Betting on Billiards Franchise Felt Right How going with your gut can lead to franchise success

It was an unseasonably warm November day in 1995 when Brian Frankland stepped off an airplane, surveyed his surroundings, took a deep breath of ocean air and said to himself, "This is where I want to be."

So much for needing an extensive fact-finding mission to determine if indeed he should move to San Diego from Champagne, Ill., to launch the city's first American Poolplayers Association franchise. "I came out to see if it was a move that would work for the APA and also for me," he recalls. "As soon as I got off the plane, I knew I wanted to be there. I figured to myself, I'll make this [pool franchise] work."

With the help of his wife and business partner, Jill, he's done exactly that. Frankland, 46, has turned his initial $15,000 startup investment in the San Diego APA franchise into a vibrant league for eight-ball and nine-ball players that, after 14 years, now includes some 415 teams and 2,700 members.