The Global Franchise Podcast

Why choose multi-unit franchising in 2022?

Multi-Unit Month is back, and that means four brand-new podcast episodes dedicated to multi-unit franchising. Join us every Friday in May, when we’ll be speaking to many franchising experts and insiders – as well as multi-unit and multi-brand operators themselves – to learn why this form of franchise ownership is skyrocketing in popularity.  
According to FRANdata, over half of all franchise units in the U.S. are controlled by multi-unit operators. There are more than 43,000 of these kinds of operators in the market, and this figure has been rising steadily since multi-unit ownership came to the forefront in the 1980s.  
And while we’d commonly associate a broad, multi-unit portfolio with the QSR segment, the fact is that multi-unit and multi-brand ownership can be found across the board. It’s true that 81.96 per cent of QSR units fall under multi-unit ownership, but 71.5 per cent of beauty-focused brands also come under this umbrella. Just over half of all clothing and accessory locations are part of a multi-unit portfolio, too. 
To learn more about multi-unit franchising and the strategies involved, we spoke with Matthew Haller, president and CEO of the IFA, Bill Edwards, founder of Edwards Global Services, and Michael Cullom, director at Moss Adams. If you’re looking to broaden your own franchise portfolio or embark upon expansive growth for the first time, then tune in to learn from the experts.  
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Multi-Unit Month is brought to you by The DS Group, a multi-unit and multi-brand franchise group that prides itself on operational excellence, speed of service, and the growth of its people within the hospitality space. 

Why timing is everything for the growth of CBD franchising, with Jay Benge of Your CBD Store

The CBD retail craze shows no signs of stopping, with this new health wave taking markets around the world by storm. Even in countries like the U.K., where the sale of recreational or medicinal cannabis is illegal, that hasn’t stopped CBD retailers from selling a wide variety of products infused with oils often found in hemp.  
One such organization making its mark in this emerging sector is Your CBD Store, the retail franchising arm of SUNMED. Founded in Florida in 2018, Your CBD Store now has more than 500 locations across 39 states in the U.S., as well as a burgeoning U.K. footprint.  
But what’s the difference between the likes of a cannabis dispensary franchisor, and the kind of operation run by Your CBD Store? And what kind of franchisee would make a good fit for this bold new venture? To answer these questions and many more, we sat down with Jay Benge, president of Your CBD Store. 
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Why cannabis franchising is looking greener than ever in 2022, with Mike Weinberger of Unity Rd. & Andrew Bowden of Item 9 Labs Corp.

We’ve touched on cannabis franchising on the podcast before, and have actually had one of this episode’s guests join us previously. Mike Weinberger, chief franchise officer for Unity Rd., came on the podcast back in June 2020 to talk about the opportunities present within this nascent industry. He touched on the challenges created by federal laws but was hopeful that the brand’s exponential growth would see it continue to attract experienced, savvy investors.  
Well, since that episode, Unity Rd. has been purchased by Item 9 Labs Corp., a vertically integrated dispensary franchisor. This time around, Mike joins us alongside Andrew Bowden, CEO of Item 9 Labs Corp, to catch up on where this emerging industry now finds itself. Has federal legalization inched closer, or do the same challenges and roadblocks still prohibit the kind of growth you’d expect with a more traditional franchise industry? Let’s find out. 
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How lifestyle franchising is making a difference, with Hansel Lynn of theCoderSchool

While franchising is certainly a popular way of creating personal wealth, some entrepreneurs see the business model as a way of giving back much more than just financial returns. This is certainly the case for Hansel Lynn, CEO and founder of theCoderSchool, who uses his lifestyle franchise as a way to pursue a rewarding career.  
Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Silicon Valley, theCoderSchool combines a small teaching ratio with an individualized immersion-style to help kids learn to code. And considering that coding will be the foundation for many of tomorrow’s most in-demand roles, franchises like this one are becoming increasingly popular with tech-savvy parents. 
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Why franchisee satisfaction should be your North Star, with John Teza of Hand & Stone

Spa franchises are an increasingly prominent segment of the international market, as customers demand more when it comes to their sense of cleanliness and wellbeing. Despite this industry seemingly being one of the first you’d need to shut down during a pandemic where close contact is mandated, brands like Hand & Stone managed to continue growing during the past two years, and show no sign of stopping.  
To learn more about the resilience and demand for this intimate industry, we caught up with John Teza, CEO of Hand & Stone. John occupied the role of CEO last August after serving as the brand’s president and chief development officer, and he’s also served on the board of trustees at the International Franchise Association for over seven years.  
Suffice to say that John knows a thing or two when it comes to successful franchising, so we wanted to learn more about the growth of Hand & Stone, the current position of the spa segment in the market, and why over half of the brand’s new franchising deals come from within its existing network.  
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How membership programs drive franchise growth, with Amy Phillips of Altitude Trampoline Parks

Membership programs are a valuable marketing and retention tool for all kinds of businesses, but it requires the right kind of experience and strategy to ensure that these are fully optimized. You need to understand what your customers want out of your brand and package this up for them in an affordable, attractive bundle.  
This is something that Amy Phillips, president and chief marketing officer for Altitude Trampoline Parks, knows all too well. Amy joined Altitude back in 2020 and quickly rose through the ranks. Over the past year, she’s managed to introduce a membership program to the family entertainment franchise that has seen a double-digit sales increase at participating locations.  
On this episode of the Global Franchise Podcast, we wanted to catch up with Amy to learn more about her methodology behind this program. Tune in to learn whether there are certain industries that this kind of program wouldn’t work for, as well as the perfect timing to introduce such a scheme. 
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How to harness first-party franchise data, with Andrew Steele of LighthousePE

Data is an essential part of a brand’s growth, which we’ve covered extensively on the podcast and throughout previous issues of Global Franchise magazine. With it becoming increasingly challenging to harness third-party data, however, franchises need to start looking inward. For example, more than 75 per cent of iOS users around the world have rejected app tracking since the release of Apple’s iOS 14.5.  
First-party data has historically been viewed as an expensive area to tread into, which has caused some smaller organizations to forgo this invaluable source of customer activity. With companies like LighthousePE now working alongside franchises big and small, however, the possibilities are beginning to broaden.  
But what is first-party data, and how can it be used for brand growth? To answer these questions and many more, we caught up with LighthousePE’s CEO, Andrew Steele. 
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From a parking lot workout to a cohesive fitness community, with Morgan and Devan Kline of Burn Boot Camp

Devan and Morgan Kline first conceptualized the idea of Burn Boot Camp back in a gym parking lot in 2012. In the 10 years since, the fitness-focused husband-and-wife duo have grown this inclusive franchise network to over 300 sites, with ambitious plans to hit 500 by the year 2023.  
But the fitness landscape certainly isn’t the same today as it was a decade ago, neither is the franchising model approached in quite the same way.  
We wanted to sit down with Devan and Morgan to learn about their journey in growing Burn Boot Camp, the evolutions that they’ve experienced throughout their journey, and what they believe the future holds for class-based workout brands. 
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This episode of the Global Franchise Podcast is brought to you by Neighborly, the leader in home services franchising. Neighborly is the world's largest home services franchisor with 29 brands and nearly 5,000 franchises collectively serving more than 10 million customers in nine countries; with opportunities focused on repairing, maintaining, and enhancing homes and businesses.
Visit https://franchise.neighborlybrands.com to learn more about the group’s franchise opportunities.