Growing a Franchise
Daniel Golik discusses how he came to franchise his business, some of the key lessons he learned during the process and his advice for others considering the model.
Daniel Golik, founder and chief operating officer of Chill-N Nitrogen Ice Cream, started the brand in 2012 and grew it to seven stores in South Florida on his own. However, with the demand for the products continuing to grow and excitement for the concept remaining high, he felt confident in Chill-N’s systems and technology, and believed franchising was the natural next step.
To help demystify the process, 1851 Franchise spoke with Golik to learn more about his franchising journey and his advice for others looking to follow a similar path.
1851 Franchise: Why did you decide to franchise your business?
Daniel Golik: We had a lot of requests for franchising throughout the organic growth in South Florida of our first seven stores. At that point of opening store seven, we felt confident in our brand, systems and technology and were excited to work with new franchisees. The majority of our franchisees were frequent customers of our stores and really understood our brand values, so we felt like it was a great group to begin franchising with.
We also were reaching a point at seven stores where additional expansion via franchising would make more sense geographically. Franchisees can get involved at a local community level where it would be difficult for us outside of South Florida.
1851: What advice would you give to someone thinking about franchising their business?
Golik: Spend a lot of time looking at systems and documenting all aspects of the business. Also, talk to loyal customers and see what they think of the business. Would it be something they would be interested in? Why or why not? Those conversations are a great gauge of franchise potential along with the unit level economics.
1851: What was one thing you wish you’d known about the franchise process?
Golik: I think overall resource allocation was something we struggled with early on. Making sure we had the right staff in the right positions for different stages of the business growth was challenging. With a couple years of experience, we’ve made a lot of improvements in that area.
Growing and selling franchises is difficult. No great franchise did it alone. Want to learn more about how 1851 helps franchisors grow their franchises with confidence? Visit www.1851growthclub.com and see what we can do for you.
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