Franchise Development Leaders: Frank Fiume, Founder and Chairman of i9 Sports

Growing up, Frank Fiume was a baseball fanatic. After attending college and beginning a career as a medical equipment sales rep, Fiume knew it wasn’t meant for him and decided to follow his passion instead. Tapping into his love of baseball, an idea sparked and led him to create his own adult men’s softball league–ABA Sports. The start-up company grew quickly to over 900 teams in just six years. In 2003, Fiume sold ABA to create i9 Sports–a youth sports league complete with over 2million youth participants in 30 states–all sharing their love of the game. 

1851 caught up with Fiume to learn more about i9 Sports and the franchise’s ongoing growth efforts. 

1851: Tell us about yourself and your company.

Fiume: I am the founder and chairman of i9 Sports, the nation’s first and largest youth sports league franchise organization. Since 2003, i9 Sports has registered over 2 million kids to play in our flag football, soccer, basketball, t-ball, lacrosse, and volleyball leagues in 900+ locations across 30 states.

1851: How did you first get into franchising? 

Fiume: After growing my first business, ABA Sports, on Long Island to nearly 1,000 teams, I began operating youth flag football leagues in the late ’90s after my wife and I relocated to the Tampa Bay area. I knew we were on to something big since we’d been successful operating adult and youth sports in two states. My vision was to create the largest amateur sports franchise in the country, giving kids an opportunity to play in programs that were fun, safe and convenient. After attending franchise industry trade shows and doing a lot of research, I hired iFranchise Group in late 2001 to help me develop my franchise concept based off of what I successfully accomplished in New York and Florida. Two years later, we officially became a franchisor. The concept caught fire nationwide almost immediately. It was very exciting! 

1851: What do you love about the industry? 

Fiume: I love that I have been able to share my passion for sports with others through franchising. It’s an incredible way to scale a business by tapping into other highly motivated entrepreneurs who share the same desire to succeed. Regarding youth sports specifically, I love that we get to make a lasting impression on the lives of millions of kids across the nation. Through i9 Sports, we have revolutionized youth sports for kids age 3 and up by replacing a high-pressure, adult-centric model with a child-centric model that puts fun first. It’s amazing to be able to give franchisees a way to make a living doing something they are passionate about while also making a difference in the lives of children and their community.

1851: What do you wish that you could change about the industry? 

Fiume: I wish franchise candidates had greater access to financing for low-cost, home-based concepts. We see a lot of people who would be ideal franchise owners who simply cannot access the capital to start the business because financial institutions aren’t interested in extending small loans. There is also a concerning trend toward more state-specific regulation of the franchising model, which is blurring the lines between the franchisor and its franchisees as independent business owners. Some of the new regulations risk unhinging the whole benefit of franchising.  

1851: What is the biggest challenge franchisors are currently facing in franchise development and what are you doing to overcome it? 

Fiume: The sheer number of new, largely unproven concepts that have flooded the marketplace. With well over 4,000 concepts now competing for the same pool of candidates, the “noise level” has risen dramatically. To overcome the noise, a brand must be brilliant at the basics, such as strong unit level economics (which are the underpinning of great validation); immediate and thorough follow-up by franchise development team members; and a high level of ongoing support for existing franchise owners. We work really hard to deliver and continually improve in each of these areas. Beyond addressing the basics, it really helps to have a concept like i9 Sports that provides meaning and emotional fulfillment to franchisees. They love what we do!

1851: What do you think the biggest trend in franchise development will be in 2020?

Fiume: I see two things on the horizon that will positively affect franchise development. The first is a general improvement in people’s financial circumstances. Home equity is climbing and people’s investment portfolios have improved. This bodes well for franchising as an offset to the risk associated with starting any new business–especially in uncertain times. The second thing I see is the beginning of a shakeout of weak franchise concepts. Strong franchise concepts that meet the needs of both franchisees and their ultimate consumers will continue to grow while the underperforming, poorly ran concepts will simply go out of business. This will greatly reduce the noise in franchise development.

1851: What makes a great franchisee? 

Fiume: At i9 Sports, we’ve narrowed it down to what we call the “5 Key Success Behaviors”: Customer obsession, contagious enthusiasm, unflinching ownership, the ability to anticipate and simplify, and raving fan celebration. Sports experience isn’t required. Our most successful franchisees are those who have an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion to build a business of their own by following our formula to success. My experience has been that attitude and the will to succeed trump skill every time.

1851: What's the No. 1 thing that sells franchises?

Fiume: While solid financials and ROI are expected, the No. 1 thing that sells franchises today is a concept that personally resonates with the candidate. Franchise candidates are not only looking for a way to gain financial independence, but they also want to feel proud of what they do and find meaning in their work. At i9 Sports, we call it profit with a purpose.