FranDev Players: Peter Barkman, Partner at BrandOne

Peter Barkman has been a player in the franchise game since he was in college. When he was just 19, he worked as a foreman on a painting crew of 20 other college students. Since then he’s bounced around the industry in development roles for brands like AAMCO, MAACO and CertaPro Painters. Now, Barkman is a partner at BrandOne, a group of franchise development experts committed to accelerating the growth of exceptional brands. Barkman’s dedication to growing brands sustainably and responsibly runs deep, and even after 33 years in the industry, he says he’s still “energized” about keeping its momentum growing.

1851 Franchise caught up with Barkman to discuss the key components of growing a franchise and how BrandOne is helping brands grow in a meaningful way.

1851 Franchise: Tell us about BrandOne.

Peter Barkman: BrandOne works with brands to try and help them grow sustainably and responsibly through franchise recruiting. We really take the time to understand the brand and what makes for an ideal candidate. 

We aim to ensure that the franchisor is happy and they’re working with quality people. It’s about getting the right franchisees and making them happy. When they’re happy and passionate about what they’re doing, they’re able to achieve sustainable and responsible growth. 

1851: How did you get into franchising?

Barkman: I actually cut my teeth in franchising at 19. I started running as a foreman on a painting crew for college painters. I had 20 college kids painting for me while I was still a college kid. 

From there, I just stayed in franchising — I’ve worn all kinds of hats. Long story short, I got connected with the founder of MAACO, AAMCO and the Goddard School franchises. I became a director of development for MAACO and ran a team that would support franchise owners. 

Later, I eventually had an opportunity to work with my old mentor, Charlie Chase. He was the founder of CertaPro Painters. He offered me an opportunity to partner with him and work on the operations side of things to get new franchisees up and running. We were really focused on finding corporate refugees looking to move into franchising. A lot of executive-level type people don’t see themselves as the owner of a painting franchise. 

I’ve been in franchising for 33 years and worn every hat there is. I realize how little I know and how much there is still to learn, even now. I’m not tired. I'm energized to be in this industry. I learn every day. 

1851: Are there any keys to consistent franchise growth?

Barkman: Every brand is different. You don’t want to grow too fast or too slow. It’s about pushing the envelope and adding more franchise owners, but being able to support those owners at a very high level. The recruiting of franchisees needs to match and mirror your support capabilities. If you're not supported on the back end, the wheels are going to fall out from under you. 

At BrandOne, we try to stay very close to the brands and have a pulse on them to understand their support capabilities and match and meet that on the recruiting end so their growth is sustainable and responsible. 

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

Barkman: Finding the right franchise partners to grow with. Anyone who’s in franchising can tell you that a great partner is a huge asset. The way franchisors grow is because they’re great listeners. Franchisees come up with some of the best ideas, and franchisors recognize great ideas and are able to implement and dispatch them.

Things that stand in the way are internal — not listening to franchisees, or just not onboarding great franchisees in the first place. They’re settling. The bottom 20% in performance is generally a big time suck. 20% of franchisees take up 80% of your time. 

1851: How did the COVID crisis affect franchise growth opportunities?

Barkman: In some cases, the pandemic has had a good or bad effect depending upon a few things. I think that the franchisors that have endured COVID are the ones who are open to making changes and reacting quickly and thoughtfully. You can see the brands that are doing that. They really thoughtfully reacted to support franchisees in the form of holding off on royalties or technology fees to help them get through it. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. 

It’s not what happens to you, it’s how you respond to what happens. That goes for companies too. Bad things happened to good people and that’s the true test of character. People either rise or they cave. 

1851: Are there any common mistakes you see franchisors making when trying to grow?

Barkman: One very common mistake is growing too fast and not having your systems —  support, training and marketing — dialed in before growing your brand and your team. 

Franchisors and systems that grow smart will often not put the cart before the horse. They’ll get their operation house in order, and they go high and wide recruiting franchisees. Then they keep the bar very high for people they award franchises to. When awarding franchises, look for folks that don’t just have competence, but also commitment and integrity. Award them to people who you like, trust and respect and who like, trust and respect you. Sometimes people are smart and competent and intelligent, but I know a lot of smart people who don’t work hard and who aren’t passionate or dedicated to what they’re doing. 

That’s what you should be looking for from your franchise partners as a franchisor. If you can’t check all those boxes, do the hard thing and take a pass. 

1851: What are your biggest goals/plans for 2021?

Barkman: We have very specific goals with each franchisor partner, but in the end, if you look at our goals they’re aligned with whatever the mission and vision of the brand are. The goal is to enhance the lives of our franchisor partners and their franchise owners and to make the world a better place. We want to be involved in businesses that make the world a better place. The brands we work with that are environmentally and socially conscious, improving people’s lives are our strongest brands. When you’re doing good work, it’s easier to work your ass off and feel great about it.