“What we're finding is with any small business, whether you're going it on your own or you're a part of a franchise system, experience in sales is going to be a huge impact on your business. That's not something you have to maybe come in with experience, but maybe you're open to learning more about it—you’re not afraid to get out there and introduce yourself. And the other component is those that do reach out to us, do have frequent communication. We find that those that really get involved in the franchise system, thrive because they're bouncing ideas, sharing wins, and learning from others in the network.”

“For us, franchising was a model we felt confident we could reproduce easily. We didn’t have to be in the day-to-day of every corporate unit. We could take what we knew, teach others to be successful in their market, and partner with them. Franchising made more sense than trying to own and operate every location directly, especially in a service-based business with the right systems.”

“I started just doing admin roles, part-time, really just helping out where I could. As the business grew, my role changed—from admin to tech support, training, even legal and accounting. For a long time, it was just the founders and me providing support for our franchisees. That’s where I learned every aspect of the company, which prepared me to step in as CEO.”

“Full transparency, I’m still navigating. The founders and the ownership structure really molded me along the way, so I had a solid knowledge base. But there’s so much to learn about managing people, setting meetings, keeping a pulse on every part of the company. I leaned into reading, listening to other leaders, and meeting with other franchise CEOs to gain new perspectives.”

“What helped us is building out the support structure, especially in the past couple of years. We doubled our support staff, added business coaching, and improved onboarding and training. Since then, franchisees have grown their businesses faster and feel better supported. Having that infrastructure means we’re there for them, even as we scale.”

“We started asking, how can we use AI to streamline our processes or make things more efficient—especially for developing templates and documentation for franchisees. Some franchisees use it on their sites. But we are cautious with safety components; OSHA and industry standards are critical in our work. We want to make sure we remain in control and ensure everyone stays safe. There’s future potential, but we’re moving carefully.”

“We see less success with franchisees who take the name and the brand, which is definitely recognized, but then try to reinvent the wheel or go off on their own. It’s the ones who follow the system, stay in touch, and use the resources who thrive most.”