FranX | What it Means to Win

The Next McDonalds (Big Idea)

With nearly 25 years of experience in franchising, McFall reflects on what it takes to thrive – and how to define success on your own terms.

As someone that has worked in nearly every position at Biggby Coffee, including as a barista at the original cafe, Michael J. McFall knows a thing or two about building a successful franchise from the ground up.

After partnering with the company’s co-founder, Bob Fish, in 1997, McFall helped grow Biggby Coffee from a humble coffeehouse in East Lansing, Michigan to a franchise empire with over 300 stores across the U.S. and revenue topping $140 million in 2019 – an admirable feat based largely on smart business practices and a model focused on sustainable success.

“I think most startup franchisors are like, ‘Oh, I got a check for $30,000 – I’m gonna buy a boat.’ It’s an early mindset versus how we play for the long-term,” says McFall, now the company’s co-CEO, explaining that the brand’s emphasis on sustainability over immediate rewards contributed to the franchise’s 25-year success.

Today, with 160 contracted locations expected to open within the next two years, the team at Biggby Coffee still has their eyes on sustainability as the brand continues to scale. With a reinvigorated goal of elevating the workplace, McFall is also on a mission – this time, to create a better business with a heightened sense of purpose.

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Franchisees Kicking Ass: The Franchisee is King

The Great Franchisee: Matt Robinson, ProLift Garage Doors, Kansas City, MO

The Navy veteran and hospice worker is starting a new career in business ownership with the fast-growing garage-door-service brand.

Aiming to bring a reliable home service into the community, local veteran Matt Robinson opened the first ProLift Garage* Doors in the Blue Springs community in March. Robinson served as an Aviation Ordnanceman in the Navy from 1999 to 2003 and worked in the telephone cable and hospice industries until he decided it was time to work for himself.

ProLift Garage Doors* is a brand under the Premium Service Brands umbrella. PSB’s charitable organization, Kids Lift, works with schools in the local community to provide backpacks and food for kids. Robinson has announced he will be participating this year and he enjoys being a part of a company that gives back to the local community. He hopes to open his second location in Kansas City this year as well.

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Yo Broker, Sell My Franchise

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Experiences Momentum During the Start of 2022 On Pace to Reach 400th Location and Hit 9 Millionth Move

The nation's leading moving, storage and junk removal franchise plans for continued expansion including 25 new traditional and mini-market signings with existing and new franchisees.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®, the nation’s largest franchisor in the moving industry, with more than 390 franchises and 3,000 trucks in operation, is celebrating continued momentum as it looks to accomplish another banner year of franchise development across its brand.

In 2021, the brand completed 12 new franchise agreements and 19 transfers , expansion into two new states (Vermont and Rhode Island) and continued revenue increases through a mix of diversified services and long-distance moves as Americans continued to relocate amid the pandemic. Additionally, the company’s junk-removal service saw a record-breaking year as new franchises signed on to offer the service in their local markets.

With 2022 already on the move, the rapidly growing franchise with 35-plus years of success is on pace to cross the 400-unit mark and record its 9 millionth move this year.

"Each year, we break new records and hit new milestones,” said Jon Nobis, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK’s CEO. “2022 is already off to a strong start, as we’re preparing to move into new markets, expand our existing territories and grow our mini-market opportunity for franchisees who are looking for more flexibility to work with less staff and trucks while in an area where there’s still demand for high-quality moving services.”

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The Bottom Thoughts

Why do you need to sell the amount of units you need to sell? How do you come up with that number? What is the rhythm and rhyme behind it? Do you know?

Many franchisors spin a magical wheel and land on a magical number of units they want to grow in a year. Yet, rarely, do they look into the science of what creates a lead, an application, a deal – as well as the timeline and the enterprise value of what that deal could impact?

What this does is it stresses out the organization and pressures the sale – meaning, adding the potential of the wrong fit (later closers or early exits) because sales teams have to hit numbers.

What if you switched your approach? What if you looked at data?

Armed with data, now, you can goal set in a different way – and perhaps, in an even more productive way. Try writing down these answers:

What is a deal worth to your business:

• Franchise Fee:
• Annual Royalty:
• Annual Royalty X 5:

Can this operator you are about to sign, scale?

• Size of deal?
• Timeline to open?
• Does he/she have the financial bandwidth to open all, or, will they have to rely on success?

Number of current franchisees expanding?

• Where are they?
• Any additional market opportunity?

Your leads:

• Ask them how long it took them to decide to apply?
• Ask them how long it took them to sign?
• Ask them what hurdles they had to overcome to get to yes?

Now, what is your goal? Why? What will this do for your brand? Are you looking to exit in x years? Try a new approach – even if it's for 2023. It might help you set realistic, achievable, and measurable goals.