Profiles in Franchise Development: Danny Nieves of Local Door Coupons

Founded just five years ago by a small team of sales and marketing professionals, Local Door Coupons has garnered quite a bit of attention in its short time as a franchise, even landing a spot on Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500 list this year.

The brand’s rapid success can be attributed largely to a unique business model that puts franchisees at the center of the local business community in their territory. Local Door Coupons partners with local business to create and distribute print coupons for businesses in the area. The concept has caught on in markets across the country, and the franchise already boasts more than 40 active territories.

Local Door Coupons’ CEO, Danny Nieves, says the brand was designed for large-scale growth but not specifically for franchising. We talked to Nieves about how the transition into franchising has worked out for the brand.

When did Local Door Coupons decide to franchise?

Growth was on our mind since the inception of our business as a neighborhood marketing service. In our second year, we experimented with the idea of growing organically through investments in sales and operational staff. The challenges with that model centered on the overhead we would assume to grow to a size we felt was viable. In the end, we decided on franchising because we felt entrepreneurs would appreciate the low-cost model and relatively risk-free approach.  

What do you love about franchising?

From a personal perspective, I love the opportunity franchising provided us in helping to grow our business in a responsible and efficient way. As a business owner, I love the culture in franchising and enjoy the tiny nuances that are common to all franchisors: developing the right franchisee profile, recruiting and helping managing growth opportunities for individual franchisees. It's also great to see individuals from different walks of life take our training and culture and absolutely capitalize on the opportunity. I love seeing someone jump to the very top of the list of best-performing franchisees.

Is there anything you wish you could change about the industry?

As an emerging brand, I think I'm in a great position to observe and learn about some of the challenges in the industry. Right now, we have been fortunate enough to enjoy steady growth and success, much of which I attribute to those brands knowing how to franchise the right way.

What’s the biggest change you’ve noticed in franchising since you started?

I would say that there is a big push to target millennials as the next generation of franchise owners. It's an exciting time, and I'm looking forward to seeing how other franchisors continue to adapt in targeting that demographic.

What makes a great franchisee?

I feel that's the million-dollar question every franchisor struggles to answer.  For me, I'm looking for someone who is ambitious and driven and understands how to maximize this opportunity. Chances are that if I'm meeting with someone who gets uncomfortable discussing the more demanding aspects of this business, rather than jump at the opportunity to meet the challenge, then they possibly aren't a fit for our system.

What’s the number-one thing that sells franchises?

Proof of concept and validation