3 Keys to Unlock Franchisee Success
Sep 02, 2025
Some time ago, I was invited to The Franchise Coach Podcast, hosted by William Le Sante, International Business Leader, CEO, and author. We had a really interesting conversation around franchising and my journey from a failed boutique owner to an international franchise executive and franchising educator, and one of the questions he asked me inspired me to write this blog post.
Given my background and the number of franchisees of all kinds, nationalities, and backgrounds that I have worked with, William wanted to know if I could identify two or three qualities that someone would need to be successful in running a franchise.
While I know that franchisees can come in many shapes and forms, those who thrive share these critical skills and characteristics that unlock their franchisee success. Do you agree with me?
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Key #1: Care About Your People
First of all, successful franchisees care about their people, their future, and their growth. They also have patience and enough love for them to do the right things and make the best decisions for them. That makes everything else easier, by the way.
This really hits home for me because we've even turned away potential clients who don’t share this value. If someone only cares about the money they make and focuses on their own wealth, it doesn’t matter what we teach them; they will struggle because everything starts with the people.
And I will tell you: if you care about your people and take care of them, they will take care of you and your business.
But you have to inspire them, give them the knowledge they need to succeed, guide them on what you expect, and reward and recognize them when they do great things. As a consequence, they will go out of their way to do well for you.
That’s what I call "the discretionary effort", which refers to that extra effort that people put into their daily jobs because they respect, admire, and trust their leaders. And as a franchisee, that's what you want! You don't want just the bare minimum. However, the only way you're going to get that is if you're the type of leader who inspires others to do that.
That’s why you must also train yourself to be the leader that they need, set the pace for the team members and leaders, and be the strength of the organization.
This quality of a franchisee also has a lot to do with leadership, organizational culture, and hiring the right people.
If you want to learn more about this, I dedicate chapters of my book, The Franchise Fix, to these critical topics. Get your Free Copy Here!
Key #2: Be Coachable
Successful franchisees are hungry for learning as they understand that they don't know everything.
Giving away money to a business coach or signing up for a training program for franchisees is not going to be the answer to your problems. You have to be willing to learn, to participate, to implement what you are taught, and to do the follow-up on what you learned.
You must also have the courage, the strength, and the consistency of doing it day in and day out.
At the American Franchise Academy, we offer COMMAND, a training and group coaching program for new and growing franchisees. We give participants “the whats,” “the hows,” and “the whys,” along with tools and templates. However, none of these matters if they are not willing to execute and follow up to actually achieve the results and rewards of their efforts.
Key #3: Go Multi-Unit
Multi-Unit Franchisees are not only able to achieve the dream of time and financial freedom. When you have multiple units, your team members can aspire to grow within your organization. You will know that they came to you not just for the paycheck but because you can offer them a career in the franchise industry. In contrast, if you only have one unit, there are no further opportunities for them.
Having those incentives will attract great talent to your organization. But you have to develop your people so that, whenever you're ready to grow, they're also ready to take on those leadership positions you have to offer.
Why did I go from a college graduate and failed business owner to a job as a pizza delivery driver? And why did I stay there? Well, because of the promise of growth. I saw that I could become an assistant manager, then a Unit Manager and District Manager afterwards, and while doing so, grow my paycheck and have a very successful career. But that was only possible because I was part of a multi-unit organization.
If your organization gets bigger and you are able to provide those opportunities, train them the right way, give them the tools they need to excel, offer a career path and a salary strategy, and communicate all of that to your people, it will be easier to retain them.
Of course, there’s more to multi-unit success than just a proven franchise brand and a great team. You also need solid management systems and the right tools to live your American Dream.
If you're interested in learning how to take control of your business and achieve the time and financial freedom you deserve, I invite you to explore our COMMAND Program.
This is a 12-month training program where brick-and-mortar franchisees learn how to develop, define, document, and delegate their business management systems, so their team leaders can consistently manage the units without them having to be there 24/7.
Don’t waste more time trying to figure things out on your own. Join our program and get the knowledge, coaching, and community you are missing!
Reflections:
- How can you show appreciation to your employees?
- Are your team members adequately trained, or should you reinforce their training?
- Can you delegate tasks, or are you overwhelmed by daily operations?
- How can you improve your leadership skills?
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