Franchise Development Players: Q&A with Jason Barclay, Managing Partner at BrandONE Franchise Development

BrandONE has made a name for themselves in the franchising world by working with a diverse roster of franchise clients to help gather and vet qualified franchisee leads. That singular focus on development has helped hundreds of emerging franchise concepts to flourish and made BrandONE one of the most sought-after vendors in the industry.

As a managing partner at BrandONE, Jason Barclay has worked with a number of franchise development teams and gleaned unique insight into the industry. Barclay talked to 1851 Franchise about how franchising allows franchisees to choose their own lifestyle and requires only a strong work ethic and some grit to succeed.

1851: How did you get into franchising?

Barclay: I majored in accounting and economics, and my first job after school was as an internal auditor and financial analyst for an automotive franchise. That introduced me to franchising, and from there I worked in the corporate office for a few different franchise brands before finding BrandONE.

1851: What do you love about franchising? 

Barclay: I love that it allows people to escape corporate American and own something for themselves. That can be hard to do, but by providing a model, franchising makes it easy. It’s not just about the business, franchising gives people the freedom to realize their own lifestyle.

1851: What do you wish would change in franchising?

Barclay: I wish that there was a way to guarantee the success of every franchisee. Obviously that’s impossible in any field, but I see how hard people work and how carefully they apply their brands’ models, and I wish there was an across-the-board assurance that each of them would find enormous success.

1851: What makes a great franchisee? 

Barclay: Work ethic and grit. That’s it. A good franchise system will provide a proven model, all the franchisee has to do is follow the plan. A great franchisee focuses their energy day in and day out on executing the model.

1851: What’s the most important thing that drives a prospective franchisee to sign up?

Barclay: It has to be the right fit. A prospective franchisee is going to look at what the brand has to offer in terms of support, stability, and projected ROI, and all of that has to align with the prospect’s own goals and requirements as an entrepreneur. Development teams should always emphasize what their brand has to offer in those terms.

Jason Barclay | LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-barclay-971465b/