1851

When<a href="https://premiermartialartsfranchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-franchise-fastlane-became-the-partner-of-choice-for-premier-martial-arts-2710462" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank"> Premier Martial Arts</a> founder and CEO Barry Van Over elected to pursue franchising as a growth vehicle for his martial arts studio concept in 2018, business was already booming. Van Over began licensing his operations model to existing martial arts studios way back in 2004, making Premier Martial Arts an already well-established, recognizable brand with over 100 units using its likeness.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Over the past few years, Van Over recounted, he was approached by several companies about franchising Premier, but none seemed like the right fit. It was late 2017 when he found a viable partner, and the franchising process took off from there. In a testament to the strength of the Premier Martial Arts concept, every single legacy owner that was offered the chance to join the brand&rsquo;s franchise system did.&nbsp;

&ldquo;I spent the fall of 2018 converting legacy licensed owners into the franchise, so we hit the ground running with units in our portfolio&mdash;53 franchised locations, to be exact,&rdquo; Van Over said, noting that he fully expects the brand&rsquo;s remaining licensed locations in registration states to join the franchise system when they are able, as well.&nbsp;

With the conversion process behind them, Van Over and the Premier Martial Arts team were ready to scale. Van Over consulted a friend who had previously worked in sales for Premier and was now in franchising for a recommendation on potential partners as he was figuring out the sales part of the franchising equation.&nbsp;

&ldquo;He recommended two companies, one of which was<a href="https://www.franchisefastlane.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-franchise-fastlane-became-the-partner-of-choice-for-premier-martial-arts-2710462" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank"> Franchise FastLane</a>,&rdquo; Van Over said. &ldquo;When I pushed further and asked him who he&rsquo;d turn to in my situation, he told me to call [<a href="http://1851franchise.com/franchisefastlane" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank">Franchise FastLane</a> CEO] Ryan Zink.&rdquo;

After a day-long discovery meeting at the brand&rsquo;s Knoxville, Tennessee headquarters to determine whether Franchise FastLane and Premier Martial Arts were a mutual fit, both sides were excited to proceed with the partnership. That was January, and Franchise FastLane hit the ground running.

&ldquo;We did a lot of work over the course of the first few months to lead us where we are now with an active sales strategy,&rdquo; said Brent Seebohm, the Franchise FastLane Director of Franchise Development dedicated solely to Premier Martial Arts.

As far as what his role working with Premier Martial Arts entails, Seebohm said he does &ldquo;a little bit of everything.&rdquo; Primarily, Seebohm works with prospective franchisees, educating them on the economics and of the opportunity, facilitating communication with current franchisees and the brand&rsquo;s leadership team for validation and vision conversations and vetting potential candidates to determine if they are a good fit for the brand. Seebohm&rsquo;s other responsibilities include preparing PowerPoint decks and other brand collateral for Discovery Days to serving as the primary liaison with broker networks.&nbsp;

&ldquo;My role requires constant communication. Until candidates are viable and show serious interest in the opportunity, I don&#39;t concern the brand,&rdquo; Seebohm explained. &ldquo;This is why we&rsquo;re so successful&mdash;we let our partner brands focus on driving their business while we drive their growth. With mature brands like Premier Martial Arts, we need to be really selective about who we bring on as franchisees. This isn&rsquo;t a food concept&mdash;in part, it&rsquo;s children&rsquo;s services.&rdquo;

In addition to implementing a strategic growth plan, the area where Franchise FastLane has been able to make the most immediate impact on Premier Martial Arts comes down to the trust the company has been able to establish with the brand, Seebohm said.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Trust is the most important thing. We&rsquo;re at our best when we&rsquo;re functioning as an extension of Barry and the system as a whole,&rdquo; Seebohm said. While my focus is mainly directed at franchise candidates, I recently met with dozens of current owners who told me that Franchise FastLane has brought an added level of sophistication, confidence and growth momentum to Premier&rsquo;s franchise system given our success with other brands. We&rsquo;re helping inspire current owners to validate the brand in the discovery process and explore expansion opportunities they may not have previously considered.&rdquo;

To this same end, Van Over echoed Seebohm&rsquo;s sentiment, calling his overall experience working with Franchise FastLane &ldquo;top-notch.&rdquo;

&ldquo;With so many members of their team having served in a similar role as me, I know I can get valuable advice from the Franchise FastLane team on a big decision I&#39;m making and look to them for guidance, as well,&rdquo; Van Over said. &ldquo;They maintain regular communication, respect deadlines and as a result, hold themselves and us accountable and have handled our business quickly so we can now go forward and grow.&quot;

How Franchise FastLane Became the Partner of Choice for Premier Martial Arts

1851 Franchise

The blooming relationship between the brand and the franchise sales solution is already generating strong returns.

This brand page has been paid for by 1851. Content within this page that is paid will showcase a Sponsored icon. This means the brand has engaged 1851 FRANCHISE to write the content. Content without the Sponsored Icon is aggregated media placements the brand earned. Questions can be sent to editorial@1851franchise.com

how-franchise-fastlane-became-the-partner-of-choice-for-premier-martial-arts

Mosquito Squad Plus

How This Marine Corps Veteran Found Freedom and Purpose With Mosquito Squad

how-this-marine-corps-veteran-found-freedom-and-purpose-with-mosquito-squad

Spadea Lignana Franchise Attorneys

How The DeFelice Brothers Turned a $10,000 Loan Into an Award-Winning Franchise With Help From Spadea Lignana

how-the-defelice-brothers-turned-a-10000-loan-into-an-award-winning-franchise-with-help-from-spadea-lignana

Caring Transitions

How This Gilbert Entrepreneur Found Purpose Helping Families Through Life’s Transitions

how-this-gilbert-entrepreneur-found-purpose-helping-families-through-lifes-transitions

USA Ninja Challenge

Where Passion Meets Purpose: USA Ninja Challenge Gives Franchisees the Power to Change Lives

where-passion-meets-purpose-usa-ninja-challenge-gives-franchisees-the-power-to-change-lives

SweatHouz

From Finance to Wellness: Natalie Siewers’ Path to Leading SweatHouz in Northern Virginia

sweathouz-franchise-northern-virginia-natalie-siewers

Buying a Franchise Masterclass

 Franchise Opportunities

Get Support Buying a Franchise

How to Buy a Franchise White Paper

How to Buy a Franchise

How to Sell Franchises

How to Grow a Franchise

Find a Franchise Supplier

1851 Franchise Opportunities

Franchisor News

Franchisor Power Rankings

FranCamp Mastermind Summit

Franchise Development Website Builder

Franchise Resources

What ALEC-Laffer's Report Means for Franchising

Website Awards

Power Rankings

About 1851

Advertise on 1851

Contact 1851 Editorial

Terms of Use

1851 Login

GROWTH CLUB LOGIN

facebook

instagram

twitter

linkedin

youtube

Thursday 1851 Franchise Agg - NASAA’s Noncompete Push

NASAA’s Noncompete Push Puts Franchise Growth on Uncertain Ground

franchise-noncompete-nasaa-advisory-reasonableness-standard

How a Steady Economy Could Help Franchisors Plan Their Next Move

how-a-steady-economy-could-help-franchisors-plan-their-next-move

Bed Bath & Beyond - Franchise Expansion - Retail Strategy - 1851 Franchise

Bed Bath & Beyond Launches Franchise Model as Part of Comeback Strategy

bed-bath-beyond-franchise-expansion-retail-strategy

Senior Entrepreneurship - Franchising - 1851 Franchise

Senior Entrepreneurship Is Rising — And Franchising Is a Key Outlet

senior-entrepreneurship-franchising-silver-startups

U.S. Government Shutdown - Impact on Franchises - 1851 Franchise

Government Shutdown Stalls SBA Loans: How the Shutdown Could Impact Franchises

government-shutdown-impacts-sba-loans-tourism-franchises

NJCAR v. Ford - New Jersey Supreme Court Limits Standing Under Franchise Practices Act

New Jersey Supreme Court Limits Standing Under Franchise Practices Act

new-jersey-franchise-practices-act-njcar-v-ford

Power Eats: Smoothie King Rolls Out Food Nationwide To Fuel Franchise Growth

smoothie-king-food-menu-power-eats

Subway Franchisees Resist Expensive Remodel Directives

subway-franchisees-resist-expensive-remodel-directives

Friendly’s Parent Company Acquired by Multi-Unit Franchisee as More Owners Take the Lead in Brand Acquisitions 

friendlys-parent-company-acquired-by-multi-unit-franchisee-as-more-owners-take-the-lead-in-brand-acquisitions

image of jerome hanway from right at home Las Cruces, New Mexico 1851 franchise franchisee spotlight

Jerome Hanway Is Building His Right at Home Franchise Around His Mission To Serve

right-at-home-franchise-las-cruces-jerome-hanway

A Practical Playbook: Who To Call First When Franchising Your Business

franchising-your-business-who-to-call-first

image of franchise deep dive from 1851 franchise on doody calls franchise authority brands

DoodyCalls Franchise Costs, Fees, Profit and Data for 2025

doodycalls-franchise-deep-dive

1851 Keyword - The Secret To Succeeding With a Part-Time Franchise Is Picking the Right Model

The Secret To Succeeding With a Part-Time Franchise Is Picking the Right Model

part-time-franchises-picking-the-right-model

How Franchise FastLane Became the Partner of Choice for Premier Martial Arts

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS