The Franchise Owner Who Ran His Business From Iraq

By Sean Goldsmith

From two Sport Clips salons to a multi-brand franchise business, built on strong management and smart acquisitions.

When Cheston Syma was working security assignments in Iraq and Afghanistan, he had two Sport Clips salons back in Texas that still needed to open every morning, serve customers and pay their employees. He checked in with his managers whenever he had internet access, but there was little he could do about the everyday problems that come with running a business when he was thousands of miles away.

It was an unusual position for a franchise owner to find himself in, particularly as Syma had bought into Sport Clips hoping to establish a more secure financial future. He was working overseas to earn enough money to deal with debts, while the salons depended on managers who could keep things running without him. Looking back, however, those difficult years helped establish the way he would eventually build a much larger franchise business.

Why He Turned to Franchising

Syma had served six years on active duty in the US Marines before studying business finance at the University of Houston. Like many people leaving military service, he wanted to build something of his own and establish a career that would give him more control over his future.

His first business, a tanning salon, proved to be a costly experience. Over approximately ten years, he lost more than $400,000, an amount that would discourage plenty of people from attempting business ownership again.

Instead, Syma decided to try franchising. In 2004, he purchased two Sport Clips locations in Katy, Texas, attracted by the prospect of operating under an established name with training, procedures and support already available.

After struggling with an independent business, the appeal is easy to understand. Starting from scratch means working out everything from staffing and pricing to marketing and customer service, often while making expensive mistakes along the way. An established franchise gives an owner a clearer idea of how the business is supposed to operate, although it cannot guarantee that the finances will work.

Syma still had considerable debts to manage, and the salons needed enough revenue to cover their own expenses. He eventually returned to work that drew on his military background, taking security assignments protecting American officials overseas. The income helped him improve his financial position while his Sport Clips managers looked after the businesses at home.

The Managers Who Made It Possible

The overseas assignments are the most dramatic part of Syma's story, but what happened inside those two Texas salons is probably more useful to anyone who owns a franchise.

Customers continued arriving for haircuts, employees needed organising and the usual problems still had to be resolved. Syma could speak to his managers when communications allowed, but he couldn't spend the afternoon dealing with an unhappy customer or cover a shift when someone called in sick.

His managers had to take responsibility, and the salons continued trading because they were capable of doing so. Sport Clips provided an established way of operating, but it was the employees on the ground who made sure those procedures were followed.

That distinction becomes particularly important when a franchisee wants to own more than one location. An owner who insists on approving every decision may manage one business reasonably well, but the arrangement becomes increasingly difficult as more locations are added.

Syma's circumstances meant he had to develop trust in his managers earlier than many owners would have chosen. It was a difficult lesson, but one that proved valuable when he began looking at opportunities to expand.

Why Buying Existing Salons Made Sense

As Syma's finances improved, he started acquiring additional Sport Clips locations, often purchasing businesses from other franchisees rather than opening new salons. He has said that approximately 70% of his Sport Clips portfolio was acquired in this way.

For someone who already knew the brand, buying an established salon offered some practical advantages. He could examine its trading history, understand what it cost to operate and assess the employees already working there. An existing business also came with customers who knew the location, removing some of the uncertainty involved in opening a new salon.

Naturally, there were still risks. A salon might have disappointing sales, an expensive lease or a manager who was planning to leave. Those problems can be costly, particularly when the buyer is taking on several locations at once.

Syma's expansion accelerated after he partnered with Dr Setul Patel in 2018. An opportunity to acquire 18 salons from another franchisee helped them develop a much larger operation.

There is a useful lesson here for experienced franchisees who are considering expansion. Opening a new location can be attractive, but buying an existing franchise may provide a clearer picture of the likely costs and income. The important thing is to examine the business carefully and avoid paying a premium simply because it already has a familiar name above the door.

From Two Salons to Several Franchise Brands

By 2026, Syma's business interests extended beyond Sport Clips to include Big Blue Swim School, SweatHouz and Hand & Stone. His operations employed hundreds of people, and in September he received a Franchisee of the Year award from the International Franchise Association.

It was a considerable achievement for someone who had once needed to work overseas to get his finances under control, although managing a business of that size presents challenges that are very different from those facing an owner with two salons.

With so many employees and locations, Syma depends on district managers and senior staff to maintain standards, deal with problems and keep individual businesses performing. He cannot personally supervise every location, and the different brands require their own expertise.

A swimming school, for example, has different staffing, scheduling and customer requirements from a hair salon. Adding another franchise brand means understanding those differences and having people capable of managing them, rather than assuming that success with one business will automatically carry over to another.

After years of expansion, Syma has also spoken about wanting to travel more and spend less time working. He has become more interested in improving the businesses he already owns than continually adding new franchise brands.

That seems a sensible ambition for an operator who has spent so much of his career acquiring locations and building management teams. There is little point in owning a large business if every decision still depends on the person who owns it.

What We Can Learn From This

Syma's experience shows how an established franchise system can help an owner build a business that continues operating without constant personal supervision, provided the right managers are in place. Prospective franchisees should make sure they have enough working capital to cover wages, borrowing commitments and personal expenses if trading is slower than expected. Existing operators considering acquisitions should examine the financial performance, leases and employees of each location before committing more money. As a franchise business grows, investing in dependable managers becomes just as important as finding the next location, particularly for owners who eventually want more time away from work.

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