Franchisor annual meetings, more often, are being pitched as “the ‘blockbuster’ meeting of the year” by many franchisors and, depending on the key goals of the meeting, that may be the right emphasis. That is, provided the franchisor’s and franchisees’ needs are being met.

Franchisors should pay close attention to their franchisees’ maturation. Data shows more than half currently have average tenures of about seven years and may be facing mid-life crises. In lifecycle terms, business years are like animal years, where one year is equivalent to several human years.

Fulfill your role as a leader: take responsibility, always show up, and seek wise counsel to speed up the growth of your business.

As your franchise matures, one of your greatest assets to new franchisees is a system of franchise veterans, who were once in their shoes and understand any challenges they may face, a trusted peer and extended family member they can turn to for support at any given moment. Easier said than done. Encouraging a system of nurturing support isn’t simple, but is often high on a prospective franchisee’s checklist of must-haves. To create this type of environment, you need to start by having the right people in place, supplying the leadership, vision and framework and creating opportunities for franchisee interaction.

A franchisor can spend a wealth of time and resources to make sure that a company is evolving and moving forward in an ever-changing marketplace. But, what good are the tools and support systems a franchisor works to provide if no one in the franchise system sees the inherent value in them and as a result, doesn’t use them? 

I’ve had the unique pleasure of watching a franchise system evolve over 25 years from both the franchisee and corporate executive stand point. Having watched various new tools and support systems being implemented over the years, I’ve found that a grassroots approach is most effective to gaining both acceptance and adoption of new tools and programs.

If you want your franchise business to be a rebel and a leader at the same time, don’t play by the rules.