FranDev Players: Brandon Wilson, Director of Franchise Development, FranDevCo

Franchising is a unique business, with a steep learning curve. If you’re new to the world, it can be daunting. 

That’s why emerging franchisors partner with development companies. They’re sort of like guides to the business. They help brands create a growth strategy, generate and recruit new franchisees, build outstanding support, training, infrastructure and more. These companies take the guesswork out of the franchising businesses, to allow franchisors scale up a business efficiently.

1851 spoke with Huntsville, Alabama-based Brandon Wilson, the development director at FranDevCo, about his role in helping companies grow and what successful brands do to spark growth for their brand. 

1851 Franchise: Tell us about your role within your organization. What are your specific responsibilities?

Brandon Wilson: I'm one of the development directors. So I work with a few of our brands that we're partnered with on the development side, working as their development arm. We work with candidates from the initial call all the way through signing of the franchise agreement. We work with the leadership teams of the brands that I represent.

1851: What brands do you work with?

Wilson: We work with Strickland Brothers 10-minute Oil Change, which is absolutely booming this year. We work with Anodyne Pain & Wellness Solutions, which is another up-and-coming brand. It offers non-opioid, non-surgical pain management. There’s Village Juice Co., which is a really interesting plant-based food concept with cold-pressed juices, organic food, quick-service restaurants. So, really cool concepts.

1851: What are the biggest hurdles to successful franchise growth right now?

Wilson: I think 2020 was the year of the pivot. A lot of brands are struggling to grow right now, and I think the primary challenge is that they failed to make the necessary adjustments to deal with 2020.

1851: What are some common mistakes you see brands make?

Wilson: I've seen a lot of brands that have just more or less settled for the status quo with the mindset of ‘Oh, well. COVID is going on, there's the pandemic and people aren't buying franchises.’ But that's absolutely not the case. With the brands that we work with, we've been fortunate to have ownership and leadership teams dedicated to growth and focused on operational components to keep everything running. They’re adjusting for any kind of changes that are necessary and they’re continuing to grow.

1851: In general, what is the key to consistent franchise growth?

Wilson: From my perspective, it’s a two-fold approach. First and foremost, there’s brand awareness — your storytelling. People have to be aware of your brand. They have to know what you're about, know the story. That goes beyond just good marketing and good PR. It’s about how you work your education process with candidates and how you walk them through the appropriate steps in the process to really understand the brand, the concept and the operating processes. 

The second key component really is the follow-through on the franchisor’s part. You can award units all day long, and that's perfectly fine, but if franchisors are not prepared to support the franchisees on the back-end and the franchisees don't launch or are not happy, you're not going to be able to continue to grow.

1851: How did you get into franchise development?

Wilson: Like a lot of people in franchise development, I didn’t seek out franchise development. I really had no idea that it was even a thing. So franchise development found me. I had a former neighbor who was the largest area rep for a service-based franchise brand in the southeast. He called me up out of the blue one day and asked me to come into his office, talk to him a little bit and just catch up. Well, he was looking for someone to help him recruit franchise owners in the southeast and help bring them on under him. He brought me on to do that, and then I just continued to work in different roles. Most recently, I came on with FranDevCo and continued to grow the scope of franchise development experience there. So it was completely by chance, but it’s provided countless opportunities that I’m absolutely grateful for. It's been a great run. 

1851: What do you like about this business?

Wilson: The rewarding part, and what really motivates me and keeps me doing this, is being able to look back at a franchise owner that I helped bring on and helped walk through the process. Then two years later, seeing the success that person has achieved. It's not selling cars or selling widgets. It’s really helping people change the trajectory of their future. 

1851: What are your biggest goals for 2021?

Wilson: On the professional side, it would be to continue to help the brands I work with expand their presence across the United States. I would really love to help Strickland Brothers grow to 200 locations, Anodyne to 75 locations and Village Juice to 25 locations. On the personal side, I'd like to read 52 books in 2021. (I hit 46 in 2020, but 22 of them were audiobooks!)