(Part 1 of the 2022 Multi-Unit Franchising Conference)

Either if you are new to our blog, or a current reader, you must know that as the founder of The American Franchise Academy it is my mission to share knowledge, tips, best practices, and information to help you be successful in your business. With this in mind, in this blog post and within the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing some insights from the 2022 Multi-Unit Franchising Conference, which happened from March 29 to April 1st. 

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to view the complete video series on the 2022 Multi-Unit Franchising Conference!

I did this last year and we got great feedback from our followers and clients, so I’m repeating the formula once again because this year's conference was amazing. It was full of great best practices, knowledge, information, and inspiration from highly successful multi-unit franchisees.

The best part: even if you didn’t attend (which I strongly recommend you do in...

Every franchise brand has a list of its top-performing franchisees. Sadly, this elite group represents only 1% of their total units. That means that 99% of the franchisees don’t know how to make the best out of their franchises so that they too can be so successful that they even win awards and recognition at their brand’s annual conference.

What do those top-performing franchisees have in common? What are the mysterious things they do to be so successful? Throughout my +30 years of experience in the franchise sector, working with global SMB 500 brands, master franchisees around the world, and collaborating directly with CEOs, I have identified that this 1% of franchisees have four things in common. But don’t worry, you also can work on these qualities to become part of this group.

1. Be a multi-unit franchisee

The majority of the top-performing franchisees are multi-unit and they do the enterprise management the right way. Why is that? Because when you...

One of the things that multi-unit growing organizations require is to have properly trained and skillful district managers. This position is critical for the success of the company but, as I have explained in a previous blog post, it is also the most difficult one in the retail and franchise industries. 

To add to that, there’s very little clarity of what this role does and it is the one with the least amount of training and support.

Perhaps because of the investment companies have to make to train the people in that position, not only in terms of money but also in time. But believe me, if this investment is not done, it can cost you greatly.

Why should you train your district managers? 

What makes these leaders so crucial for your organization? There are several reasons.

The first one is that people that are promoted to this position don't naturally know what to do or how to execute the job correctly. That’s because their previous leadership position,...

(Part 4 of the District Manager Responsibilities series) 

In a multi-unit franchise organization, the district manager’s job is quite complex because the several units they oversee are very different from each other. Even though they are all from a single franchise brand, each acts as a business on its own, with its people, teams, needs, goals, and challenges.

To respond to this complexity these leaders have to develop a set of skills to be successful. In this blog post, we’ll review the abilities they should have regarding the task of execution, which is the fourth critical responsibility of a district manager.

Don’t miss the whole District Manager’s video series to learn what are the 7 core responsibilities these leaders must fulfill and how we can help them. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to view our live sessions!

Executing a franchise business model correctly, with all the business and brand systems, in all of the units, and with a high...

 (Part 3 of the District Manager Responsibilities series) 

Although the district manager role is the most difficult one in the retail and franchise industry, it is also the least formally trained. Yet, training is necessary so that these leaders can develop certain skills and abilities to solve the various challenges, situations, and problems they face in their day-to-day operations.

As we have reviewed in the past weeks as part of our district managers series, this position has seven key responsibilities they need to fulfill so that they can be successful, reach their district goals, and, in turn, help your business thrive. In this blog post, we’ll dig into the third responsibility: staff.  

Don’t miss the whole District Manager’s video series to learn what are the 7 core responsibilities these leaders must fulfill and how we can help them. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to view our live sessions!

First, I have to clarify that the district...

 (Part 2 of the District Manager Responsibilities series)

Most district managers were unit managers before scaling in the organization. That means that they used to have total control of what happened within their stores and their job was dictated by the day to the needs of the operations.

But once they become district managers, they realize why this is the most difficult position in the retail industry. What’s even more challenging: their previous role as a unit manager does not necessarily prepare them to be a multi-unit leader. 

In a past blog post, we reviewed some of the challenges that district managers face when it comes to leading the team. As part of the district manager’s series, we’ll learn about the second core responsibility they must master: planning.

Don’t miss the whole District Manager’s video series to learn what are the 7 core responsibilities these leaders must fulfill and how we can help them. Subscribe to our YouTube...

(Part 1 of the District Manager Responsibilities series)

District managers are one of the most critical positions for growing franchises, but there’s a huge vacancy for this position. Why? As I explained in a previous blog post, the District Manager job is the most difficult one in the retail industry. 

Just to mention a few of the challenges this position face, there is the traveling distance between the units they have to oversee, the complexity of the business is multiplied, the great number of people they have to manage, and dealing with each unit's particular situation to produce the best results.

Another thing that adds pressure to the role is that when the person takes on this job, they acquire completely different responsibilities that the person didn’t have in their prior position because it’s not the same thing to be a unit manager as being the leader of multiple locations. 

The first critical responsibility of a district manager is to lead the...

Did you know that each of your workers goes through an employee life cycle while working for your organization? Understanding what happens in every part of this process, and having systems to manage them, will make your responsibility a bit easier.

Besides, it will help you take care of our people and make sure that their experience working for you is positive. Which will translate into good employer branding and a better staff in the long run.

Make a note of the eight phases of the employee lifecycle. Analyze how well you manage them in your organization, and learn some tips to handle each stage.

1. Recruit

Whether you have an online process, an in-store one or you opt for a recruiter's professional service, future employees or candidates will look at the actions and activities you do to attract them. So be sure to have consistency and develop reliable resources to help you attract new talent for your organization.

Recruiting is critical, especially if you have a growing...

Going from one to two or more units it's a lot more challenging than people think. For you to be a successful multi-unit franchisee, you must become a power delegator, someone who can delegate the right way so that you can grow and achieve the business and personal goals that you desire.

What does it mean to be a power delegator? When you have a never-ending to-do list and multiple units, asking people to do things for you is pretty normal. But when you delegate and that task is done equal or better than if you did it yourself, that means you are a power delegator.

If you can accomplish this, your business will operate properly even when you are not there and your profitability will continue to go up. So, developing this skill must be on top of your goals as a multi-unit franchisee.

Here are the five steps you have to follow to become a power delegator.

Step 1: Define what you’ll delegate

I recently talked to somebody who wanted his people to effectively interview new...

Growing businesses and franchises are constantly looking for assistant managers, unit managers, and district managers who can properly oversee the organization. But sadly, not every crew member wants to become a leader. This is very frustrating for business owners, especially if employees have real potential.

Why is there this refusal to go up to the next level, even though there may be a desire for professional growth and self-improvement? And more importantly, what can you do about it to develop leaders in your organization?

In my 30+ years of experience working with a variety of big-name brands in the franchise industry, I've found five reasons employees don't want to take on leadership roles. But also, I came up with strategies you can implement to solve these struggles.

This is critical. Having the right leaders in place and developing them is a must if you want to achieve your time freedom and financial goals as a business owner.

Review these tips to develop your leadership...