Dear Frannie

In this episode of Dear Frannie, Katherine and James tackle one of the most overlooked questions in franchise growth: At what point do resales become part of the operating model rather than a one-off scramble?

My franchisees are always frustrated and fixing it fast usually makes it worse. Katherine & James break down the real cause of franchisee tension and how to actually fix it without blowing up trust.

The conversation also tackles why growth stalls in franchise systems, how to tell whether the problem is marketing or operations, and which KPIs franchise leaders should watch to diagnose issues early. Katherine and James explain why alignment between marketing and operations is critical to sustainable franchise growth.

We answer a Dear Frannie question from a franchise company: "We’re thinking about engaging experienced franchisees to train new franchisees and/or developing a mentoring or coaching program. What are some pros and cons to this?"

We answer a Dear Frannie question from a franchise company: "We’re thinking about engaging experienced franchisees to train new franchisees and/or developing a mentoring or coaching program. What are some pros and cons to this?"

We answer a Dear Frannie question about new franchisors moving from the business owner/operator role into the 'franchisor' role and tips for making this a smooth transition.

We kick off the episode with what everyone is reading, and then we answer a Dear Frannie question about how to measure the success of your marketing campaigns and programs.

We kick off the episode with what everyone is reading, and then we answer a Dear Frannie question about how to create more alignment and better communication between your franchise development and operations teams.

We kick off the episode with what everyone is reading, and then we answer a question about how to get your marketing team and franchise development team aligned and working together.

We kick off the episode with what everyone is reading, and then we answer a question about how involved the home office team should be in getting your franchisees funded.

We dive into our Dear Frannie question about how to increase current franchisee buy-in if you're struggling with culture fit with your owners.

We answer a question about how to navigate when franchisees are no longer following the systems, processes, and marketing programs from their initial training.

Flexibility got you here. But at some point, inconsistency starts costing you. Katherine & James break down what to standardize, when to do it, and what should stay flexible as your system scales.

The conversation focuses on how franchise leaders can tell the difference between meaningful system-wide feedback and individual noise — and how clear communication, structure, and direct franchisee engagement help build trust and alignment across the system.

a spirited debate between Katherine LeBlanc and James Vitrano on the role of ad funds in growing franchise systems. They then tackle a Dear Frannie question that catches many brands off guard: why does scaling from 30–75 locations feel more difficult than early growth?

We answer a Dear Frannie question from a franchise company: "What considerations should we keep in mind to ensure our technology can scale with future growth? How can we build a tech stack that supports both current and future business needs with limited resources?"

We answer a Dear Frannie question from a company that is revamping their franchise training materials and want to know how others standardize their processes while accommodating various learning preferences and varying levels of prior experience?

We begin the episode with our franchise hot takes, and then we answer a Dear Frannie question about how to take a step back as a franchise founder, while still maintaining the valuable relationships with your franchisees.

We begin the episode with our franchise hot takes, and then we answer a Dear Frannie question about how to source and vet the right vendor partners for your brand and stage of growth.

 We kick off the episode with everyone's hot takes, and then we answer a Dear Frannie question about how to overcome rough franchise renewals and make the experience smoother overall.

We kick off the episode with everyone's hot takes, and then we answer a question about how to stay relevant to franchise prospects after the initial emerging brand stage.

We kick off the episode with some hot takes, and then we answer a question about what to expect from your PR team, how to measure results, and more.

We're joined by Nancy Bigley of The Little Gym International and Snapology, and Don Varady, Co-Founder & CEO of Clean Eatz to answer your questions

We kick off the episode with some hot takes, and then we answer a question about how to increase franchisee fees and manage the tough conversations that can come from that process!