Everybody wants to be a top performer.

Very few actually become one.

That is true in sports. It is true in corporate America. And it is absolutely true in business ownership.

A lot of people love the idea of success. They like the vision of freedom, flexibility, pride, income, and ownership. They like the picture of building something meaningful. They like the thought of creating a business that serves their family, their future, and their community.

What they do not always like is what that picture requires.

Because top performance is not built on enthusiasm alone. It is not built on liking the product. It is not built on posting “big goals” online or telling people you want more out of life.

It is built on discipline. It is built on fit. It is built on standards. It is built on the ability to operate as a true owner when things get hard, uncertain, inconvenient, or slow.

That is exactly why this recent Fran Opps Live conversation with Laura Hernandez and Jennifer Sinconis, partners of Turquoise Wine Bar, was so valuable. Their story is not just about wine. It is not just about community. And it is not just about launching an exciting emerging franchise brand.

It is about what actually separates top performers from everyone else.

And if you are exploring franchise ownership right now, that is the conversation you should care about most.

Not just what the brand is. Not just what the investment is. Not just what the upside could be.

​But what kind of owner you would need to become in order to succeed.

When people hear the phrase “top performer,” they usually think of numbers first.

Top sales.
Top revenue.
Top ticket size.
Top profitability.

And to be fair, those things matter. Any serious business owner should care about performance metrics. If a business is not profitable, it is not healthy. If it is not driving traffic, building repeat customers, and maintaining margins, then there is a real problem.

But those numbers are not the whole story.

What Laura and Jennifer made clear is that top performance is not just about producing strong financial results. It is also about being the right kind of operator inside the right kind of business.

In their case, that means being more than a manager. More than a wine lover. More than someone who simply opens the doors and hopes people show up.

It means becoming a true community leader.

That is a major distinction.

A lot of people think business success is mostly about product quality. They assume if the offering is attractive enough, the rest will take care of itself. But that is not how this works.

Especially in franchising.

Especially in hospitality.

Especially in a concept designed around connection, experience, and repeat loyalty.

A top-performing franchise owner is not just someone who sells. It is someone who builds trust, creates energy, leads well, markets actively, adapts quickly, and understands how to turn a concept into a living, breathing part of a local community.

​That is a very different job than simply “owning a business.”

This may be one of the most important takeaways from the entire conversation.

Turquoise Wine Bar is a beautiful concept. It is inviting, experiential, and community-centered. It is built around boutique wines, meaningful hospitality, and memorable customer experiences. On the surface, it would be easy for someone to assume that success in this kind of business starts with loving wine.

But that is not actually how the founders think.

They made it clear: one of the biggest mistakes people make is assuming a wine bar business is primarily about the wine.

It is not.

It is about business first.

That is a lesson a lot of prospective franchise buyers need to hear.

People are often drawn to opportunities that match their interests, hobbies, or preferences. That part matters. It is better to build around something you actually enjoy than force yourself into something you do not care about at all.

But enjoyment is not the same thing as operational discipline.

You can love the product and still fail.

You can be passionate and still be disorganized.

You can be excited and still make weak decisions.

What separated Laura and Jennifer, by their own description, was not simply that they liked wine. It was that they approached the business with a business mind. They thought in terms of revenue streams, customer loyalty, profitability, recurring revenue, market positioning, and long-term scalability.

That is how owners think.

And that is exactly why so many people stay stuck in the fantasy stage of ownership. They are evaluating the business as a consumer instead of evaluating it as an operator.

The customer asks, “Do I like this?”

The owner asks, “Can this make money consistently, scale intelligently, and create durable loyalty in my market?”

​That is a different level of thinking altogether.

Another major mark of a top performer is that they do not rely on one lever.

They understand that strong businesses are not fragile. They are layered.

One of the most impressive parts of the Turquoise Wine Bar model is that it was not built as a one-dimensional concept. Yes, it is a wine bar. But it is also a bottle shop. It is also event-driven. It also includes tasting events, pairing events, a wine club, and even wine travel experiences that deepen customer loyalty and create recurring engagement.

That matters.

Because a serious owner does not just ask, “How do I make money?”

They ask, “How do I build a business that can keep making money from multiple angles?”

That is a much stronger question.

In real business ownership, seasonality happens. Consumer behavior changes. Traffic patterns shift. Certain months are stronger than others. Markets are not static. If your entire business depends on one narrow stream of revenue, you are more exposed than you realize.

Top performers understand this.

They look for ways to build flexibility into the business. They ask what levers can be pulled when one area softens. They think strategically about recurring revenue. They care about retention, not just transactions.

This is where many first-time buyers go wrong. They focus so much on startup excitement that they fail to think structurally. But the people who build lasting businesses are usually the ones who think in systems, not moments.

​That is not about being flashy. It is about being smart.

A lot of brands use the word “community” because it sounds warm and appealing.

That does not mean they know how to create one.

What stood out in this conversation was that community for Turquoise is not some vague emotional add-on. It is central to the business model itself. The customer experience is built around connection, relationship, familiarity, and belonging.

That is powerful because community, when built correctly, creates something every business owner should want: loyalty that is difficult to disrupt.

Think about what happens when customers do more than just buy from you. They know you. You know them. They bring their friends. They attend your events. They join your club. They travel with you. They become emotionally connected not just to the product, but to the place and the people behind it.

That is no longer just a transaction.

That is a relationship.

And relationships are harder to replace.

Top performers understand that customer loyalty is not just a function of quality. It is often a function of emotional connection. The strongest businesses are not always the loudest or cheapest. They are often the ones people feel attached to.

That is why Laura described the ideal owner as being “the mayor of the community.”

That is a great phrase.

Because it captures the real assignment. If you want to perform at a high level in a community-centered concept, you cannot be passive. You cannot hide in the background. You cannot assume the brand alone will carry the business.

You have to become known.

You have to become present.

You have to become someone people trust, remember, and want to support.

​That is not a soft skill. That is a business advantage.

One of the most honest parts of the conversation was the founders’ insistence on fit.

That matters because franchising is full of people who would rather talk about possibility than compatibility.

But not every good person is the right fit for every brand.

And not every excited buyer is wired to succeed in every business model.

That is not pessimistic. That is reality.

Laura and Jennifer made it clear that someone can be a great performer in one franchise and a poor performer in another. That is one of the most overlooked truths in franchising. People often talk about brands as if success is automatic once you buy into the right system.

It is not.

The question is not just whether the business is good. The question is whether the business is good for you.

For Turquoise, they are not looking for caretakers. They are looking for owners.

That distinction is massive.

A caretaker mentality says, “I will keep the lights on.”

An owner mentality says, “I will grow this, market this, improve this, protect this, and lead this.”

A caretaker wants stability.

An owner accepts responsibility.

A caretaker often clings to schedule, comfort, and routine.

An owner understands that in business, especially in early growth, the business does not always respect your preferred schedule.

That does not mean hustle for the sake of hustle. It means realism.

Ownership requires a different mentality than employment. If someone wants all the upside of owning a business while keeping the mindset of a clock-in, clock-out employee, they are setting themselves up for disappointment.

​Top performers do not resent that responsibility. They embrace it.

There is a temptation in business to believe that performance comes from polish.

That if you sound smart enough, look sharp enough, and package yourself well enough, success will follow.

But what came through clearly in this discussion is that authenticity still matters. A lot.

Customers can tell when they are being handled. They can tell when something feels forced. They can tell when a brand says “community” but does not actually mean it.

That is why Laura emphasized authenticity and vulnerability as essential qualities for new owners.

That may sound surprising to some people because vulnerability is not usually the first word associated with strong operators. But in this context, it makes perfect sense.

A franchise owner has to be willing to ask for help. To admit what they do not know. To lean on the system. To communicate. To learn. To stay coachable. To grow.

That is not weakness.

That is maturity.

The people who usually struggle most are not always the least capable. Sometimes they are just the least open. They are too proud to ask. Too rigid to adapt. Too attached to their own assumptions. Too eager to “put their spin on it” before they have first learned how the model actually works.

Authenticity, in this sense, does not mean doing whatever feels natural. It means being real enough to learn, honest enough to adjust, and grounded enough to serve the customer sincerely.

That creates trust.

​And trust, once again, is not just emotional. It is economic.

This was another strong point from the interview.

The founders were clear that once the customer gets inside, the model works. The environment, the experience, the offering, and the concept do a lot of the heavy lifting.

But someone still has to drive people through the door.

That matters because too many people buy franchises thinking the system will do everything for them.

It will not.

A good franchise gives you a vehicle. It gives you systems. It gives you support. It gives you structure. It gives you resources and playbooks and tools.

But you still have to drive.

That is what real franchising is supposed to be.

You are not buying a guarantee. You are buying a better starting point.

The best franchisees understand that they are still the chief marketer of their business. They do not sit around waiting for momentum to show up. They use social media. They build awareness. They become visible. They tap into the tools available to them. They execute.

That does not mean they have to be expert marketers on day one. But they do need to be willing to learn and willing to do the work.

That is where a lot of people quietly tell on themselves.

Because they say they want freedom, but what they really want is passivity with profit.

That does not exist.

Top performers market the business.

They show up. They learn. They test. They improve. They stay engaged. They do not treat visibility like an optional extra.

​They understand that driving traffic is part of the job.

One of the most encouraging parts of this conversation was hearing how selective the founders are about who they bring in.

That should not scare a serious buyer. It should reassure them.

Because one of the ugliest realities in franchising is that some systems grow recklessly. They sell too quickly, bring in the wrong people, create cultural inconsistency, and then let weak fit erode the brand over time. That is not growth. That is erosion with better marketing.

Laura and Jennifer seem committed to doing the opposite.

They talked openly about turning people away who were not the right fit. They talked about protecting the culture. They talked about being thoughtful, not reckless, in how they grow. They talked about wanting a real franchise community, not just more signed agreements.

That is exactly the kind of discipline a serious candidate should want from a founder.

A franchisor who will say no is usually more trustworthy than one who cannot stop saying yes.

Why?

Because they understand something many people do not: the wrong franchisee does not just hurt themselves. They can hurt the system, the culture, the customer experience, and the performance of the brand as a whole.

​A rising tide raises all ships. But only if everyone is actually rowing in the same direction.

If you are exploring business ownership for the first time, do not just ask whether the concept is exciting.

Ask tougher questions.

Does this fit how I am wired?

Do I actually want to be an owner, or do I just like the idea of ownership?

Am I willing to market the business, lead the business, adapt inside the business, and stay committed when the novelty wears off?

Do I want to build community, not just collect revenue?

Am I coachable enough to follow a model before trying to reinvent it?

Do I understand the difference between buying a franchise and trying to customize my own independent concept?

These are better early questions than most people ask.

Because too many buyers waste time focusing on features before they evaluate fit. They want to know the décor, the menu, the margins, the territory, the investment range, the buildout timeline. Those things matter, of course.

But the more important issue is whether they are truly prepared to become the kind of person this business requires.

That is what top performers figure out early.

Not just whether the business can work.

​But whether they are ready to work the business the way it needs to be worked.

The biggest takeaway from this conversation is simple:

Top performers are not accidental.

They do not drift into high performance.

They become it through the way they think, the way they lead, the way they adapt, and the way they take responsibility.

They are business-first, not hobby-first.
They are community-minded, not transaction-minded.
They are authentic, not performative.
They are disciplined, not casual.
They are owners, not caretakers.

And that is exactly why so few people ever reach that level.

Because everybody wants the result.

Fewer people want the standard.

If you are serious about franchise ownership, that is the standard you should be measuring yourself against.

Not whether you are interested.

Not whether the concept sounds fun.

Not whether the upside looks attractive.

But whether you are ready to become the kind of owner that a strong business actually requires.

That is the real question.

​And if you can answer that honestly, you are already ahead of most people.

If you want help exploring whether franchise ownership is the right path for you, start here:
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And if you want more conversations like this with founders, franchise leaders, and real-world operators, join our private community here:
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Jared Nassiff is the founder of Fran Opps and a franchise consultant who helps entrepreneurs and empire builders step into business ownership with confidence and clarity. Through Fran Opps Live, strategic guidance, and direct franchise consultation, Jared helps serious buyers think better, evaluate smarter, and make stronger ownership decisions.