10 Years, 10 Lessons, And What鈥檚 Ahead
It's been 10 years since the American Franchise Academy was founded on July 18, 2016. In previous blog posts, I’ve shared my journey in the franchise world and the franchisee gap we're filling.
As our anniversary month comes to an end, I reflected on the long journey I’ve lived, all the things I’ve experienced, and what I’ve learned. While I've been in the franchise industry for over 35 years, I have to say that these last 10 years and everything we have done to create this academy have given me so many more lessons!
That’s what I’m going to share in this blog post: 10 lessons I have learned as well as what we are planning for the next 10 years for the academy.
But first, subscribe to our YouTube channel and Podcast, and follow us on our social platforms.
Lesson #1: The Power of Listening
The first lesson I learned from this 10-year journey is that listening rather than guessing takes you a long way.
As I explained in the AFA’s story blog post, at the beginning I really wasn't planning to create what is today the American Franchise Academy (AFA). I was taking a little sabbatical, but I kept getting calls from Franchisees I'd known before, asking me to coach or mentor them because they had all these questions about their operations.
So, I started listening and paying close attention to what they were asking, what they were confused about, and what they did not know. That’s how I realized they needed proper business systems to run their franchises successfully.
From our AFA perspective, there are two elements of success for the franchise business:
- A successful, proven franchise brand that customers are willing to give money in exchange for its product or service, along with all of the processes, procedures, standards, and policies to be able to duplicate that brand.
- The business systems, which include all the processes and procedures you need to put in place as a business owner to manage the business and turn the revenue into profit so that you can have financial success.
The AFA was born from listening to Franchisees tell me what they needed and what they were missing to be successful in their organizations. I didn’t create it based on what I thought or guessed; the AFA’s foundation was the true needs of our clients and students.
Lesson #2: You Have to Call the Gap
The next lesson I learned is that whatever gap you are filling with your product or service will only be visible if you have the courage to say so and are willing to call it.
I have been told that I'm one of those truth-tellers. That means that when I see something and see the truth, I'm one to call it. This has helped the AFA’s journey because we acknowledge that, in reality, franchises don’t offer everything you need to succeed.
They give you a proven brand, a product, service, image, and marketing -if you pay a marketing fee-, and if that model is managed properly, it will be successful. What you are not given is a business degree in franchise management or the knowledge or training of how to run your business.
That’s the Franchisee gap we are willing to say out loud.
The best part: Franchisees don’t have to figure things out on their own anymore. The American Franchise Academy is one of those amazing resources where Franchisees can fill that gap, gain knowledge on how to manage the business profitably, and then use and implement it within a proven brand.
Lesson #3: Failure is Resilience in Disguise
Not everything has been fun and games in this decade. It was hard for me to figure out how to take all my franchise knowledge, experience, business systems, processes, and procedures and find a structured way to share them with Franchisees and the leaders who need them. To do that, I created an academy from scratch. But then I had to learn about marketing, web design, tech tools, social media, and sales to make it sustainable.
I remember that in the early days of the academy, there were times when no one came to my webinars. People registered, said they were coming, and yet did not show up. While I still delivered the webinars as a way to practice, I have to confess, it really took a lot out of me, both mentally and emotionally, to overcome this and keep going.
That’s why I say that failure is resilience in disguise. And I'm going to tell you: I've proven to be resilient because even though I’ve failed, I have gotten up and kept going.
Why do I keep going? Because I know how much this knowledge is needed!
I know that many people don’t have this information and that many Franchisees out there are struggling, not because their brand is not good enough, but because they lack this knowledge or the business education that’s so necessary to be successful.
I have kept going because that is how much I believe in what we do every single day. And I am so happy and so proud of what we have built in these 10 years, and I love every single piece, program, and conversation we have with our clients and the Franchisees that we serve.
Lesson #4: Your Client’s Success is Your Success
Our client's success means everything to me. Every time I hear about or witness a Franchisee's success, my heart swells, and my spirit is lifted. When a Franchisee client tells me they’re going on vacation, opening another unit, or spending more time with their family, it’s amazing, and I consider it a win not just for them but also for us!
The fact that we are part of their transformation and able to make a difference in their lives and businesses means everything to me. I use that energy I need to keep going, and it’s the motivation and confirmation that we’re doing the right thing.
I'm sure those wins are as important to you as they are to me.
- My question to you is: How often do you look at those successes to get yourself inspired and keep going in whatever mission or purpose you have defined for yourself?
In case you missed it: A Love Letter to Franchisees, Franchisors & Franchise Leaders
Lesson #5: Commitment is Vital
The fifth lesson I have learned over the past years is that you cannot achieve success without commitment.
I kind of said it already, but even when I was having failure after failure, I knew this was right because this was a real need in the industry, so I was committed to seeing it through and willing to do whatever it took to make it happen.
For the first year or two, I did it as part-time work while I was trying to figure things out. But at some point, it clicked, and I realized that if I wanted to make a real difference, I had to commit to the academy, no matter how long it would take, because I knew it was the right thing.
I’m glad I did, because I get confirmation all the time. I can’t tell you how many times people have said to me, ‘Where have you been all my life?’ ‘Why weren't you here when I had one unit?’ ‘I wish I'd been able to go through your programs when I first started.’
Lesson #6: Language Matters
Funny enough, when I first started this journey, I was going to call the academy the American Restaurant Academy. But I quickly realized that while it is true that all of my operations and executive experience is in food service, I wasn't going to teach people how to run a restaurant.
What I wanted was to help people implement the business systems, processes, and procedures to manage one unit successfully and grow into a multi-unit enterprise, whether it was a restaurant, car wash, retail store, gym, or spa. That’s why I quickly changed the name to the American Franchise Academy, because the franchise model is the foundation for creating systems.
- We are copying the consistent discipline behind the creation of a franchise brand and transferring that consistency, processes, and discipline to the business management systems.
A very important distinction in this language communication is that we do not touch any part of the brand systems. Every Franchisor is an expert on their brand, product, service process, equipment, and everything involved in building and growing a successful, proven brand.
We are a business school that focuses on teaching business management principles. So even though we're called the American Franchise Academy, literally anyone who owns a brick-and-mortar small business and leads a team can benefit from our training programs.
Lesson #7: Franchisees Don’t Know What They Don’t Know
Franchisees are amazing, courageous, and inspired dreamers who want to have their own business through franchising. However, not all of them know everything they need to know to be successful.
Based on that, we design all of our franchise training programs assuming that Franchisees know nothing about business management. It doesn't matter whether they’ve been in franchising for a year, a month, or 10 years; our programs cover everything they need to know to thrive in their franchise business.
- Our methodology teaches the curriculum as a process, a procedure, and a step-by-step approach, making it easy to understand, apply, and communicate to their teams.
Building our AFA Programs wasn’t easy. MANAGE, our Unit Manager program, took us two years to create. LEAD, the District Manager program, took us a year and a half to create.
And I can promise and guarantee that you and your leaders will receive the knowledge, tools, and resources you need to be successful.
Keep learning: Training Is Expensive! But Lack of it Costs More
Lesson #8: Community is Key
When I started working with Franchisees, I was doing a lot of one-on-one coaching and consulting based on their specific needs. And that was great. But as I began structuring the academy, I also included a mastermind group call. That community of Multi-Unit Franchisees has become absolutely key for the COMMAND Program, our Multi-Unit Franchise Ownership Certification.
Now, twice a month, we get together to discuss specific topics and answer their specific questions. The best part: it's not just me sharing my perspective; our Commanders also share what they do, how they approach things, what tools they use, what they have experienced, what has succeeded or failed, etc. That way, they learn from each other.
When it comes to the MANAGE and LEAD programs, we also have a weekly call with their instructor. While it is not truly a mastermind, it is a place where students can have a good discussion with an expert operator and with each other about the topics they're learning.
So at the end of the day, our communities have become a pillar of the success of our training programs. It's not just about having video lessons and a workbook, but about the opportunity to discuss these topics with peers and an expert. We believe that’s what truly helps bring that learning and understanding to a whole new level.
In case you missed it: Train. Believe. Support. The Formula for Building Great Teams
Lesson #9: You Might Not Know What People Need
I didn’t have it on my radar and wasn’t planning to develop LEAD, our District Manager training. From 2016 to 2021, we just offered COMMAND for growing Franchisees. Still, as our clients were going multi-unit, there came a point when they needed to hire a District Manager and develop this role for their organizations. However, they didn’t know what these leaders should be doing every day, how much to pay them, or how to supervise them and evaluate their performance.
That’s when I began creating the District Manager training program. It's something I never thought I'd do, and yet it was exactly what our clients needed. So much so that this program is the most relevant for the academy, because there’s no program like it anywhere else.
The vast majority of District Managers have been trained by job shadowing and osmosis, following another DM with experience in the role. But then what happens is that this person teaches the tasks that they do, not how to think about the job, how to approach the different responsibilities of the role, and the routines that drive actual results.
That's what we teach in the Multi-Unit Leadership Certification Program for District Managers: the true role, responsibilities, and routines that will make these professionals more effective and successful. So far, we have certified over 400 District Managers. And it’s funny that I never thought about this program.
You just never know: something that you never think about may be exactly what your clients need, and that's been a really big lesson for me.
Lesson #10: There’s Still Work to Do
The 10th lesson that I have learned in the last decade is that the Franchisee gap that existed when I first started the academy is still there because it’s bigger than I ever thought before.
Most franchise failures happen not because the brand is bad but because the Franchisees investing in that brand lack the skills and knowledge to be successful. And every time I become aware of the need or see the statistics behind this gap, it reminds me of why we do what we do.
The Next 10 Years for the American Franchise Academy
What are the next 10 years going to be for the American Franchise Academy?
Our programs will continue to evolve, solidify, and improve as things change in the industry, in terms of technology and in the generations to come.
- We are very proud that, to date, we have helped over 200 Franchisees and over 700 franchise leaders across the industry.
For the next 10 years, we want to make our impact much bigger! We want to reach 1,000 Franchisees and 10,000 franchise leaders, and help them with their dream and the journey to success in this amazing industry called franchising. But to do that, we have to continue spreading the message across the United States and around the world.
That’s where we need your help. If you know a franchise owner who could benefit from our training, learning, and development programs, either for them or for their teams and leaders, let them know about us!
To achieve that audacious goal, we are also starting to reach out to Franchisors, offering them the opportunity to support their franchise network and franchise leaders. Not only can we help Franchisess be more successful, but the franchise brand will also be stronger and more profitable, which ultimately benefits the industry and everyone involved in the organization. If you are a Franchisor and are interested in how we can partner with you, schedule a call with us.
Something else we're doing over the next 10 years is going multilingual, starting very soon with Spanish and other languages to follow. This way, we will truly be able to spread the knowledge and support needed in the industry, not just in the United States but throughout the world, because the lack of business management acumen among franchise owners is an international gap.
Those are our plans for the next 10 years. As we have for the past decade, we will continue to work every day to become the source of knowledge, tools, and resources for franchise leaders and Franchisees, so that they can achieve and thrive in their dream of business ownership through franchising.
And with your help in spreading the word about our work and how we can help Franchisees around the world, I’m sure we'll be able to achieve that goal.
Thank you for being with us throughout this decade. I hope you continue to accompany us in the next 10-year journey as we keep making an impact in this industry!
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