coach from The Entrepreneur’s Source.