From humble beginnings in 1988 to more than 350 stores across the nation today, Wireless Zone has established itself as a franchise industry mainstay.

Lately, emerging franchise brands have been all the rage. They are new to the space, growing fast and causing heads to turn. But what about the brands that have seen steady and consistent growth across decades?

Reaching legacy status in the franchise space is a feat not many brands can claim. Wireless Zone®, which has grown to more than 350 stores since its founding in 1988, is one of the few franchises to have reached legacy brand status.

For Wireless Zone Executive Director of Development Keith Dziki, being considered a legacy brand in the franchising community is not only exciting, but also a testament to the brand’s continued innovation in the competitive retail space.

“Wireless Zone has continued to stay relevant in this ever-changing industry and country,” said Dziki, emphasizing that the path to obtaining legacy status was a challenging one. “We’ve adapted our model, image, offering, and more over the last 30 years. We had to make sure that we were still a good fit for individuals looking to adopt a wireless business, while at the same time, deliver an end-product that produced results for the franchise owners that have invested in our brand.”

In the last few years specifically, Wireless Zone has seen smooth and consistent growth. According to Dziki, this is a direct result of three things: franchisee performance, a new ownership structure focused on growth and store performance and the evolution of services offered to consumers by Verizon. These practices, coupled with changes to the franchise recruiting process, continue to help the brand grow steadily.

“The wireless industry overall is a very competitive space, with many carrier options for the consumer to choose from,” said Dziki. “It’s the franchise owners that perform and follow the Verizon brand, model and standards that are rewarded with growth opportunities. Wireless Zone and Verizon leaned on the high performers by awarding them new locations so that they could replicate their success in other markets.”

While Wireless Zone has paved its way to legacy status, it has not always been an easy road. Dziki shared some tips for emerging and existing franchisees that are looking to grow at a steady pace and stick around for the long-run.

“Stay true to the model that has proven successful year after year,” he said. “But, make changes where changes are needed, whether it’s to the recruitment process, franchisee support systems, vendor relations, product or service offerings, and so on. This doesn’t necessarily mean it takes reinventing the wheel to move your brand from 10 doors to 100 doors and on to 300 doors, though. Listen to your franchisees and understand their needs and wants to grow and perform at a high level. They are the individuals that are out on the front lines working with consumers day in and day out, and they very well may have the exact idea that takes your brand to the next level and on to legacy level.”