How Franchise FastLane is Helping Garage Force Achieve Measurable Franchise Growth

Over the next two to three years, concrete coating franchise Garage Force has plans to triple in size. The 50-plus unit brand’s plan to get there? As of 2019, Garage Force has partnered with Franchise FastLane, a franchise sales solution that specializes in helping brands on the cusp of growth scale effectively and efficiently. 

Tim Trailer is Garage Force’s National Franchise Director. Trailer explained that since the brand started offering franchise opportunities in 2014, territories have been awarded on a consistent basis, getting the brand to a point where nationwide development was becoming a priority. To kick off the search for the right partner to help the brand get there, Garage Force began in its own backyard.

“We were familiar with another business based near our headquarters in La Crosse, Wisconsin that was beginning to grow through franchising. They worked with Franchise FastLane, and the results their team was able to generate impressed us,” Trailer said. “We thought that if Franchise FastLane was able to achieve those results with that brand, imagine what they could do with our systems and business opportunity.”

Intrigued by the idea of a potential partnership, Trailer and his team met with Franchise FastLane founder and CEO Ryan Zink.

“Franchise FastLane visited us to spend time getting to know our company and have a conversation about how their team approaches franchise growth,” Trailer said. “They took the time to understand what our goals were and how we operate, which helped us all understand if it was the right fit. Fortunately, it was, and we’ve really clicked since day one.”

For Trailer, the biggest impact Franchise FastLane has had on Garage Force since the two companies forged a partnership earlier this year has been the expansive knowledge base from which Franchise FastLane derives best practices for scaling a business. 

“They’ve provided direction and advice, clearly laying out aspects of our system that should be points of focus as we continue to grow,” Trailer said. “We rely on FastLane’s experience with other franchises to identify best practices we should implement. It really helps to see someone like Ryan who has taken on franchise sales on the franchisor side, as well, strategize and provide a step-by-step plan to take our system to the next level.” 

Though Garage Force and Franchise FastLane’s partnership is young, both companies are excited about what’s already been accomplished—and what’s still yet to come. 

“Over the next several years, we want to grow our system to triple its current size,” Trailer said. “Working with Franchise FastLane’s extensive broker networks, we’ve seen some excellent movement that we’re excited to continue building on. They have the systems in place for us to track and measure what’s proving to be the most effective development strategy and have helped us develop a structure that takes franchisees through the process step-by-step so that they’re set up for success. These are all things that franchisors know, yet many don’t have the systems and processes in place to get to where it should be. It’s been invaluable for us to see and utilize these essential components to growth through this partnership."