I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Ricky Kalmon, host of the Leverage Your Mindset for Franchise Growth Podcast, to talk about what it really takes to build a franchise organization that lasts.
We covered a lot of ground. I shared how an eighth grade school paper on how to start a franchise company eventually became Signarama in 1986, and how that has grown into United Franchise Group: eight brands, 1,800 franchises, and more than 60 countries. I also talked about why we limit ourselves to three goals (franchisee success, UFG revenue, and UFG profit), and why our mission has always been built around one customer: our franchisee. When they’re successful, we’re successful.
A few of the lessons I talked about:
- Go all in. Your mindset won’t change if you have one foot in and one foot out.
- Embrace change. From navigating COVID to learning how to use AI, you have to keep evolving as a leader.
- Listen to the field. Some of our best ideas, like securing clear plexiglass at the start of the pandemic, came from franchise owners on the ground.
- Say yes. A last-minute request to emcee a leadership conference led to lunch with Jack Welch.
- Put relationships first. We may be a big company, but we run it like a small one, as a family business that’s in your corner and in it together.
We also talked about the Titus Center for Franchising at Palm Beach Atlantic University, my upcoming book, Game Changers, and what it means to build a legacy and not just a brand.
I’m grateful to Ricky for the great conversation. Watch the full episode here →