Growing a Franchise
MassageLuXe Vice President of Growth and Development Sean Rentchler explains how franchise brands can preserve consistency, strengthen support systems and expand strategically across state lines.
Expanding a franchise system into new states can create significant growth opportunities, but geographic expansion also introduces new operational, staffing and support challenges. So, how do I manage growth across multiple states? According to Sean Rentchler, vice president of growth and development at MassageLuXe, the key is to build the infrastructure first, create consistency across the system and avoid pursuing development simply for the sake of adding units.
Multistate growth works best when franchise brands expand in clusters, protect the core customer experience and make sure their support capabilities grow alongside the franchise footprint.
When a franchise brand enters new markets, generating demand is not always the hardest part.
“The first challenge usually isn’t demand,” Rentchler said. “Once you have an established brand, demand for your services generally isn’t the problem. The bigger challenge is maintaining consistency.”
As systems expand, differences in hiring, employee training, customer service and day-to-day operations can become more visible. Those inconsistencies may seem small at first, but they can gradually weaken the customer experience and the value of the brand.
“As brands expand, the first cracks typically appear around hiring, training, customer service expectations and creating a consistent experience from one visit to the next,” Rentchler said. “Too many brands think they have processes and systems in place when they really don’t. Standardized training, centralized onboarding resources and detailed operational playbooks are all important. Most brands have those things. The real question is how they’re executed.”
At MassageLuXe, operational resources are incorporated into detailed checklists that guide franchisees through the same process at the same stage of development. The brand also schedules annual field training well in advance so owners can prepare their teams.
“It isn’t enough to simply hand franchisees a playbook,” Rentchler said. “Every franchisee receives the same operational playbook at the same point in the process. By creating consistency at the corporate level, that consistency tends to carry through to the unit level as well.”
For franchisors asking, “How do I manage growth across multiple states?” market selection should begin with existing momentum.
“I think a lot of emerging brands don’t approach growth strategically enough,” Rentchler said. “They get excited because someone wants to buy into the concept, and it becomes a mentality of, ‘We’ll sell to anybody, anywhere.’ Not all growth is good growth. The first thing I look at is where we already have locations and how we can build clusters. That creates scalability not only for us as the franchisor and our ability to support franchisees but also for franchisees themselves.”
Clusters can improve brand recognition, simplify field support and create opportunities for franchisees to share resources. They can also make it easier for strong operators to expand into nearby territories.
“Population growth and household income are useful demographic indicators, but we spend even more time looking at behavioral patterns and asking where we already have momentum,” he said. “Then we determine how to fill in those clusters.”
When Rentchler joined MassageLuXe, the brand had three New Jersey locations operating with limited density around them. By focusing development in the surrounding region, the company sold six additional units in New Jersey over a two-month period and began preparing for expansion into New York City.
“The difference is that those locations aren’t operating in isolation anymore,” Rentchler said. “Our growth is much more structured.”
As a franchise footprint grows, informal processes become increasingly difficult to manage. Brands need systems that can be repeated consistently across every market.
“It really starts with having systems and processes that actually exist,” Rentchler said. “During the interview process, companies often talk about their systems, but once you get inside, you realize many of them aren’t fully developed. Data is only as good as the people using it. If you’re not using it correctly, you don’t really have effective systems.”
MassageLuXe uses a standardized onboarding checklist, training manual and video library so every franchisee receives the same education. The brand also trains operators to use its customer relationship management platform, membership systems and reporting tools consistently.
“Every franchisee receives the same training manual, gains access to the same video library and moves through the same process,” Rentchler said. “We’ve become so consistent with that approach that it’s second nature.”
Those systems should continue evolving as the brand learns from new openings and existing operators.
“Our checklists are living documents,” Rentchler said. “Every quarter, we review what’s working and what isn’t, then make adjustments. Too many brands focus only on opening locations and celebrating unit sales instead of making sure those locations succeed after they open.”
One of the biggest challenges in managing growth across multiple states is allowing locations to connect with their communities while still delivering a recognizable brand experience.
“That’s probably the million-dollar question in franchising,” Rentchler said. “How do you maintain brand standards while still allowing franchisees to make the business their own?”
Franchisees have more flexibility in areas such as local marketing, charitable involvement, community partnerships and the services they choose to emphasize. “Some of our owners are more passionate about massage therapy, while others focus more on skincare and aesthetics,” Rentchler said. “As long as they’re delivering the core MassageLuXe experience, we encourage them to lean into those strengths.”
Rentchler cited one franchisee who wanted to sell bath melts in her spa, for example. While the product was not part of the standard lineup, it aligned with the brand’s focus on relaxation and wellness, so MassageLuXe approved it.
By contrast, eliminating a core service such as deep tissue massage would materially alter the guest experience and would not be permitted. “We focus on making sure the overall experience in Georgia feels the same as it does in Colorado,” Rentchler said. “Guests should immediately recognize they’re in a MassageLuXe. At the same time, there are smaller elements that can vary from market to market.”
For brands wondering, “How do I manage growth across multiple states?” Rentchler’s most important advice is to make sure the organization can support every new location it sells.
“The first lesson is simple: don’t outgrow your infrastructure,” he said. Supporting 10 locations within one market is significantly easier than supporting 10 locations scattered across 10 states. Clustered growth allows field teams to serve franchisees more efficiently and helps the franchisor scale its support organization in a more controlled way.
“If you know you’re going to add several new locations, you should be hiring support staff before you reach that point instead of reacting afterward,” Rentchler said.
Culture is another important consideration. Rapid expansion can change the character of a franchise system quickly, particularly when brands award territories to franchisees who do not align with the company’s expectations. When new franchisees do not receive the support they expected, frustration can spread beyond those operators and affect confidence across the existing system.
“Too often, brands measure success by the number of deals they close instead of considering how those decisions affect the rest of the organization,” Rentchler said. “You need to know where you want to grow, who you want to grow with and what your ideal franchisee looks like. You won’t always get every decision right, but being intentional helps you avoid many of the mistakes that emerging brands commonly make.”
For franchisors asking, “How do I manage growth across multiple states?” a few priorities stand out:
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