By Luke Frey, Bella Vista Executive Advisors
According to the International Franchise Association, 80% of franchisors will not reach 50 units in their first 10 years. That statistic isn’t just sobering, it’s revealing, and the cause for many of the ill-will in franchising.
In most cases, the problem isn’t the product. It’s not the location, the brand, or even the support systems. It’s the founder’s mindset.
Franchising a successful business is not the same as scaling one. It’s not an extension of the core business. It’s the launch of a second business. This second business has a new audience, new competitors, new systems, and a new identity for the founder. Yet most new franchisors approach growth with the same habits and assumptions that made them successful entrepreneurs. That’s where the breakdown begins.
At Bella Vista Executive Advisors, we’ve seen this pattern play out across industries: from personal services, home service brands, and QSRs to professional recruitment. And that’s exactly why we created the Franchise CEO Growth Framework: to help founders evolve from operator to architect, and to lead their brand with intention, not exhaustion and misdirection.
Our mission is bold: to flip that 80/20 failure rate on its head. The goal? 80% of our clients achieving 50 units sold within their first five years; with the right franchise partners for their brand. But that kind of growth doesn’t come from better legal documents, instructive operations manuals, or the world’s best franchise developers.
It starts with the leader’s transformation.
From Doing the Work to Leading the Work
Most founders start with a deep love for and knowledge of their craft. They build their business through hustle, consistency, and personal grit. That works, until it doesn’t.
As franchisors, they no longer sell a product or service. They’re selling a business opportunity. Their new audience isn’t the customer, it’s the future franchise partner. And the competition isn’t across the street. It’s the other many franchise concepts in the same investment range.
This requires a different set of priorities, a different brand voice, and most of all, a different sense of identity. We call this shift the Franchise CEO mindset, and it’s the foundational piece of the Scalability Pillars™, the 21-point framework we use to assess an independent business’ franchise readiness.
Leading with Clarity, Not Momentum
Franchise leadership starts with clarity about who you are, why you’re franchising, and how you define success.
Too many founders skip this work. They get an FDD and operations manual, maybe attend a franchise expo, and start selling territories before building the infrastructure that supports franchisee success. They react instead of strategize. They stretch themselves thin instead of multiplying their leadership through systems and support.
The Franchise CEO Growth Framework slows that process down, not to delay success, but to anchor it. It helps founders clarify their motivations, confront unscalable habits, and refocus their time and energy on high-leverage leadership. That clarity leads to consistent decisions, better-fit franchise partners, and stronger brand alignment.
Scaling Through Others, Not Around Them
One of the most important mindset shifts is moving from doing the work to scaling the opportunity. That means trusting others to deliver your brand experience, letting go of daily control, and redefining success around how others perform, not how you perform.
It’s not always comfortable. But it’s necessary.
Franchisors who make this shift early can lead with confidence, build supportive systems, and scale faster with less friction. They stop chasing growth and start designing it. They become leaders who attract leaders.
A New Kind of Framework for a New Kind of Franchisor
The Franchise CEO Growth Framework isn’t a traditional operating manual. It’s a leadership mirror. It invites new franchisors to evaluate where they are, reflect on where they’ve been, and decide who they want to become.
It asks better questions:
- Are you building a brand that serves you or one that depends on you?
- Are you clear on why you’re franchising and what kind of leader that requires?
- Are your current activities aligned with your long-term growth goals?
This isn’t a theoretical process. It’s the foundation of predictable scale.
Paired with the Franchisability Scorecard™ and Scalability Pillars™, the Franchise CEO Growth Framework becomes part of a proven, coaching-based model to help new and emerging franchisors grow with confidence, not chaos.
Final Thought
Franchise growth doesn’t start with your system. It starts with your mindset.
The founders who scale the furthest are the ones who first pause long enough to grow into the role they’re stepping into. That’s the difference between a good business and a great brand.
If you’re serious about building something that lasts, let’s have that conversation.
Luke Frey: Franchise Leadership Expert and Author
Luke Frey is a seasoned franchise strategist with over two decades of experience in leadership and business development. His journey from the front lines as a fire chief to the helm of his own successful franchise has equipped him with unique insights into the challenges and triumphs of franchise ownership. As the author of Your Guide to 90-Day Success: The Franchisee’s Strategy for Early Wins, Luke empowers franchisees to achieve early wins and sustainable growth by shortening the steep learning curve of business ownership.
Passionate about helping others succeed, Luke offers actionable strategies that blend practical business acumen with a deep understanding of human dynamics. Through his work, he’s committed to shaping the future of franchising, one successful business at a time.