Good leadership is a hard quality to define, but we know it when we see it.

Sometimes we recognize leadership through the excellence of a long-term game plan or by smooth franchise relations. At other times, leadership can be demonstrated by the willingness to make a sacrifice, respond to a challenge, or venture into uncharted waters. Leadership is that rare blend of tangible and intangible qualities that make others want to follow in their path.

But what exactly does it take to thrive as a CEO—especially within the franchise industry? As the only independent market research firm that specializes in benchmarking franchisee satisfaction, that’s exactly what Franchise Business Review set out to discover.

Since 2006, Franchise Business Review has been recognizing excellence in franchising with the FBR50 Awards, which have long been considered the gold standard in franchisee satisfaction. Every year, Franchise Business Review surveys thousands of franchisees representing hundreds of franchise brands. Each review provides a unique look at some of today’s top franchises, giving insight into how current franchise owners rate their brand in several categories, including support, franchisee-franchisor relations, franchise operations, financial opportunity, leadership and more.

“Franchisee satisfaction is a primary indicator of long-terms system growth and success in measuring the health of any franchise system. When your franchisees are happy and engaged, their businesses are more likely to be successful and they validate well—two things that benefit your bottom line,” said Michelle Rowan, the president and chief operating officer of Franchise Business Review.

This year, Franchise Business Review is diving even deeper into the results from its survey to shine a light on one of the most important driving factors behind every brand—its leadership. For the first time ever, Franchise Business Review will publish a Top CEOs in Franchising feature. Each CEO will be selected based on leadership scores from the franchisee satisfaction survey.

“High franchisee satisfaction is attainable for almost any franchise that is committed to making it a priority. And oftentimes, this has to first come from the top. Which is why, this year, we’re taking the results from our franchisee satisfaction survey and specifically analyzing the leadership section. The end result is a comprehensive list of some of the top CEOs in franchising,” Rowan said.

To be considered in the rankings, brands can register online for free. Franchise Business Review will be collecting data through June 1, 2017.

Then, keep your eyes on 1851 Franchise in early July as we feature exclusive interviews with Franchise Business Review’s top 10 CEOs in the industry.

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Nick Powills

About the Author

Nick Powills

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Nick Powills, CFE, founded No Limit Agency in 2008 and serves as Chief Brand Strategist for the Chicago-based firm. No Limit is a full-service communications agency that establishes and elevates brands by bridging Public Relations, Social Media, Marketing, Advertising, Digital, and a lot of creativity, to best strategize well-rounded and successful campaigns for 50+ global franchise brands. By presenting visionary ideas and building real relationships, No Limit is able to create effective media branding strategies to help companies grow. Nick 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. Prior to starting No Limit at the age of 27, Nick spent four years working at a franchise PR agency where he mastered the art of building rapport with media outlets and creating newsworthy pitches for earned media placements. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Drake University in Iowa.