Franchise Development Players: Walter Ewell | Mosquito Joe

Walter Ewell, Vice President of Franchise Development at Mosquito Joe*, has extensive experience growing franchises and has worked with a number of industry-leading brands. A few years after Ewell joined the team in 2012, Entrepreneur Magazine named Mosquito Joe a Franchise 500 company in just its first year of franchising.

1851 Franchise caught up with Ewell to ask him a few questions about his history in the industry and his thoughts on its future.

How did you fall into franchising?

Over 40 years ago, Lloyd Tarbutton, co-founder of Econo Lodges and International Franchise Association Hall of Fame Inductee, told me I was a born franchising entrepreneur. I began my career developing franchise plans for Econo Lodges of America and consulting for hotel franchises, including Super 8, Radisson, Omni and others.

What makes you love franchising?

I mostly enjoy the franchise development part of franchising and experiencing the excitement of seeing the franchisors and their franchisees develop and grow into highly successful franchise systems, like Mosquito Joe.

What do you wish would change in franchising?

I would change the approval process for registration states that require filing of the Franchise Disclosure Document to insure a more timely response.

What makes a great franchisee?

Commitment to following the system and maintaining a close relationship with the franchisor’s support team and their franchisee community. Focus on marketing and building the brand awareness in the market they serve and insure customer satisfaction.

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

The No. 1 franchise sales magnet to sell franchises is a powerful brand and a dynamic marketing strategy.

What attracted you to the Mosquito Joe brand?

I was already a customer and knew there would be a huge market opportunity for the MoJo brand.  Plus, the opportunity to work with Kevin Wilson, our CEO.