1851 Growth Club: Selling Franchises, Growing Franchises, Building Franchises

The path to success in the franchise industry is paved with dedication, resilience, and a commitment to transparency and integrity. 1851 Growth Club (also referred to as “Growth Club”) is an organization that has emerged as a beacon of honesty and value in the franchising landscape to provide those dedicated entrepreneurs with the support they need to thrive.

Established to help both new and seasoned franchisees navigate the complex world of franchising, the story of Growth Club is an unconventional one. Nick Powills, CEO of Mainland* and the publisher of 1851franchise.com, had never considered the franchising world.

“It wasn't a predetermined path or a family business,” said Powills. “I fell in love with the industry once I began learning about franchise owners. These individuals, who invested their life savings into businesses they had little control over, intrigued me. I would interview them, always captivated by their stories and what they did before entering the franchise world. These entrepreneurs would invest; open their businesses; face challenges; and strategize on growth, scaling and eventually plan their exit. I was drawn to the public relations, storytelling, content creation and social media aspects of it.”

But as time went on, Powills realized that there was more to franchising than just that.

“The journey to where Growth Club stands today was a marathon, not a sprint,” he said. “Success in business, especially in franchising, is a long-term endeavor. Searching the web, I found a lack of best practices in franchising. No organization seemed to champion integrity, transparency and honesty. That's why we created 1851 Growth Club.”

Today, Powills has in-depth experience elevating brands by bridging public relations, social media, marketing, advertising, digital and a lot of creativity to best strategize well-rounded, successful campaigns for global franchise brands. By presenting visionary ideas and building real relationships, Mainland is able to create effective media branding strategies to help companies grow. Powills currently leads a staff of writers, media strategists, designers, social media experts and digital producers in an office think tank where brands are humanized for strong, compelling media stories.

Growth Club aims to provide transparency in how franchising works, including honest feedback for potential franchisees, emerging franchisors and broker networks.

“1851 Growth Club is inclusive, avoiding politics and exclusivity,” said Powills. “Our goal is to add value to the industry, the community, and future franchise operators who aim to build wealth or create meaningful experiences for their families.”

So, how does it actually work? Growth Club offers support to franchise candidates, brokers and franchisors through several tools and resources, including:

• Mainland, the full-service marketing firm
• 1851 Franchise, the content marketing platform
• Consultancy services
• Inventory database

For franchisees, Growth Club provides coaching without the mandate to buy. By focusing on just doing the right thing, the leadership team is able to guide prospects through the research process with their success front and center.

Franchisors can engage Growth Club to help qualify leads, take on fractional sales and marketing roles, and generate and manage leads through the entire process. With a clear “Why You/Why Now?,” franchisors can rest assured that Growth Club is working toward the perfect match — not just a big payout.

Brokers, consultants and coaches can also use Growth Club as an exposure resource to help scale their own businesses even more quickly. As a development resource for 100 franchise brands, 1851 can provide connections, but the support doesn’t stop there. Growth Club supports brokers in building a funnel with the help of websites, content marketing, public relations and digital engagement for maximized reach.

All members of Growth Club pay exactly $20K. Half of this fee is paid by the franchisee, and the other half is paid by the franchisor. Everyone who joins Growth Club is also free to explore other broker networks as well; they are not trapped in an exclusive partnership.

“We acknowledge that this unique model may not be right for everyone,” said Powills. “Being successful in franchising is not a sprint, but a marathon. How to successfully grow, scale and exit starts with having the right plan and having a partner who can explain how to best leverage broker networks and other resources throughout your franchising journey. Growth Club welcomes those committed to transparency, integrity and honesty in franchising. We are grateful to everyone who is part of this journey.”

Learn more here.