Young Ones: Eric Dinger

Name: Eric Dinger Rank: 24 Age: 31 Company: Thought District, creative strategists for franchises

Before finding his way into the franchise arena, Eric Dinger, the founder of Thought District, had one of the most important skill sets covered to earn success in the tightly-connected franchising community: true entrepreneurship. Scared is not a word that exists in Dinger’s vocabulary. Opportunity does. The 31-year-old has earned his success by constantly creating results and opportunity. That combination has led his clients to validate his brand. Validation, he says, is a critical part of success. I GOT INTO FRANCHISING BY: In 2008 we began working with a start-up named Complete Nutrition. At the time they owned 6 corporate stores and were looking to expand through franchising. They did so quite rapidly and we soaked in all we could. Many of your readers are a part of, or remember being part of a quickly growing system. It's a spirited, passion-filled, "Wild West" of a time and our company thrived under that pressure. Soon after beginning to work with Complete Nutrition, we added another of our partner brands, Hobbytown. Unlike Complete Nutrition, Hobbytown had been around for over thirty years and looked to us to inject freshness and new ideas into their brand and marketing. Our company has grown quickly from there. It's been a simple model; do a good job, make the client money and they'll tell people your story for you. In 2010 we attended our first IFA Conference and have jumped head-long into helping additional franchises since. I LOVE FRANCHISING: Our company is defined by its entrepreneurial culture. Great franchises, by my estimation, find a way to keep that feeling alive. The spirit of helping franchisees get into business for themselves and the belief that accompanies their individual plans for growth is infectious. Franchising, as a model, offers companies the ability to scale with pace. With pace comes pressure to measure and perform and we like that. IN THE FUTURE: The Thought District team has a lot to offer the franchise community in terms of new, creative thinking and technology-fueled campaigns. We can be a great resource to marketers strapped with the burden of understanding the constantly evolving digital space. But, we know we've got to earn trust in this space. To do that, we've got to pay our dues. Being active in the IFA, listening, and building case after case of client success is the only way to end up where we need to be. DO YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE OPPORTUNITY:  As a young leader myself, I struggle with this question. Franchising, like almost everything else I've come across, seems to be what you make of it, whether young or old. One of our fastest growing franchise partners, Complete Nutrition, is run by Ryan Zink, who is in his early thirties. Five Star Franchising, a group to watch, is run by Scott Abbott, who is in his early thirties. There are dozens of examples. Ideas like intern programs, reverse mentoring, daily huddles and learning journeys are effective ways to engage the next generation of employees. I think franchises, franchisees and suppliers can inject new energy into their businesses and evolve their thinking if they give young people a chance. But, those same young people have the responsibility to make things happen for themselves. FUTURE FRANCHISORS SHOULD: Make sure your franchisees are making money. FUTURE FRANCHISEES SHOULD:  Listen and commit to the system before you make your tweaks.  Oh, and don't complain about the ad fund. --NICK POWILLS