In the city of Franchisopolis, every building represents a franchise brand. The concrete and steel give each brand its foundational strength. It’s the people inside: your franchise partners, your early adopters, your co-builders, who ensure your building stays strong and grows.
And just like any building, what matters most is what happens after the ribbon-cutting. The systems that keep the whole structure functional long-term, and the relationships that encourage people to want to stay.
Support and Engagement: The Infrastructure Troubled Franchisors Undervalue
Too often, franchisors think of franchisee support as an optional feature, something that kicks in once royalty checks are flowing. But let’s be clear: support is not a cost center. It’s a growth engine. And when done right, it’s the key reason your franchisees stick around, perform consistently, and validate your brand to future candidates.
That’s why Chapter 8 of my upcoming book detailing the Franchisability Scorecard™ focuses on franchisee support and engagement systems. These systems are not as “nice to haves” but as Scalability Pillars that make or break your ability to grow past 30 units.
Here’s the hard truth: if your franchisees don’t feel supported, heard, and equipped, they won’t thrive. And neither will you.
The Three Scalability Pillars of Support and Engagement
Let’s walk through the three pillars that every franchisor, emerging or established, needs to get right if they want to build a brand that lasts.
- Onboarding & Training Systems
Franchisees don’t buy businesses in a box, they buy a launchpad for their legacy business. That launchpad starts with your onboarding and training system.
Do you have a clearly documented path from signed agreement to soft opening to grand opening? Does it speak to different roles, owners, managers, frontline staff, or is it one-size-fits-none? Are you measuring comprehension and application, or just checking boxes?
Franchisability Insight: Structured onboarding reduces first-year failure rates by 40% and improves time-to-profitability by 30%IFA Franchise Education Report, 2022.
The goal? Help your partners think like owners, not just system operators. Because a 300-page manual isn’t a mentor. A checklist doesn’t instill confidence.
- Ongoing Support
The franchising graveyard is filled with brands that believed early success meant they could scale without evolving their support.
Franchisees need more than a hotline; they need a trusted guide. Someone who understands performance metrics, sees the red flags, and has a structured cadence of edifying conversations.
Case Study: A boutique fitness brand implemented performance coaches, one for every 10 units. With clear playbooks and regular check-ins, they saw a 22% increase in unit profitability and a sharp rise in franchisee satisfaction within 18 months.
Coaching isn’t fluff. It’s how you future-proof your franchise model.
- Franchisee Engagement & Communication
You can have great training and consistent support, but if your franchisees don’t feel seen or heard, you’re heading toward disengagement, and eventually, defection.
Stat: Brands with constructive engagement practices see 2.4x higher per-unit royalty revenue than those with disengaged networks【Franchise Business Review, 2021】.
Engagement isn’t about cupcakes and Christmas cards. It’s about whether franchisees feel safe raising concerns before they become legal disputes. It’s about clear updates that explain the “why,” not just the “what.” It’s about trust, built through consistent, two-way communication.
Ultimately, engagement is understanding that individual unit success drives long-term franchisor success.
Franchisor Mindset Traps That Stall Growth
Throughout Chapter 8, I detail the most common mindset traps that derail franchisor growth:
- “They bought a system. That should be enough.”
→ No. They bought a partnership. The system defines how the building operates. - “I’ll support them when they ask for help.”
→ No. Silence usually signals confusion or fear, not confidence. - “I can’t afford a support team yet.”
→ No. Poor support is what you really can’t afford. Trusted third-party coaches and authentic relationships bridge the gap until in-house staffing is an option. - “Quarterly check-ins are enough.”
→ No. That cadence may work for vendors, not franchise partners. - “Engagement means making everyone happy.”
→ No. Engagement means alignment with the long-term vision, especially when it’s uncomfortable.
If you’ve said any of these to yourself (or heard them from your team), you’re not alone. But you are at a turning point. Support and engagement are not scalable when left to charisma. They only scale when built into your brand.
Introducing the Franchisability Scorecard™
The Franchisability Scorecard™ is the diagnostic and roadmap emerging and evolving franchisors may not know they needed. Whether you’re just starting out, stuck at 20 units, or managing national expansion, it helps you identify where the bottlenecks live in your infrastructure.
Each chapter unpacks a specific set of Scalability Pillars separating brands that plateau from brands that multiply and succeed.
And Chapter 8 makes one thing clear: support isn’t a reactive department; it’s a proactive strategy.
Because in this business, franchisees don’t leave because your system is broken. They leave because no one noticed they were struggling in silence.
Jumpstart Your Growth Before the Book Drops
The book is still in development, but the principles are already changing the way brands think about scale.
If you’re an independent business owner preparing to franchise, an emerging franchisor trying to break the 20-unit ceiling, or an established franchisor feeling stalled, this conversation is your early access pass.
Because success doesn’t come from having more units. It comes from serving the ones you already have, better.
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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.