Growing a Franchise
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When Sal Longo franchised Busy Bee Jumpers, vendors were quick to pitch their services. He chose Mainland because he wanted to grow without disrupting the business he'd already built.
Every new franchisor eventually asks the same question: now what? Sal Longo, CEO of Busy Bee Jumpers, a party rental franchise with three franchisees and one corporate location across Massachusetts and Rhode Island, had vendors lined up with answers. He chose Mainland* because it started with a franchise assessment instead of a sales pitch and because it wanted to understand his goals before telling him where to spend.
“Mainland identified our upside but also our pain points, and we are working diligently to tighten our process up as we continue to ramp up franchise development,” Longo said. “At no point have they ever pressured me into exhausting more capital to grow.”
Longo appreciated that approach after encountering other vendors who seemed more interested in selling their services than understanding what Busy Bee needed.
“When I first began our franchise journey, our company was introduced to so many people who were trying to sell me their services and told me to run quickly and seize the opportunity,” Longo said. “They essentially put their needs and vision ahead of ours.”
Busy Bee was already an established business. The company has been renting bounce houses, water slides and tents for more than 25 years. Longo, who started as a weekend delivery driver, acquired it in 2021. The systems needed to support franchise expansion were still developing.
Mainland began with a franchise assessment covering Busy Bee’s model, economics, ideal franchisee and brand story. The goal was to identify where the brand should focus before increasing its investment in franchise development.
“Most new franchisors know their business inside and out,” said Chad Cohen, director of growth at Mainland. “What they haven’t done yet is test it as a franchise. What does a franchisee actually take home? Who is the right buyer? What does corporate have to deliver before the next unit opens?”
The assessment pointed Longo toward three priorities: documenting processes, improving unit economics and supporting the company’s franchisees.
Growth tactics should support the franchisor's goals, especially when the business is still developing the systems needed to support franchise expansion.
Busy Bee began franchising in 2025 and now has three franchised territories: one in Rhode Island and two in Massachusetts, serving Worcester and Cape Cod. Longo's first year in franchising has also shaped what he expects next for the company.
“I’ve learned every brand has to go at its own speed and not upset the main business, which is driving the franchise opportunity,” Longo said. “I’ve also learned that documenting processes, improving our unit economics and supporting our three existing franchises are the most important parts of building a strong foundation to support future growth.”
Terri Lydon, vice president at Mainland, said the definition of success has to come from the franchisor.
“A franchise marketing agency needs to understand what winning means for each franchisor. It is not a one-size-fits-all answer,” Lydon said. “Our job is to build a strategy that connects every effort across content, PR, digital and metrics to each client’s goals.”
Once the goals are set, the tactics have to serve them.
“The biggest mistake a franchise marketing agency can make is treating marketing like a collection of separate tasks,” Cohen said. “A franchisor doesn’t need someone just to write the story, run the ad or get the placement. They need an agency that understands what the brand is trying to accomplish and can connect all of those pieces back to it.”
Mainland calls its model a “conveyor belt.” A story developed for a franchise brand can become a PR pitch, while digital ads can drive prospective franchisees back to that coverage. Each piece builds on the last.
For Busy Bee, the payoff came early. Mainland secured coverage in The Boston Business Journal and Franchise Times that introduced the brand to prospective franchisees while it was still establishing itself. Longo said those stories continue to generate organic leads and have given the brand credibility.
“Working with a marketing agency that pitches our culture, market opportunity and growth potential is paramount when getting our offering off the ground,” he said.
Mainland’s work with Busy Bee continues as the brand addresses the gaps identified in the assessment. That work is helping shape the company’s franchise development strategy, including its plans for expansion. Longo’s goal is to sell five new units in 2027, and Mainland is aligning Busy Bee’s content, PR and digital work to get there without outpacing the corporate business.
“The best agency partners don’t just execute on scope,” Lydon said. “We understand our clients’ business, bring proactive ideas, measure what’s working and continually adjust the strategy to drive results based on goals.”
For Longo, the answer to “now what” was to slow down. With Mainland helping set the strategy, Busy Bee is tightening its processes before spending more to sell additional territories, while the coverage it earned in its first year continues to generate franchise leads.
For more information on working at or with Mainland, please visit https://hellomainland.com/.
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