Some people dream of getting a book published. Others have ambitions of running a company. Andrew Titus has managed to do both.

Andrew Titus, president of United Franchise Group and author of “Earned, Not Given.”

The Counselor Power 50 member and former president of Counselor Top 40 distributor Fully Promoted (asi/384000) transitioned into the role of president at United Franchise Group (UFG), parent company of Fully Promoted, in May. All the while, he’s been working on yet another project.

Titus hard-launched his book “Earned, Not Given” on LinkedIn earlier this month. He wrote it, he says, to address a gap he’s witnessed among young professionals and emerging leaders.

“They want responsibility before they’ve built credibility,” he says.

In this Q&A, Titus shares his inspiration behind the book, what readers can expect to come away with after reading it and how to find a copy.

Q: Have you always wanted to write a book?

A: I always wanted to write something; I just didn’t really feel passionate about a topic until recently. I’m a big reader, but I also think people have a short attention span, so I like to keep it short and sweet. This is not a book that’s going to take multiple days or hours to read. This is something you can sit down and digest very easily within an hour or an hour and a half.

Q: What made you decide to write “Earned, Not Given?”

A: I have kind of a funny answer to that. This was something I started last year. We have about 75 franchisees for Fully Promoted in Australia and about 100 Signarama franchises in Australia. (Both Fully Promoted and Signarama are subsidiaries of UFG.) I fly to Australia probably two to three times a year, so that’s four to six very long flights. It’s about a 30-hour travel day when you consider all the different layovers and stops and everything. And so, last year when I was on the plane, I was like, “You know what? I’m going to pass the time and I’m going to write a book.”

Q: What was the inspiration behind the topic for “Earned, Not Given?”

A: I’d had a couple of younger people in my different circles who had said, “Man, I wish my employer just gave me a raise. I wish I just got more responsibility, more opportunity.” And, you know, when I was thinking about it, I’m like, I don’t know if they’ve earned those opportunities. I’m in a family business, so people might think things would have been given or handed to me, but that’s not how it was. And I could give that unique perspective on my situation to others who want to make a difference in an established company at a younger age and want responsibility, and want benefits, but also need to know how to make that happen. So that was kind of the genesis.

Q: Who do you hope will read this book?

A: I think the ideal demographic is people in their 20s and early 30s looking to make a difference in their careers. But it’s funny because I sent the book to some of our franchisees for Fully Promoted just because I had relationships with them. And one of them texted me, and he said, “Well-written, on point, and a guide for all ages … Well done.” So, the target is definitely younger, 20s to 30s, but I think there are some tidbits and nuggets that people can get at all ages.

Q: Without giving anything away, what are some of the main points you want people to take away from the book?

A: Some of the key subjects are to 1) Spend the time; this stuff doesn’t happen overnight. 2) Create a scoreboard so you can track what you’re doing every single day. 3) Don’t be afraid to speak up. 4) You have advantages – use them, even if you’re young.

I also added in some stories about my own life and career to make people laugh and smile and relate to it.

Q: How are you feeling now that “Earned, Not Given” is out in the world?

A: I’m excited about it. My main goal for this is just to make a difference. This isn’t a way to make money. In fact, all the funds go to giving away books to UFG’s employees and franchisees, so we don’t make a dime. It’s just really an educational thing for us. And if we can make an impact, and have more people and franchisees and everyone bought in and believing in what we believe, we know it’s going to increase their business, increase our business, etc. So that’s our goal.

Q: Where can people find your book?

A: UFG franchisees can just send me an email and they can get one if they want one. Non-franchisees can order the book on Amazon, and we have priced it as low as we possibly could on there.

Q: So, what’s next for you? Is there another book in your future?

A: I definitely want to write another one. I would be lying if I told you I wasn’t already thinking of certain topics to write about. I have another Australia flight later this year, so we’ll see what happens.