Did you know that if you promote from within your organization, you increase your chances of success than if you hire an external candidate?

• Especially when it comes to the critical positions for your operations, such as the district manager, internal promotions will get you a bigger probability of hitting the bulls-eye.

The reason is simple: you know that person, their work ethic, and if they are a cultural fit to your organization, as well as their operational abilities and skills, and how they manage operations. All of this information gives you a window view into how they perform if you promote them. However, you have to do it the right way to secure success.

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Want to be successful when promoting from within? Take note of these six characteristics that the best district managers possess.

1. They are self-driven

This is probably one of the most important aspects the...

(Part 3 of the Multi-Unit Franchising Conference 2023)

As I’ve been doing in the past few weeks, in today's blog post I’ll review the insights of one of the Multi-Unit Franchising Conference 2023 sessions I participated in. Now it’s turn to discuss how to develop the next generation of leaders in your organization. 

• This topic is near and dear to my heart because I was able to have a career and improve myself in the franchise industry because of those opportunities. 

The franchise industry allows people to grow within the business structure thanks to the design of systems and processes. This model can also help them achieve the American dream of business ownership and success. 

The reality is that among the franchise enterprises, there are many superstar employees, just like I was, that are hungry to grow and succeed. These employees are looking for their next opportunity and it is up to you, as a franchisee, to offer...

In the summer of 2023, The American Franchise Academy will celebrate its 7th anniversary helping franchisees build successful multi-unit enterprises through quality training programs. And yet, many people out there still don't know who we are within the franchise industry. 

So, in this blog post, we’ll go over who we are, what we do, and how we deliver the resources that franchisees need to be successful and achieve their financial and business goals. 

But first, I’ll introduce myself because I believe that for you to understand any company, you need to know who the founder is and what’s their story, why the company was created, and what is their mission, vision, and values.

Who’s the founder of The American Franchise Academy?

My name is Aicha Bascaro and I am the founder and CEO of The American Franchise Academy. I love to help people materialize the American dream of business ownership through franchising. 

I’m an immigrant and I...

Everyone wants to have great leaders in their organization. And the number one way to have them is if you as a business owner are a great leader yourself. 

• It's not easy being a great leader, especially these days. And while we are not all born natural leaders, I truly believe that leaders can be made, trained, and developed!

As a continuation of our last blog post, on this one, we’ll be covering the second six actions of an effective leader. We, at The American Franchise Academy, have identified these as the principles that no matter the time, the person, or the generation, are intrinsic to great leaders.

Don’t miss: 6 Actions That Make Great Leaders - Part 1

These are not just characteristics, but actions of a leader. This is what great leaders actually do. 

Look at these 12 actions and proactively and consciously exercise them every day in your interactions with your people. Through that practice, you will become a great leader!

7. Be Inclusive

...

What makes a great leader? There are many definitions to answer that question. Across the different leadership positions I’ve had, and the many CEOs and directors I’ve worked with in my +30 years of experience in the franchise industry, I have seen what a good leader looks like, what a bad one does, and the characteristics of great leaders

• Among the many definitions that there are, one is my all-time favorite, coming from John Quincy Adams. He says “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a great leader”. 

I love it because it tells us how being a great leader is about inspiring others to be a better version of themselves. Not only is it an honorable thing, but a great purpose in life. 

How can we inspire people? We can motivate them to improve themselves through our actions because people don't do what we say, they follow what we do. 

Here at The American Franchise Academy, we have defined...

If a district manager is not doing a good job, perhaps it’s because they don't have the guidance or the training to do so, especially for those that used to be unit managers. After all, the abilities and skills that made them thrive then are not the same as what makes a successful multi-unit leader. 

• Great district managers require the development of additional skills and knowledge to be successful. 

Think about it! A unit or general manager’s job is dictated by the day-to-day operations of the brand and the business they run every day in those four walls. But what the multi-unit leaders do completely depends on the district’s situation as well as on what happens in each unit within the district. 

That’s why the set of abilities they need to be successful at this position is completely different from that of a successful unit manager.

Over our many years of experience, analysis, research, and having worked with over 100 district managers,...

In the spring of 2021, we launched our best-in-class Multi-Unit Leadership Certification program, and 100 participants have completed the program so far. 

• Although we are the ones delivering this amazing program to aspiring, existing, and even tenured district managers and multi-unit leaders, we’ve also become apprentices in the last two years.

That’s why in this blog post, I’ll share the top 10 learnings we have had. These things have been eye-opening and some have helped us adjust our program to make it even better. 

If you are a district manager, a business owner, or a multi-unit franchisee, and you have one or more district managers, this program is for you! Click here to learn more about it!

Lesson 1: most multi-unit leaders are what we call “super GMs” because they do not understand what is their role as a multi-unit leader and district manager. That role is completely different from the one...

Certain leadership positions are critical for the health, well-being, and success of your business. These are the unit manager, assistant manager, shift manager, and district manager.

Especially if you have a growing multi-unit organization, those positions will open from time to time. Where will you look for talent to fulfill them?

• If you want to increase the probability of success of the new leaders in those positions, you should take a look inside your team to detect who’s ready to take over those responsibilities so you can allow them to grow. 

There’s great value in doing internal promotions instead of looking for an external collaborator because, when you promote from within, you increase your possibilities of success. 

There are more reasons why:

1. You know these people and their work ethic, so their performance is more predictable. They have been with you long enough for you to experience who they are as employees. When you hire externally though,...

 Even though there is a staffing crisis in the country, some employers are doing okay or much better than others. Why? Because they have a great employer brand. 

• What is this? The employer brand is your reputation as an employer, and what your current and past employees think about you and your organization.

Your employer branding will determine how easy or difficult it is going to be to get the staff you need and retain great people. 

The good news is that there are ways you can increase it so that you can thrive in this staffing war that is happening in our industry. That’s what we’ll review in this blog post.

The Importance of the Employer Brand

People that are looking for a job tend to ask their friends about where they work. 

During a job interview, interviewers often ask about the candidate’s previous job, what they liked and dislike about working there, and why they leave. 

As a matter of fact, in almost every...

What a year it has been! Yes, the last three years were significantly difficult for the industry, but 2022 definitely earned its name as “a comeback kid”. 

• While there were lots of challenges, it also taught us that the franchising world can overcome a lot. And that, when the opportunities are right and available, we can really maximize those possibilities.

Let’s review the aspects that marked this past year, between the positive things, the most impactful, and the learnings that all these events taught us to prepare ourselves and our organizations for 2023.

The good…

The last 12 months were amazing for the growth of many brands across industries, especially those that had the systems and the infrastructure ready to combat the problems and take advantage of the opportunities. 

A lot of this explosive growth in 2022 was fueled by the fact that, early in the year, there was a low cost of capital for franchise developers. The scenario...