Pete’s Story
After two decades of suffering my corporate job, (60-70 hour work weeks, corporate relocation after relocation), I buy a bottle of wine and say to my wife Shannon, “Honey, we have to talk. I can’t do this anymore.” That night we sit down to dinner and start discussing where our lives are going.
Shannon is shouldering all the work around the house. I’m MIA for my four beautiful kids. My youngest daughter holds onto my leg, crying and begging me not to leave on another trip. I wake up in hotel rooms mentally retracing my itinerary – just to figure out what hotel, what city, or even what country I’m in.
The corporate life is killing me — I have the weight gain, exhaustion and increasing blood pressure to prove it — and I want out.
By the end of a long dinner, Shannon and I decide to reset the course of our lives. We decide I’ll take my chances as a franchise investor. A few months later we leveraged our assets to buy multistate rights for a junk-removal franchise. And I began a career not of cleaning out basements and garages, but of developing the territory, helping individuals become new franchisees, and building the brand.
My family life, my professional life, and my health all improved. I was finally living life on my terms.
And to my surprise, I soon realized that I love helping people escape the corporate world and make the leap to franchise ownership. I thrive on assisting people to break out of the false sense of security that’s all too often associated with corporate America. That passion is why I started the HIRE YOURSELF movement.
More About Pete Gilfillan
Pete Gilfillan is a passionate business leader who is driven to help people achieve their dreams of being franchise owners. With over 20 years as a corporate executive across multiple industries combined with a history of small business ownership, Pete offers a wide breadth of experience to his clients. His passion, knowledge and energy combined with his determination to find the right franchise that meets your lifestyle and financial goals is what sets Pete Gilfillan apart.
Pete’s passion for business ownership stems from being raised in an entrepreneurial family; His father and grandfather both owned successful franchise businesses before Pete took on business ownership for himself. Gilfillan previously owned a multi-state master license with Junk-King Franchise Systems, Inc. In addition to his franchise ownership experience, Gilfillan also has 20 years of proven success leading large organizations – including a Fortune 5 automotive manufacturer and the world’s third largest construction equipment manufacturer. During his 17 years at Ford Motor Company, he rapidly advanced through a variety of regional and national positions, each with increasing levels of responsibility. As General Manager, he guided an organization spanning up to 10 states and 600 franchise dealerships generating $5 billion in revenue.
Gilfillan graduated from the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire with a Bachelor of Business Administration – Marketing degree. He now resides in Naperville, IL and enjoys spending his time with his wife and their four kids. He enjoys coaching sports, outdoor activities, exercising and is an avid reader of self-improvement books.
