EPISODE 37: Welcome Back
From Firewalks to Franchise Dreams
Welcome back to the blog, and more importantly, welcome back to us! After taking a season of silence (and sanity), Darren and I are behind the mics again, and I couldn’t be more excited to reconnect and share what’s been brewing in our world of business, family, and firewalking. Yep, literally firewalking. But more on that in a minute.
This first episode back is more than just a reboot of the Mr. & Mrs. CEO podcast; it’s the reawakening of a mission we’ve been living behind the scenes: building a legacy business with our hands, our hearts, and our marriage. This season, we’re pulling back the curtain on what it really looks like to build a national franchise in a very unsexy (but wildly profitable) industry: door repair and installation.
Why We Took a Break (…and Why We’re Back)
Let’s be real: life gets loud. Between launching Door Gurus, onboarding new Franchise Partners, and raising a family, we hit that season where recording episodes just didn’t make the cut.
But something shifted.
We realized that the stories we weren’t telling… the messy ones, the breakthrough ones, the “are-we-actually-doing-this?” ones, were exactly what people needed to hear. Because building a family business isn’t just about systems and spreadsheets. It’s about courage, communication, and growth. Sometimes uncomfortable growth. The kind that happens when you do things like…
…Walking Through Fire
Darren literally walked through fires. This isn’t a metaphor. He literally walked across hot coals. Not for clicks. Not for content. For courage.
He joined a local men’s group called Longship. Part of their initiation included breaking an arrow with his throat (yes, really) and firewalking in front of 30 other men. His word going into it? Fear. The word that had been silently shaping his self-doubt every time he stepped in front of a mic or a room full of potential franchisees.
What emerged on the other side of that fire was not just a burned-out arrow. It was clarity. It was conviction. It was courage.
Let’s Talk About Fear (Because It’s Holding You Back Too)
Darren’s revelation through the fire wasn’t just about podcasting or public speaking, it was about permission. Permission to be his authentic self, even when it feels messy or unscripted.
In a world where we consume so much “perfect content,” it’s easy to believe you need a polished brand and a TED Talk delivery before you’re allowed to share your voice. But that’s a lie. You don’t need to be perfect, you need to be present.
So if fear is your rock, let courage be your vehicle. Move it.
That’s what this new chapter is all about.
How Fear & Courage Collide in our Franchise Business
If fear is the rock and courage is the vehicle, then building a franchise, especially in a legacy industry like ours, is the long, bumpy road they travel together.
We didn’t choose doors because they’re glamorous. (Spoiler alert: they’re not.) We chose them because they’re necessary. They protect people, open opportunities, and ironically, most of us take them completely for granted. But behind every working door is a technician, a business, and a standard… or at least, there should be.
The problem? The door industry has long been underserved, inconsistently trained, and overlooked. It's full of “Chuck-in-a-truck” operators or “Jacks-of-all-trades”, no-show appointments, and companies that vanish after one bad review. For us, that wasn't just frustrating, it was a call to action.
Darren’s been in this industry since he was, as he puts it, “a wee baby,” and he’s seen the cost of mediocrity firsthand. But deciding to do something different? That takes guts. That takes courage.
And here’s the truth: fear shows up everywhere in this journey. Especially when you’re building something that doesn’t yet exist. But courage shows up too. It shows up when we commit to standardizing an unregulated industry. When we create national training programs where there were none. When we launch our Guru G.A.M.E. Plan to deliver consistent, professional service in every franchise territory.
It’s not just about building a business. It’s about facing down the fear of doing things differently… and leading with the courage to raise the bar.
So, yeah. We’re in the business of doors. But it’s more than that. We’re in the business of showing what’s possible when fear meets purpose… and courage decides to walk through the door anyway.
Final Thoughts: The Business of Becoming
Taking a break wasn’t just about rest, it was about realignment. It gave us space to reflect on what matters, what we’re building, and how we want to show up in this season. Not just as business owners, but as people.
Because underneath the spreadsheets, the strategy sessions, and the scaling plans is something so central to the human experience: fear. And the only way to keep building authentically, powerfully, and sustainably, is to meet that fear head-on.
For Darren, that meant walking through literal fire. For me, it’s been navigating the invisible fires of expectations, leadership, and holding space for all the moving pieces of our life and legacy. Together, we’ve learned that courage doesn’t mean having it all figured out, it means showing up anyway. Even when you’re scared. Even when the mic is hot, even when the industry says: “this is how it’s always been,” even when the fear is louder than the vision.
But we’re still here. Still building. Still believing that a business, especially family business, can be a force for change when it's powered by purpose, anchored in values, and led with just enough courage to take the next step.
Thanks for being here for this one. We’re glad to be back.
Stay Connected with Mr. & Mrs. CEO
We’d love to continue this conversation! Connect with us on social media:
Darren’s Instagram: @darren.hiebert
Kim’s Instagram: @kimberley.hiebert
Darren’s LinkedIn: Darren Hiebert
Kim’s LinkedIn: Kimberley Hiebert
Website: Mr. & Mrs. CEO