Franchise Development Players: Georgia Chasen, Sylvan's Senior Director of Franchise Development

Sylvan Learning Franchise Senior Director of Franchise Development, Georgia Chasen, believes franchising solves problems for communities, and local entrepreneurs. Through her experience finding new potential franchisees she is able to help bring new services and jobs to communities.

How did you fall into franchising?

Sylvan recruited me! I came into Franchise Development to support Sylvan center resales and it gave me an opportunity to learn the business from every angle.

What makes you love franchising?

Franchising is about solving needs. The prospective franchisee needs a business that fits into their lifestyle and passion. The franchise business itself fills a need within the community. The franchisor anticipates the needs of the franchisee, and creates ongoing strategy and solutions. Buying into a company whose success depends on their franchisees’ success means they are always focused on driving growth for your business. I love seeing a new Sylvan franchisee come into the system and create a business in a green territory because they’re contributing to their community’s eco-system of social support and economic growth while also building a legacy business their kids can grow up in.

What do you wish would change in franchising?

I don’t like that there can be a negative perception around franchise sales. We educate our prospects to help them understand the opportunity, and then once they’re franchisees, provide a framework for their business and ongoing training and resources. There is transparency through the selection process for both franchisee candidate and franchisor, and our goal is to find a candidate who is a strong fit with our brand and culture.

What makes a great franchisee?

Someone willing to get out there and connect with people - the community, their clients, their staff. Our franchisees excel in leveraging their own skill sets and local knowledge while using the Sylvan platform.

What’s the No. 1 thing that sells franchisees?

It’s all about the people representing the brand. Your corporate team should be the incarnation of the brand’s energy - at Sylvan, we’re entrepreneurial, creative, hard-working and focused on making a difference at the end of the day. Our franchisees and corporate staff are the type of people you want to be around